Explore the Azores

Places To See

Igreja de São Roque

The dull facade of this 16th-century Jesuit church hides a dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos (traditional tiles) - an elaborate canvas bankrolled by Brazilian riches. The pièce de résistance is the exquisite Capela de São João Baptista, to the left of the altar, a stylistic tussle between classical austerity and decorative hysteria.

Commissioned in 1742 by Portugal's most extravagant king, Dom João V, this chapel was designed and built in Rome over eight years using the most expensive materials possible, including amethyst, alabaster, agate, jade, lapis lazuli and Carrara marble. The four mosaics representing events from the saint's life are as elaborate as oil paintings.

After its consecration by Pope Benedict XIV it was dismantled and shipped to Lisbon at outrageous cost.

The adjacent Museu de São Roque contains more evidence of flash ecclesiastical cash, with lavish devotional items, weird reliquaries, and 16th- and 17th-century paintings.

Conimbriga Ruins

The sprawling ruins at Conimbriga tell a vivid story. On the one hand, its domesticity is obvious, with elaborate mosaics and heated baths that bring to mind delightful, toga-clad dalliances. But smack through the middle of this tranquil scene runs a massive defensive wall, splitting and cannibalising nearby buildings in its hasty erection to fend off raids.

The Conimbriga site actually dates back to Celtic times but the Romans developed it into a major city. To get your head around Conimbriga's history, begin at the small but well-organised and informative museum. Displays present every aspect of Roman life from mosaics to medallions. There's a sunny cafe-restaurant at the back that was being remodelled at the time of writing.

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Chief must-see is the eclectic, brilliant collection of the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. One of Europe's unsung treasures, this museum, set in a sleek 1960s building, houses more than 6000 pieces spanning major epochs of Western and Eastern art. Idyllic gardens surround the space, and touch-screens provide information on some of the museum's works.

The 1500 pieces on permanent display include an exquisite 2700-year-old alabaster bowl, a 2400-year-old Attic vase, luminescent Roman glassware, 16th- and 17th-century Turkish faïence glowing with brilliant greens and blues and Armenian manuscripts.

European Art sweeps from medieval ivories and jewel-like manuscripts to 15th- to 19th-century masterpieces. Outstanding works include two atmospheric La Tour portraits, turbulent Turners, a passionate Spring Kiss by Rodin and a pretty Renoir.

The grand finale is the incredible collection of René Lalique glass and jewellery. Here are fabulous, unique fantasies, such as the outrageous, otherworldly Dragonfly, glittering with gold, enamel, moonstones and diamonds.

Torre de Belém

This much-photographed hexagonal chesspiece symbolises Portugal's glorious triumphs in the Age of Discoveries: it was from Belém that Vasco da Gama set sail for the New World. Designed by the brilliant Arruda brothers, Diogo and Francisco, the tower is a shaken-not-stirred mix of early Gothic, Byzantine and Manueline styles.

Manuel I built it around 1515 to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbour, perhaps to catch invaders off guard.

Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês

Established in 1971, Peneda-Gerês has helped preserve not just a unique set of ecosystems but also a highly endangered way of life. Spread across four impressive granite massifs in Portugal's northernmost reaches the park encompasses boulder-strewn peaks, precipitous valleys, gorse-clad moorlands and lush forests of oak and fragrant pine.

The horseshoe-shaped park is blessed (or cursed) with more rain than anywhere else in Portugal, swelling its rivers and five sizable reservoirs. Within the southern park in particular, you'll find exceptional hiking through forests and over high plateaus dotted with beehives and archaeological sites. The northwest is known for its idyllic rural accommodation in far-flung cottages and stone shelters.

Villages are dwindling as young residents leave for the cities, but so far they're still able to offer a glimpse into a vanishing way of life. Meanwhile, the heights close to the Spanish border (especially in the Serra do Gerês, where several peaks rise over 1500m/4921ft), are almost free of human activity, other than the shifting of livestock to high pastures in summer.

Events

Portugal abounds with romarias (religious pilgrimages), festas (festivals) and feiras (fairs) that bring whole towns to a standstill. At the core of many are religious processions. The further north you go, the more traditional and less touristy these celebrations get. Carnaval is one of the biggest events, featuring partying, parading and painted faces about six weeks before Easter. There are vast and colourful processions during Braga's Easter or Holy Week Festival. The Festa de São João in June is biggest in Porto where everyone dances through the streets, amiably hitting each other over the head with leeks. The Feira de São Martinho (Golegã, November) showcases all manner of horses, riding contests and bullfights.

Public Holidays

New Year's Day - 1st January
Carnaval Tuesday - February/March - day before Ash Wednesday
Good Friday - March/April
Liberty Day - 25 April - celebrating 1974 revolution
Labour Day - 1 May
Corpus Christi May/June - ninth Thursday after Easter
Portugal Day 10 June - also known as Camões & the Communities Day
Feast of the Assumption - 15 August
Republic Day - 5 October - commemorating 1910 declaration of Portuguese Republic
All Saints' Day - 1 November
Independence Day - 1 December - commemorating 1640 restoration of independence from Spain
Feast of the Immaculate Conception - 8 December
Christmas Day 25 December

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

Peak tourist season is roughly from mid-June to September, except in the Algarve where it really only quietens down in the dead of winter. Carnaval and Easter are two holidays celebrated with gusto all over the country and are worth going out of your way for.

