5 Reasons to visit Portugal

The Portuguese are famed for their love of traditional homemade cuisine and even more famous for their love of sharing it. Portuguese cuisine is up-and-coming on the world scene, with an abundance of dishes in every shape and flavour.

Behind every Portuguese dish, there’s the recipe of a mother, of an aunt or an uncle, of a grandmother or a grandfather. This is one of the reasons Portuguese food is so special. Whether it’s at the table of a top restaurant or a traditional tavern, the food offers up the unforgettable taste of the Iberian Peninsula.

Mediterranean cuisine is embedded deep within the hearts of the Portuguese people. Fish, crustaceans and molluscs are daily delights and the cuisine is rich in olive oil, seafood, olives and fresh herbs. In 2013, Mediterranean cuisine was approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

We recommended you try the popular Sardinhas grelhadas, which means “grilled sardines”. During the summer, especially during the month of June, you'll find this dish all over the city’s, traditionally served with a side of boiled potatoes and vegetables or salad.

 

The summer weather is a huge bonus to Portugal, with over 2,500 hours of gorgeous sunshine each year. Stepping outdoors to see anything but the beautiful glow of the sun is something of a rarity, meaning you needn’t battle with the indecisiveness of the climate in certain other European destinations.

Holiday-goers can bring back the sun-kissed tans by enjoying the beautiful Marinha beach in the beach capital, Algarve, or discovering Lisbon’s famous Light on the city’s many slopes. There’s certainly no lack of inspiration to enjoy a drink in the sun on a café terrace with a glass in hand too!

 

Portugal is famous for its deep blue, and the summer not only offers up the opportunity to enjoy a range of sea-based activity like surfing, but it also allows you to explore the sea world that resides beneath the waves.

Surrounded by cliffs and in close proximity to a small fishing village and harbour, Arrifana beach is a popular destination among surfers. In addition to enjoying the stunning seaside and its sweet waves, visitors can enjoy a long walk through Costa Vicentina’s National Park and its plentiful woods.

Why not head out to the Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit on the 19-28th July? This is an International Wave Sports Festival that has been held at Santa Cruz beach in the municipality of Torres Vedras. The festival is noted for its national and international events held in sports such as surfing, skimboarding, surf kayaking, wave skiing, and bodysurfing.  

Madeira is also brilliant in the summer for families who want to witness the majestic sight of whales and dolphins gracing the Atlantic as well as sea kayaking, scuba diving, and more. In the Azores canyoning, scuba diving, diving with sharks are amongst the most popular water activities.

Caves and beaches to discover, forests and mountains to be travelled, lakes and waterfalls to explore. Portugal has plenty of areas of breathtaking natural beauty, and landscapes that'll make you want to grab your camera. I

f you want the very best of nature in Portugal this summer, look no further than Alentejo and the beautiful walking trails such as The Way of Saint James.

The Centro Region offers up some great cave tours including Gruta da Moeda which with a length of 1,200ft and a depth of 147ft, goes through the various natural galleries.

In Portugal, music is celebrated across the country with some of the best festivals in the world. Festivals for every taste, scattered from north to south of the country, that make you travel and explore every corner of a country with plenty of music and inspiration on offer.

This summer will see Portugal come alive as an abundance of international entertainment, cultural and historical festivals make their way to the cities, beaches, rivers and rural environments. As the entire country gets ready for months of festivities, now is the time to get ready and explore the unique atmosphere of Portugal, a country renowned for its love for a party!

For those looking for a summer of music, sun, sea, partying and 850km of beaches, Portugal offers the best combination of unmissable concerts and street festivals.

Nominated as one of the 10 best European festivals, NOS Alive will return for its 13th incarnation at the Passeio Marítimo de Algés in July 2019. The concert takes place just off the beach and is perfect for the adrenaline-seeking music fans who wish to listen to superb music and bask in the Portuguese sunset with a drink in hand. There is also the opportunity for those visiting the festival to enjoy the very best of Portuguese surfing as the adrenaline-inducing waves provide the perfect chance to burn off some of that energy from the NOS Alive partying.