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Return to Portugal
Cities, Towns, Villages and Areas of Portugal
Évora
Lagos
Lisbon
Obidos
Porto
Praia D'El Rey
Sintra
Vigo City

Évora
The walled town of Évora is one of the architectural gems of Portugal.
Situated in a landscape of olive groves, vineyards, wheat fields and brilliant
spring flowers, it's a charming town with one-way back streets so narrow that car
wing mirrors have the potential to be lethal.
The focal point is the Praçado, and its attractions
include the Sé cathedral, which has a museum of ecclesiastical
treasures; the picturesque Roman temple; and the Igreja de São
Francisco, which contains a ghoulish ossuary chapel constructed with the
bones and skulls of several thousand people.
Lagos
Lagos, on the south coast of the Algarve, is one of the country's most popular
tourist resorts. Most visitors are drawn to the superb beaches which include Meia
Praia, a vast strip of sand to the east, and the more secluded Praia do
Pinhão to the south. The town has abundant facilities for renting bicycles,
mopeds and horses, and there are also boat trips from the main harbor. Apart
from the sun and sand, the resort's other highlight is the municipal museum,
which has eccentric displays of ecclesiastical treasures, handicrafts, and
preserved animal fetuses.
Puerta
del Sol is a bi-monthly Spanish audio magazine published in conjunction
with Champs-Elysees
for the intermediate to advanced speaker of Spanish. It is designed to
take their speaking and listening comprehension to the next level. Every issue
takes the form of an hour long radio broadcast featuring interviews with Spanish
celebrities as well as up to date news from the worlds of art, business,
literature, politics etc. Previous guests on the programs include Felipe
Gonzalas, Carlos Fuentes, Julio Iglesias and Salvador Dali. Each magazine comes
with a complete transcript and a comprehensive glossary together with optional
linguistic exercises. Available on both CD and cassette. I know from
experience that it is always easier and more enjoyable to travel in a foreign
country when you can speak some of the language. Check out Puerta
del Sol and see what you think. Jim
Lisbon
Lisbon (Lisboa), the country's capital, stands breezily on the banks of the
Rio Tejo. The city's low skyline, unpretentious atmosphere and pleasant blend of
architectural styles conspire to make it a favorite with many visitors.
Orientation is fairly straightforward - apart from the puff required to
negotiate the hills - with most of the daily activity centered in the lower part
of the city.
A clear choice for Lisbon's finest attraction is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
Construction began about 1502 and was completed towards the end of the century.
It survived a great earthquake in 1755, and is today the principal remnant of
Manueline architecture found in the city. Nearby is the Torre de Belém,
a Manueline-style tower which stands in the Rio Tejo, and is probably the most
photographed monument in Portugal.
Lisbon has a number of attractive museums including the Museu
Nacional do Azulejo, which contains superb displays of decorative tiles; the
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, which houses the national collection of
works by Portuguese painters; and the immense Museu Calouste Gulbenkian,
considered the finest museum in Portugal, with exhibits of paintings,
sculptures, carpets, coins and ceramics from around the world.
Other places of interest are the districts of Baixa and Alfama.
Here you'll find some of the city's oldest and most rewarding sights: anarchic
cobbled streets, squares and alleys; markets and craftspeople, and colorful buildings and brooding castles.
Lisbon has a wide range of budget accommodation and cheap
eateries, mostly found in the central parts of the city. Lisbon's nightlife is
boisterous, and includes drinking in bars, raving at discos, bopping to jazz and
African rhythms or puzzling over fado. Local soccer matches and
bullfights are the biggest daylight thrills.
Lisbon has a Metro system with 4 different lines -- purple for
Linha da Gaivota, yellow for Linha do Girrasol, green for Linha da Caravela, and
orange for Linha do Oriente. Tickets are inexpensive and are purchased
before entering the station barriers. The Metro operates from 0600 hrs. until
0100 hrs. in the morning. The stations are decorated with interesting works from
contemporary Portuguese artists making them worth a visit just from an art
point-of-view. New stations and further line extensions are under construction.
Lisbon
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Obidos
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For information about low cost airport and
hotel transfers in Obidos, click on
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offers taxi, minibus, coach, and
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Porto
Praia D'El Rey
Holiday Rentals
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Sintra
The town of Sintra lies immediately north-west of Lisbon and was long favored by Portuguese royalty and English nobility (Lord Byron was mad about it) as a
summer destination. Its appeal is still evident today, with its thickly wooded
setting, romantic gardens and ramshackle glamour. Dominating the town are a
number of palaces and ruins, including the Palácio Nacional de Sintra,
an interesting amalgam of Manueline and Gothic architecture and the Palácio
Nacional da Pena. Just outside the town are the rambling Monserrate
Gardens, while further out is the Convento dos Capuchos, a tiny
16th-century hermitage enclosed in forest, with cells hewn from rock and lined
with cork.
Vigo City
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