Travel Visa Overview

None required for EU nationals. Nationals of Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the USA can stay for 90 days visa-free. Everyone else needs a visa.

Being a member of the Schengen Agreement, business travellers from the Schengen group of nations can obtain a 90 day Schengen Visa when entering Portugal.

Electricity

220V

50Hz

Electrical Plugs

European plug with two circular metal pins

Health Information

Sunburn

In the tropics, the desert or at high altitude you can get sunburned quickly and seriously, even through clouds. The southern reaches of the continent suffer from scathing ultraviolet, so be extra careful there. Use a strong sunscreen, hat and barrier cream for your nose and lips. Calamine lotion and aloe vera are good for mild sunburn. Protect your eyes with good-quality sunglasses, particularly if you will be near water, sand or snow.

Weather Information

Portugal's high season is mid-June to mid-September. The Atlantic tempers the Mediterranean climate down south, where summer temperatures regularly reach 30°C (86°F). The climate is temperate, and you'll find agreeable weather just about everywhere (except in the Alto Douro and the Alentejo where summers can be painfully hot and droughts common) from April to October, and nearly year-round in the Algarve. Overall the wettest season is from November to March: the soggiest regions are in the extreme north and in the Serra da Estrela mountain region in the country's centre. The ski season is from January to March, but February is best.

History and Culture

Culture

Thanks to a strong Catholic influence and decades of repression under Salazar, Portugal remains a traditional, conservative country - romarias (religious festivals honouring a patron saint) are taken very seriously, almost as seriously as the results of local football matches. Seafood and wine both figure prominently on local menus, while dreamy, arabesque forms are the strongest features of local architecture.

Pre-20th Centure History

The Iberian Peninsula has been occupied for around 500,000 years. Paleolithic art dating back 22,000 years has been discovered on rocks in the Vale do Côa. About 5500 BC Neolithic fortified hilltop villages appeared in the lower Tagus valley.

Portugal's history goes back to the Celts, who settled the Iberian Peninsula around 700 BC. The region soon attracted a succession of peoples and was colonised by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Visigoths. In the 8th century, the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and commenced a long occupation that introduced their culture, architecture and agricultural techniques to Portugal. But resistance to the Moors grew and they were finally ejected during the 13th century.

In the 15th century, Portugal entered a phase of overseas expansion due to the efforts of Prince Henry the Navigator. Mariners set off to discover new trade routes and helped create an enormous empire that, at its peak, extended to India, the Far East, Brazil and Africa. This period marked the apogee of Portuguese power and wealth, but it faded towards the end of the 16th century when Spain's Felipe II claimed the throne. Although Spanish rule lasted only a few decades, the momentum of the empire declined over the following centuries.

In 1755, someone in Lisbon broke a bathroom mirror as a black cat crossed their path while opening a new umbrella. The city was subsequently destroyed by three major earthquakes, tremors, a fire and a tidal wave.

At the close of the 18th century, Napoleon sent expeditionary forces to invade Portugal but they were forced back by the troops of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance.

Modern History

During the 19th century the economy faltered and republicanism took hold. National turmoil led to the abolition of the monarchy in 1910 and the founding of a democratic republic.

Portugal's democratic phase lasted until 1926, when a military coup ushered in a long period of dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar. His reign came to an end in 1968 when he had a stroke. Anachronistic attempts to hold onto colonies in the face of nationalist independence movements resulted in costly wars in Africa and led to the Revolution of the Carnations, a nearly bloodless military coup on 25 April 1974.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Portugal underwent some painful adjustments: the political climate vacillated between right and left, and the economy suffered from wrangles between government and private ownership. The granting of independence to Portugal's colonies in 1974/75 resulted in a flood of over 500,000 refugees into the country. Entry into the European Community (EC) in 1986 restored some measure of stability, which was buttressed by the acceptance of Portugal as a full member of the European Monetary Union in 1999. Portugal's last overseas territory, Macau, was handed over to the Chinese in 1999.

The Alqueva project on the Guadiana river become Europe's largest artificial lake when it was completed in late 2001, to howls of protest from environmentalists who claimed it was a destructive and unnecessary folly. In August 2003, forest fires killed 18 people, destroyed an area the size of Luxembourg, cost a billion euros and prompted the government to declare a national disaster.

Recent History

The year 2005 was similarly catastrophic. Portugal witnessed the worst drought in living memory in most of the country; it devastated agriculture and slashed the sector's financial projections by 35%. It was a critical year for bushfires, as well, with 200,000 hectares (about 494,000 acres) burned, mainly in the central Coimbra region and surrounds.

Socialist José Socrates took the prime ministership at the 2005 election after the previous coalition government had burned through two PMs in the one term. Socrates inherited a familiar raft of problems, including ballooning budget deficits, rising unemployment and stagnant growth. The 2004 enlargement of the EU hasn't helped, as countries with much lower labour costs have overturned Portugal's former competitive advantage.

In 2007 Sócrates took over the rotating presidency of the EU. In an unusual turn of events, his role brought him face-to-face with his former political opponent José Manuel Barroso, who was now serving as president of the European Commission (Portugal's first appointee to the post). Together, the two brought much attention to Portugal. They championed the rights of smaller states, oversaw the drafting of the Treaty of Lisbon (an agreement designed to bring more unity to the EU) and played a prominent role in discussions about climate change and energy-reduction targets among EU members. On the domestic front, Sócrates has focused much of his efforts on renewable energy and education.