Downing a bica: In a country whose former colonies included Brazil, Angola, and East Timor, it’s no surprise that the country is hooked on coffee. Although you can find local equivalents of lattes and flat whites, the Portuguese mostly get their caffeine fix through tiny espresso shots known as a bica, or simply a café. If you want to blend in, eschew pavement terraces and join the locals lined up at the counter in countless cafes to knock back their bicas, quite possibly with a custard-filled pastel de nata or another treat from the selection of pastries on show. See p. 106.
Chilling on a beach: While the English complain “it’s not my cup of tea,” the Portuguese say “não é a minha praia”—“it’s not my beach.” The phrase shows how central the beach is to Portuguese life. Inhabitants of Lisbon and Porto will rush out to the cities’ suburban shores at weekends, even in mornings and evenings before and after work. Most beaches have cool bars or restaurants that serve up wonderful fresh shellfish or grilled fish. Surfers from around the world flock to ride the rollers along the west coast at places like Aljezur, Ericeira, and Peniche.
Wine tasting at a quinta: Port wine from the Douro region has been a major Portuguese export for centuries, but the world has only recently woken up to the wonders of the country’s other wines: darkly brooding reds, playful white vinho verdes from the Minho, bubbly espumantes, sweet moscatels. Excellent tipples are produced the length and breadth of the country, but the Douro region’s terraced hills stand out for their beauty. Sampling wines in one of the Douro’s historic estates (quintas) while gazing out over the landscape is unforgettable.
Watching the sun set at the end of the earth: The ancients believed the remote Sagres Peninsula at the southwestern tip of Europe was the end of the earth. Prince Henry the Navigator set up there to plot the Age of Discoveries. There are few better places to watch the sun go down. Crowds gather around the clifftop fort and lighthouse at nearby Cape St. Vincent to see the sun turn the sky orange before sinking beneath the waves. There’s nothing but the Atlantic between here and New York. The cocktails served in the fortress cafe help keep out the sometimes chilly winds.
Party with the saints: Lisbon’s biggest party comes on June 13. To honor Saint Anthony (Santo António), its patron, the city engages in all-night revelry. The streets in the oldest neighborhoods fill with the whiff of sardines on the grill and the sound of guitars and accordions. Hordes of revelers quaffing beer and red wine dance into the wee hours. Celebrations are most intense in the district that wins the marchas populares contest, a singing costumed promenade down the capital’s main boulevard. Eleven days later it’s Porto’s turn, on the night of Saint John (São João). The second-city’s party includes a spectacular fireworks display over the Douro.
Walking a levada: The island of Madeira is crisscrossed with more than 2,092km (1,300 miles) of hiking trails that follow narrow stone irrigation channels, known as levadas. Walking them offers wonderful views of the island’s mountainous interior and out over the deep blue Atlantic all around. Many lead though the Laurisilva forest, what’s left of the semitropical native vegetation that covered the island before Portuguese explorers arrived in 1419. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most scenic is Levada do Caldeirão Verde, which snakes 4 miles though verdant glades and tumbling ocean views before arriving at a 91-meter (300-ft.) waterfall.
Taking to the waves on the Tagus: Lisbon’s cutest mode of public transport are the tiny streetcars that weave through the narrow streets. But the famed Tram 28 has fallen victim to its reputation and is now swamped with tourists. A more authentic journey would be to join the thousands of Lisbonites who commute from the south bank of the River Tagus into the city on little orange ferry boats called cacilheiros. For 1.30€ you can admire an unrivaled view of the Lisbon skyline as the boat chugs across for the 10-minute voyage to the dock at Cacilhas, where there’s a welcoming row of riverside seafood restaurants.
Portugal’s best Villages & Small Towns
Tavira: While much of the central Algarve coast has been scarred by mass tourism, the region’s eastern and western extremities retain their charm. Nowhere more so than this little town, where noble 17th-century homes line the riverside, narrow streets are filled with restaurants and cafes, and small boats can whisk you to near-deserted island beaches. See p. 227.
Óbidos: Clustered around its 12th-century castle, this is one of Portugal’s best-preserved medieval towns. Its maze of cobbled lanes connects whitewashed houses with bright blue or yellow trim. The town is also famed for its bookshops, its sweet cherry liqueur, and the white sands of its lagoon that opens out into the Atlantic nearby. See p. 193.
Belmonte: Birthplace of the explorer who discovered Brazil and home to a Jewish community that preserved its faith in secret through centuries of persecution, Belmonte is built from granite hewn from the remote central highlands. Among the rough stone buildings are a 13th-century castle and the ruined tower dating back to Roman times. See p. 328.
Amarante: Inland from Porto, Amarante sits on a tree-lined curve in the River Tâmega. Its Renaissance-style riverside church, built with Spanish and Italian influences out of soft golden local stone, is surrounded by townhouses rising up the hillside and spreading along the riverbank. It is home to a fine luxury hotel, a surprising museum of modern art, and famed cafes serving sweet almond- and cinnamon-flavored pastries. See p. 365.
Marvão: As dramatic locations go, this could hardly be better. Marvão is perched on a rocky crag rising 860 meters (2,800 ft.) out of the Alentejo plain. It stood as a frontier post for centuries, fought over by Celts and Romans, Muslims and Christians, Castilians and Portuguese. Inside its medieval battlements, the old whitewashed town has survived all those battles. Views are extraordinary, especially if you’re there at dawn or sunset. See p. 290.
Angra do Heroísmo: The history-packed capital of Terceira island in the Azores permits residents to choose from 18 authorized shades for painting their houses. The result is a riot of pastel facades huddled around a couple of Atlantic coves and framed by volcanic slopes covered in grass of the deepest green. The city was a key staging post for the Portuguese trading empire and served as an inspiration for colonial ports across Latin America. See p. 448.
Miranda do Douro: Located on the edge of a canyon formed by the River Douro on Portugal’s northeast frontier, Miranda has been a land
glory.
