Portugal, a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery, looks out from the Iberian Peninsula onto the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal's history has had a lasting impact on the culture of the country: Moorish and Oriental influences in architecture and the arts are prominent.

During the summer, in the month of June, festivities dedicated to three saints known as Santos Populares (Popular saints) take place all over Portugal. Folk dance and music, particularly the melancholy fado, remain vibrant.

Portugal is the country lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in south western Europe. It is bordered on the East and North by Spain, and on the West and South by the Atlantic Ocean. Occupying about 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has a total area of 35 672 square miles, occupied by ten million people. Despite its small size, the country displays a great diversity of geographic features, creating a contrast between plain areas and extremely mountainous zones.

Until the 1970s, Portuguese overseas territories included the Cape Verde Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese Guinea, Angola and Mozambique (all in Africa), Macau (in Asia) and Timor (in Oceania). Of these, by the late 20th century, only Macau remained a Portuguese dependency, now under China’s dependance.
As a member of the European Community and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Portugal plays a greater role in both European and world affairs than its size would suggest. Nonetheless, it is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal - Lisbon, the capital of Portugal is a popular travel destination. It is the largest city of Portugal and has a number of sites that tourists can travel. There are some fine sandy beaches in Portugal along the Lisbon coast which the tourists cannot miss in their travel to Lisbon and the prominent ones which you must visit during your travel are beaches at Estoril and Cascais.

Vila Nova de Gaia in Porto - Porto in Portugal is also a popular travel destination. Tourists must not miss the opportunity to travel Vila Nova de Gaia, the winemaking region of Portugal in Porto and taste different varieties of wine. The coast of Porto is dotted with holiday resorts where tourists can come and enjoy lots of water sport activities during their travel to Portugal. It is also famous for the historic center located at Porto.

Palaces of Sintra - Sintra is one of the most wonderful places to travel in Portugal. It has beautiful green landscape and offers a marvelous view of the coastline of Portugal. Sintra is home to the three national palaces, which are important in the history of Portugal.

Batalha Abbey - Batalha in Portugal is known for its magnificent abbey. It is one of the greatest Gothic masterpieces of Europe and is a world heritage site. Tourists must travel this city in central Portugal, which is also known for its monumental buildings and architectural wonders.

Cloister of Silence in Alcobaca - Alcobaca is home to the biggest church in Portugal and tourists must travel here to visit the abbey, also known as Cloister of Silence embellished with 18th century designs.
Fatima is another travel destination of Portugal located close to Alcobaca. It is an important pilgrimage center of Portugal for Roman Catholics.

Algarve - If you love the 'Mediterranean style' holiday experience with all the facilities and sophistication that tourism development can offer, then the coastal strip west from Faro to Albufeira and Lagos is for you. Here you may find large hotels and resorts, endless beaches, nightlife, swimming pools, health clubs and superb shopping; all the comforts of home in a foreign country

Each region of Portugal has its traditional dishes with various kinds of meat and seafood, including the hundred ways of cooking cod, the national dish

The staple diet is one of fish, meat, vegetables and fruit. Although Portugal's waters abound with fresh fish, the dried, salted codfish known as 'bacalhau', often imported, is considered the national dish. In some countries, at Christmas time, people eat turkey, in Portugal people eat boiled 'bacalhau', with olive oil, potatoes, grain and cabbages.

In many areas, meat is seldom eaten, although the Alentejo region is known for its pork and Trás-os Montes for cured meats.
Breads and sweets - the latter a legacy of Moorish occupation - take a variety of forms, with many regional specialities.

Spring and fall are definitely the best times of year to visit mainland Portugal. Winter starts in November or December and lasts to February or March. Especially in the north and central regions, including Lisbon, the winter is rainy and chilly. The weather usually stays warm from May to September.

The Algarve is moderate year-round, with extremely hot summers and a lot of sun even in the winter. Midsummer is also extremely hot in Alentejo. An evening breeze cools the temperature down along the coast.

In the end of April/beginning of May you can still get the lower winter rates in hotels.

The climate in the Azores is mild year-round.

In Madeira, the climate is mild, more or less constant year-round with high temperatures in the summer. Actually, the island has two different climates. One on the north side, and a different one on the south side. The nearly 2000 m high mountains in the middle stop the rain coming from the north side. That gives a lot of rain in the mountains and on the north side. The south side also gets a lot of rain, but mostly as showers, and primarily in the winter.