Portugal

Portugal lies in the southwestern-most corner of Europe, open to the Atlantic on two sides and hemmed in by Spain to the north and east along the longest land border in Europe.

Constant battles with its larger Iberian neighbour and a spirit of adventureled Portugal to spend the last few centuries looking outwards towards the Atlantic, voyaging to the Americas, Africa and Asia and spreading her language and culture across the globe. Emerging from four decades of insular dictatorship in the 1970s, the country's gaze turned inland towards Europe, and today Portugal is one of the strongest supporters of the European Union.

the beautiful Zêzere valley, near Manteigas in the Serra da Estrela

Walking in Portugal remains, for most visitors, a brief stroll along a beach in the Algarve before dinner, and more than 60% of overseas tourists head for the sea and sand of the country's over-developed southern coast.

Outside this tourist mecca, Portugal is a country of contrasting landscapes, from the vibrant green of the Lima Valley in the northwest, to the megalithic ruins of the Alentejo in the southeast.

On the rest of this web site, you'll find practical information to help you plan your trip and give you background on the country, a region by region description, and links to all things Portuguese.

For more about Portugal, click on any of the links below