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Porto and Lisbon have much in common – both are hilly cities, with attractive riverside quarters and winding warrens of old lanes and alleyways. Portugal’s two main cities both have fantastic restaurants – with a good mix of traditional and Michelin-starred cuisine – plus great bars and nightlife. Add all this to the fact that they are easy on the pocket and you’ll see why these two cities make for such an alluring city break. But which of these top Portuguese cities should you visit first? Here’s the lowdown on what they have to offer. Which city has the most beautiful views? Let’s face it, they both have fantastic views over their respective riverfronts, squares and ancient quarters. Set on seven hills, Lisbon has several miradouros – open viewing areas where locals gather at sunset to chat and admire the panoramas below – including the beautiful tile-clad…

Porto is a fascinating and vibrant city that is rapidly becoming one of Western Europe’s most respected tourist destinations. The city boasts an extensive history, interesting tourist attractions and a buzzing nightlife. There is a lot to see and do in Porto and the city will appeal to a wide range of different visitors. Porto is a historic and varied city, from the warren of narrow streets that make up the ancient Ribeira district through to the grand plazas of the Avenida dos Aliados. The region is famed for the production of Port, which is still stored in the vast cellars that stretch along the banks of the mighty Douro River. This guide will provide an introduction to Porto and links to further detailed tourist information. Highlights and Main Attractions of Porto, Portugal The Ribeira district – The oldest district…

Why go now? This is a dynamic time for Lisbon, with a seemingly unstoppable wave of new hotels, restaurants, and museums opening between the rambling old quarters and the waterfront that runs along the river Tagus to the Atlantic. During the summer months, it comes into its own with life lived outside and special events to celebrate the warmer weather. Fittingly for a city that’s reinventing itself as well as celebrating its past, Lisbon is the Ibero-American Capital of Culture 2017  with “Past and Present” the main theme. Meanwhile, the striking new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) officially opened this year on the neglected waterfront area in Belem. Despite the hills, Lisbon’s an easy city to explore on foot, and summer is the best time to do so. Get your bearings Easy to explore in a day or two, Lisbon’s…

Lisbon is the stunning capital city of Portugal, and is one of the most charismatic and vibrant cities of Western Europe. It is a city that effortlessly blends traditional heritage, with striking modernism and progressive thinking. As a holiday destination, Lisbon offers a rich and varied history, lively nightlife and is blessed with a glorious…

In Portugal, although there are remnants of the presence of the olive tree from the Bronze Age, it would have been the Romans and later the Visigoths and Arabs that contributed mostly to the development of its cultivation. The philosopher, historian and geographer Strabo mentions exportation to Rome of the magnificent olive oil from the Alentejo plains while the historian and scientist Pliny admired the art of “pruning the olive trees” that were wisely cultivated among the grain fields. The olive groves in the centre and south of Portugal were being planted and replanted as the centuries rolled by but it is the beginning of the 14th and 15th centuries, during the reign of King João I, that they became most abundant, mainly between Coimbra and Évora, extending through the valley of the Tagus from Santarém to Lisbon. “The Rules…

Portuguese cuisine is a mixture of Mediterranean traditions and Atlantic freshness. That is a lot of olive oil, fish and fresh ingredients, while in the regions away from the coast, pork and other meats are the favorites. Although most of the fish served in Portugal’s restaurants was swimming in the ocean just a few hours ago, it is dried salted cod that makes up most of the dishes on a Portuguese menu. And those menus are changing fast, thanks to a growing number of acclaimed chefs and new Michelin stars. Lisbon is thriving in the kitchen, with the recent gastronomic energy giving rise to a new contemporary Portuguese cuisine that is also (finally) beginning to capture international attention (including in Portuguese-inspired restaurants abroad, like New York’s Michelin-starred Aldea and London’s acclaimed Viajante). The food is joining the country’s wines whose…

Snails are found everywhere and whilst most gardeners dislike them, here in Portugal instead of being a pest, snails are a culinary delicacy. June is the month when snails appear on menus and a new shop/restaurant has now opened near the Algarve Resident office, where you can enjoy a plate of snails for €2.50 or…

If you’ve been drinking the mass marketed lager beer produced by major breweries for a long time, you should try out craft beer. Craft beers are made by small local and independent brewers who work hard to create rich, unique, flavours that the macro brewers hardly ever achieve in their large breweries. Here are 10 good reasons why you should drink craft beer. 1. Better Taste Craft beer has a richer and more distinct taste than watery mass produced beer. Most craft brewers are passionate about the taste and flavour of their beer. So they invest the time and energy required to maintain or improve the quality of the beer instead of concentrating on huge marketing campaigns. 2. Greater Variety Craft beer gives you more choices than the common larger beers sold by major brewers. In Australia, there are thousands of…

Shiitake mushrooms make a great addition to a wide variety of meals, but you have to use them properly for the best results. Get tips on cooking with shiitake mushrooms and learn a few new recipes with help from a chef.

So while diners worldwide crowd Italian trattorias, French bistros and Spanish tapas bars, Portuguese restaurants abroad generally cater to melancholy emigrants seeking in vain to matar saudades (kill their longing) for mom’s home-cooked food. Things are changing, though. The success of Portuguese chefs like George Mendes in New York and Nuno Mendes in London is generating a global buzz about the cooking of their homeland. Regular visitors have long been in on the secret, but here are 20 reasons why Portugal should be on every foodie traveler’s list. 1. Piscivore perfection In Europe, only Icelanders eat more fish than the Portuguese. Superstar chef Ferran Adria says seafood from Portugal’s Atlantic waters is the world’s best — and he’s Spanish. Markets glimmer with a startling variety, from baby cuttlefish to U-boat-sized tuna. If your food heaven is fresh seabass expertly barbequed…

  You probably will not need all the stock specified in the list of ingredients. Use only the necessary until the rice is al dente, which means cooked but not mushy. Ingredients: serves 4 200 g arborio rice 200 ml of Tawny Port Wine 6 large shiitake mushrooms, cut into small pieces 1 medium onion,…

Ornate, colourful, marinated in tradition – a taste of Portugal can be very filling. Here are some digestible insider tips: Couvert: there’s one essential commandment regarding Portuguese dining etiquette: whatever you eat you must pay for, whether or not you ordered it. Waiters bring bread, olives and other goodies to your table the moment you sit down. This unordered appetiser is called couvert and can cost anywhere from €1 per person to over €12. If you don’t want it, you can send it away, no offence taken. There’s also no shame in asking the price – ‘quanto e isso?’ Breakfast: the Portuguese don’t really do breakfast. By mid-morning, when peckish, Portuguese nibble on one of a mountain of fresh pastries (including sinful conventual cakes) from one of the many pastelarias. But they won’t go past a bica (an espresso) standing at a…