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Portugal General Tips

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Distrito Santarém
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • Updated By micas_pt on January 27, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Santarém, the capital of this district, is about 80km from Lisbon (1hour by train) making this city an easy daytrip from Lisbon. Santarém is usually referred to as the “Gothic style capital” due to its beautiful churches (more than 20!!) and buildings. In this district, although very close to Lisbon, you may enjoy a pleasant rural atmosphere, as there are many big farms due to its lands being one of the most fertile in Portugal (some plains and a lot of water). Bullfighting and horseriding are tradition here amongst Ribatejanos (people from Ribatejo area). Santarém has several traditions, but the “tastier tradition” is undoubtedly the gastronomy fair, which occurs every summer with people visiting from all over the country.

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    Distrito Setúbal
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 27, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    This district is adjacent to Lisbon and yet it looks so far away – customs are different, landscapes are different, …. Its capital – Setúbal – is a city where you should eat fresh grilled fish and seafood: both are delicious. A few km away from the city, there’s a fabulous mountain overlooking the sea and the peninsula of Troia – Serra da Arrábida. And if you cross the river from Setúbal to Troia (by ferry) then you will come across some amazing almost deserted beaches (such as Comporta area). This fabulous coast goes all the way to Sines – a port city. You may visit Roman Ruins, both in Troia and Sines region.

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    Lisboa - The Capital
  • Tip Rating:
    • ant1606
  • Updated By ant1606 on September 14, 2006
  • Portugal Page by ant1606
    • Praça Dom Pedro IV - Rossio - Portugal
    Praça Dom Pedro IV - Rossio
    by ant1606, 2 more photos
    Nicely squeezed between the Tejo river and the hills to its northwest, Lisboa is probably the main destination for tourists who choose Portugal. In August the city teems with visitors and it's a good idea to make advance reservations. We snugged in the comfort of a fairly priced and centrally located 4-star hotel room. This solution proved excellent to walk around without using public transportation, except for a ride on No. 28 typical tramway.
    The city is spread over several hills and do expect some exercise to explore the ups and downs around the Baixa district. This area was rebuilt after the earthquake occurred in 1755 and is dominated by the Rossio - or Praça Dom Pedro IV - and Praça do Comercio, connected by a few parallel streets of which Rua Augusta is the preferred strip for strollers. Other nearby streets were named after jobs of the old times.
    The "Calçada Portuguesa" is the typical cobblestone paving technique that alternates white and grey stones in the shape of wave or other beautiful patterns.

    - to be continued -

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    Distrito Coimbra
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 23, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Coimbra, the capital of this district, is a students’ city with a long tradition in universities. Apart from this unique city, in this district you should also visit Conimbriga – fabulous roman ruins – and Lousã, a quiet village. Near Lousã village are the mountain/hills – Serra da Lousã – which have fabulous green landscapes and are so quiet and peaceful. Another village worth visiting is Luso, famous for its thermal waters. Bucaço has a magnificent palace that today houses a hotel (expensive), and while visiting this magical place you may also go to the Car Museum. In Mealhada you should eat the famous special piglet, I’m sure you’ll love it.

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    Distrito Leiria
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 23, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Leiria, the capital of this district, is about 140 km from Lisboa and 175 km from Porto. Apart from visiting Leiria, while you are in this district you shouldn’t miss the coast and beaches like S. Pedro de Moel – beaches here are very good but water is extremely cold and sometimes there is wind and therefore big waves. Peniche and Nazaré are curious fishing villages where you can eat fabulous fresh fish and great seafood. In this district you will find 2 fabulous monuments, both classified by Unesco as World Heritage: Monastery of Alcobaça and Monastery of Batalha – both are awesome, difficult to describe. Caldas da Rainha is another village curious to visit: apart from having some traditional pottery and museum from famous Portuguese artist it has fabulous sweets made of eggs.

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    Distrito Viseu
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 23, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Viseu, the capital of this district, is located on north. It is a very beautiful city with a pleasant city centre, ideal for strolls and admiring architecture. On this district you may also Lamego a nice village with a beautiful sanctuary, similar to the one in Braga but smaller. In this district are located a famous wine region - Dão - and some renowned thermal waters - S. Pedro do Sul and Carvalhal. There are a lot of small villages spread around the green landscapes of this beautiful district which are worth visiting - observe locals as they have curious customs. But language might be a barrier, as the elderly won’t probably speak English.

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    Azulejos
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 16, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Porto - Portugal
    Porto
    by micas_pt
    Azulejos are traditional Portuguese tiles. If you notice carefully the houses and monuments all through the country you will see some beautiful examples of this ancient arts craft. Some of them are covered in azulejos, either inside or outside, and some of them will have smaller or bigger panels depicting some scene. Azulejos are hand painted tiles and can be found in blue and white shades or coloured, depending on theme, epoch and place.

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    Unesco Sites
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 16, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Evora - Portugal
    Evora
    by micas_pt
    If you are interested in visiting sites that are classified by Unesco, Portugal has some, both on the mainland and islands:
    > Mainland:
    . Lisbon: Tower of Belem and Monastery of Jeronimos
    . Batalha: Monastery of Batalha
    . Tomar: Convent of Christ
    . Évora: Historic centre
    . Alcobaça: Monastery of Alcobaça
    . Sintra: Cultural landscape
    . Porto: Historic centre
    . Côa: Pre-historic Art
    . Alto Douro region: Wine region (Vineyards)
    . Guimarães: Historic centre

    > Islands:
    . Azores: Central zone of Angra do Heroismo
    . Madeira: Laurisilva forest

    I will add some tips on my pages regarding these places, except for Madeira, Angra do Heroismo and Coa, which are places I never visited.

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    Açores
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 1, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Azores is an autonomous region (with own parliament and government), spreads over 650 km and is composed of 9 islands, which are organized into groups. These islands are not soo touristy as Madeira’s islands and therefore most of them should be regarded as off the beaten path destination, except São Miguel (the main island of this archipelago) and Faial – very well known in the sailing communities for its marina and Peter’s. All the islands are lush green and provide amazing landscapes. They are all of vulcanic origin and each of the 9 has particular qualities and traditions. These island have a humid climate and temperature is mild all year round, not so cold as mainlad (but sometimes very foggy!)

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    Distrito Evora
  • Tip Rating:
    • micas_pt
  • By micas_pt on January 2, 2004
  • Portugal Page by micas_pt
    • Portugal General Tips
    by micas_pt
    Evora is the main city on this district. Evora is an amazing city, whose old city centre is classified by Unesco as World Heritage site. The old city centre is inside the castle and everywhere you look it’s beautiful and picturesque. Apart from Evora in this district you should also visit:
    > Monsaraz
    > Arraiolos
    > Estremoz
    > Evoramonte
    > Montemor
    In this area you can also visit some places of the “Alentejo wine route” and admire the beautiful plains. There are also some megalithic stone monuments near the city of Evora.

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