Perched out on the very tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is a patchwork of bubbling modern cityscapes, romantic mountaintop citadels, roaring Atlantic beachfronts and sun-kissed valleys of vineyard, sunflower and tomato, all weaved from the historical threads of Moor and Medieval knight alike.
For the holidaymaker in search of quintessential Europe—its fresh and earthy gastronomy, its verdant backcountry and historical wealth—then Portugal is perhaps the perfect place. After all, this is the land of the rugged Algarve, with its shimmering yellow beaches, fronted by the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Cadiz. Here is the cradle of the Age of Discovery; a place alive with grand Catholic churches and palatial Gothic complexes.
But as any Portugal tour guide will tell you, this curious country is great for those in search of something a little different too, loaded as it is with influences from North Africa, the New World and a whole host of other destinations, each manifesting itself in unexpected nooks and crannies of the country—from the super chic wine bars of downtown Lisbon, in the soaring and magnificent Serra da Estrela, to the Italo canals of Aviero and the bucolic cottages of the almost-Peruvian Schist villages.