October 10th, 2007
The complete guide to: Portugal
There is no surer way to put a Portuguese back up than to make light of the distinction between the two great historical rivals who share the Iberian peninsula. Portugal has existed within borders virtually unchanged for 800 years. Its 10 million people speak their own language and follow their own singular cultural traditions. Two archipelagos, Madeira and the Azores, are also part of the Portuguese state.
The great majority of visitors come for the Algarve’s beach life. Twice daily, the Atlantic tide sweeps in, washing the beaches and creating a palpable sense of being at the edge of a continent. The water tends to be cooler here than around the Mediterranean, but the beaches, sandy coves and rocky outcrops are unmatched anywhere in Europe.
Add to this 19 golf courses - including the renowned Penina and San Lorenzo - and the vibrant nightlife at resorts such as Albufeira and Praia da Rocha, and you’ve got the formula for attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists a year.
CAN I FIND QUIETER CORNERS OF THE ALGARVE?
Certainly. Slice the south coast into three roughly equal pieces and you have three quite distinct Algarves: the wild, sea-surged west; the picturesque flatlands to the east; and the middle section between Faro and Praia de Luz, which throngs with sun-worshipping tourists.
Eastwards, beyond Faro, the coastline dissolves into marshy wetlands, salt flats and sandy islands. Snowy-white egrets, grey herons and waders which winter in West Africa, find their way here in huge numbers. Human visitors - mostly nature lovers - are few. The small fishing town of Tavira on the Gilao estuary is one of the real delights of Portugal. A string of elegant 18th-century facades, built on the proceeds of tuna fishing, line the riverfront. There are open- air cafes on cobbled squares shaded by palm trees, the romantic remains of a Moorish castle, and more than 20 churches in which fishermen still pray for safety at sea and a bountiful catch.
At the other end of the Algarve, the coast becomes increasingly remote the farther west you go, culminating in the bare, windswept bluffs around Sagres. At Cape St Vincent, the furthest promontory, the sheer, grey cliffs drop several hundred feet into the sea below. Take a right turn and you are on Portugal’s windswept west coast. Plains unfurl, dotted with scrub and crouching fig trees. Dirt tracks lead into what looks like desert towards expanses of sand the size of athletics stadiums. Waves come crashing in and the tide washes round in great sweeps. It is all fittingly dramatic for the very corner of a continent.
WHAT ABOUT EXPLORING SOME OTHER REGIONS?
Hiring a car and touring is the most practical way to get around. Point your exhaust at the Algarve’s beaches and golf links and, within a couple of hours, you are in the wilds of the Alentejo, where birds of prey soar over plains of cork forest. A backbone of mountains forms a natural border with Spain, dotted with castles and medieval villages. Streams and lakes break up a landscape that erupts into a riot of spring flowers before turning brown in the long, roasting summer.
Don’t miss Evora, a town which is almost a museum of Portuguese art and architecture, enclosed within sturdy 14th-century walls. Estremoz and Elvas feel sleepier, belying their architectural treasures and pivotal roles in Portuguese history. Other than a scattering of superb pousadas - a chain of state-owned inns akin to Spanish paradores - such as the converted national monuments in Evora and Estremoz, good-standard accommodation is scarce.
The Minho, the northwest corner of the country between Oporto and the Spanish border, forms a stark contrast to the south: a lush counterpane of wooded hills and valleys kept green by rain. When your car gets stuck behind a creaking wooden bullock cart laden with maize on the narrow, winding lanes, think of it as an opportunity to pull over and explore. You might come across a spicy-smelling eucalyptus wood, or a track along a stream to an old stone water mill. Or you might wander past a ramshackle farmhouse and admire the craftsmanship of the espigueiros - grain stores raised on stilts to prevent rodents getting in, usually topped with stone crosses. Braga, the “Portuguese Rome”, has 80 churches, most of them Baroque. Nearby Guimaraes was the first capital of the kingdom of “Portucale”, proclaimed nearly 900 years ago in the now-ruined castle perched dramatically on a rocky hill.
As an alternative to the pousadas, there are private homes - often termed “manor houses” - to stay at under the Turismo de Habitacao scheme. As guests, you may be welcomed to join the family for lusty home cooking.
SO THIS IS ABOUT AS OFFBEAT AS IT GETS IN PORTUGAL?
No. Parts of Portugal remain among the least-discovered pockets of western Europe. Start with the craggy Serra da Estrela northeast of Lisbon, the country’s highest mountain range and National Park, whose crowning peak, the Torre, reaches nearly 2,000m. Despite its spectacular scenery, few foreign tourists have even heard of it. In winter, the upper reaches of the range pack with snow, and wolves can be heard howling at night. In spring, a few lonesome hikers are to be found, and in autumn, you might pass the occasional hunter dangling a hare or partridge. In summer, the streams dry up and the verdant valleys turn brown and inhospitable.