Portugal: The Rough Guide, Seventh Edition - Softcover

Ellingham, Mark; Fisher, John; Kenyon, Graham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858281806 ISBN 13: 9781858281803

Publisher: Rough Guides, 1996

Synopsis

Book by Ellingham, Mark, Fisher, John, Kenyon, Graham

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Ellingham set up Rough Guides in 1981, and wrote the first edition of the Rough Guide to Portugal the following year. John Fisher has also been involved with Rough Guides from the start and is the author of several other titles, including Mexico, Spain and Greece. Graham Kenyon also co-authored Rough Guides to Spain and Greece before changing professions to become an IT specialist in the City.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

WHERE TO GO

The obvious place to start a visit to Portugal is the capital Lisbon, which contains a selection of just about everything the country has to offer within its vicinity: historical monuments from the Golden Age, superb beaches nearby and a cool hilltop retreat just north in Sintra, along with neighbourhood grill houses, hip nightclubs and traditional village quarters. Further north on the River Duoro, and best known for its port wine lodges and soccer teams, Porto is the country’s second city and the economic heart of the nation. It certainly beats to a faster work rhythm than the rest of the country but the city nevertheless retains an earthy, typically Portuguese welcome for outsiders.

These are the only cities of any size in Portugal, but the country’s cultural and historical past is also reflected in smaller towns, especially the university towns of Coimbra and Évora; Guimarães, the country’s first capital; and Braga, the religious centre. But, with its miles of Atlantic coastline, Portugal is most famous for its beaches. The safest and most alluring of these are in the Algarve, and though this has led to large-scale development, you can still escape the crowds in the east of the region on the offshore islands around Tavira and along the west coast north of Sagres. Other less-developed but more exposed beaches can be found up the entire west coast of Portugal, with small-scale, thoroughly Portuguese resorts such as Milfontes on the Alentejo coast, Nazaré and the Pinhal de Leiria resorts in Estremadura, and the Costa da Prata resorts in the Beira Literal. Crowds are even thinner along the Costa Verde around Viana do Castelo, but by the time you are this far north the sea is decidedly chilly for much of the year.

Most of Portugal’s population lives on the coastline and to see a more rural, traditional side of Portugal involves heading inland. The most dramatic and verdant scenery lies in the north around the sensational gorge and valley of the river Douro and in the wild mountainous national parks of the Serra da Estrela, Peneda-Gerês and Montesinho. Some of the rural villages in Trás-os-Montes, Beira Alta and Beira Baixa still live a startlingly traditional existence firmly rooted in subsistence farming. By contrast, the wide-open plains of the flat Alentejo are an agricultural area of endless olive and cork groves scattered with some of Portugal’s prettiest whitewashed villages. Here the fierce sun and parched landscape promotes a far more laid-back lifestyle than in the greener hills of the north and centre. All along the border with Spain you’ll find fantastic fortified border settlements, from Valença in the north to Elvas and Monsaraz in the south, most of them barely touched by tourism.

WHEN TO GO

A weather map of endless suns sums up the situation across the whole of Portugal in summer, certainly between June and September, when the only daytime variation across the country is a degree or two further up the scale from 30ºC. At this time, and especially in July and August, Portugal’s coastal resorts are at their busiest and prices correspondingly reach their peak.

But, with such a verdant landscape, it should be no real surprise that Portugal also has a fairly high level of rainfall, most of it from November to March. The north of Portugal is particularly wet, and in the higher areas showers are possible more or less throughout the year. In central and southern Portugal, especially on the coast, it is mild all year round and, although it can be cloudy in winter, when the sun does break through it is delightfully warm.

Perhaps the best times of year to visit are in late spring – for the dazzling flowers – and early autumn, when the weather is warm but not too hot and the summer crowds have thinned out. Swimmers, however, should note that the official swimming season in Portugal lasts from around June to mid-September; outside these months, outdoor pools close and few beaches are manned with lifeguards. Some hotels, restaurants, campsites and water parks also only open from around Easter to September.

In winter, in the north things can get pretty chilly, especially inland where snow is common along the mountainous border areas in January and February. But, if you don’t mind the odd tourist facility being closed, crisp, sharp sunshine makes winter a highly appealing time to visit the middle and south of the country. In Lisbon, the Alentejo and Algarve there are dramatic reductions in hotel prices and, in February, the almond blossom lights up the countryside. This is the time when you’ll see the country at its most Portuguese, with virtually no tourists around.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1858281806
• ISBN 13: 9781858281803
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528