Portugal is not such a big country, but has many different places to discover , here comes our favourite ones..Just a few keywords to describe the area
Alentejo
Parte interior : Where ? Evora, Evoramonte, Monserraz, Estremoz...
Countryside, Blue-Yellow-White houses, Wineyards, Marble, Good wine, Porco a alentejana (Pork with seafruits!! and it's good !!), little streets, dry weather...
Costa do alentejo: Where ? Vilanova de Milfontes, Porto Covo, Sines...
Huge waves, wild coast, no buildings, few people, wind, wind, wind! Tras-Os-Montes
Where? Miranda do Douro and all the villages all around. What ? Alheira (kind of fried sausage) , Festival do burro e do Gaiteiro em Agosto, rocks, sheeps, a very few people !
Açores: Where? All around São Miguel Island
Three adventurous French had a great trip in the Açores by !!
It was in São Miguel Island, the biggest one at the east of the archipelago.
It's a volcanic island, really green with mountains and great beaches with black sand.
If you go there, you could do a lot of trekings, you will end up tired, but it's the best way to discover the island and above all the tropical vegetation.
Then you have to go to Furnas to cook in the volcanos. There you can also swim in the iron water.
There is a lot of lagoons and hot water spring...
And more :
People there have a strange accent, when you speak a good portugues it's funny because they don't understand you...
cows: you will miss them whan you come back in the main lands;
The transportation is not well developped there, so it's better to rent a car for one day if you are a lot, and also to do hichhicking (pedir boleia), there açorianos are really helpful you won't wait a lot, you can even try with the police car... ;-)
4 seasons in one day, chuva, 5 beers for 2,5€ in Ponta Delgada !free liqueur in Ribeira Grande
and a lot more....you have to discover by yourself.
Coimbra : University and Bats in the library
Lousã and Serra da Lousã: Where? Lousã, Talasnal
Schist villages, Mountain, Trekking, Licor de Berão, Hippie villages, Peaceful, Talasnicos ( Biscuits only made in Talasnal, with almonds, honey, castanhas...)
Center of Portugal:
Where? Viseu
It's the city with more round about in Portugal (20 and it is small)
You can go there and drink good wines for Dão region, eat Rancho (a portuguese special meal with many meat as always and cabbage...it's a little bit spicy)
The city itself has nothing special, it worths one afternoon there.
Where? São Pedro do Sul
Green, a great vegetation, small village with rocks, a lot of water.
Near Lisbon, Area of Sintra : Where? Road from Lisbon to Sintra by the coast, Sintra, Cabo da Roca
Sea, Hard coast, Castles and Gardens, Azulejos, Touristic
Near Lisbon, Area of Setubal: Where? Parque da Arrabida, Palmela, Sesimbra
Nice beaches, Lost little harbour (Portinho), Fishes, Queijo de azeitão, Azulejos
Costa Verde (North West of Portugal)
Where? Braga, Viana do Castelo, Porto!
Really green, the sea, rocks, hills and churches!
Braga:
Delphine spend there two hours, there was a connection between two autobus. Two hours it's ok to take a round through the city, but you will miss the Bom Jesus do Monte, a great momument with many stairs (they like it in Portugal) and a church in the top. The all monument is black and white.
The city itself have nothing special, there is churches everywhere, may be it's the city of Portugal with more churches.
There is also there a speciality "bolo romano" (roman cake), you can eat it in Frigideiras do Cantinho, a cake shop in the town center. It's made with milk, dried fruits and wine. It's a litlle bit heavy, but it's a speciality, you taste it once, no more.
In brief, you can spend one day in Braga, to visit the city and above all Bom Jesus do Monte.
Viana do Castelo
It's a very beautiful city, in the very north of Portugal on the coast. It's really calm, with little streets and that sorts of grafitis Delphine like.
The is beautiful beaches.
The is also a former hospital boat, Gil Eanes, converted in a museum. It was a boat usde to treat the cod fish fishers in the North Sea. It's intersting and above all funny to visit it, and it is just 2€.
You also have to climb the hill of Santa Luzia, it's difficult to clib, but there you have one of the best point of view of Portugal. And if you are lazy (it happens sometime) you can use the funicular.
Finally, if you go on the port early in the morning, a french touristic guide wrote that you can see fish vendors srceaming to sell cod fiches.
Região do Minho :
Where? Arcos de Valdevez and around (middle north near the natural parc of Gerês)
green, pine trees, a lot of montains, rocks, sometime fires, vineyards, wild horses, abandonned castle, a bar in the twon center where you can drink home made sumo de maracuja (passion fruit juice)
Go there and having trekkings, the nature is beautiful and there is a lot of views on the landscape around.
The cheapest bear in the continent: 0,80€
