Travel Guide to Portugal

Population: 11 Million

Language: Portuguese

Time Zone: GMT

Capital: Lisbon

Currency: Euro

Portugal is the westernmost country in continental Europe, and is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic to the south and west. An original member country adopting the Euro in 1999, Portugal greets visitors seeking holiday accommodation in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English in most resorts.

The river Tagus splits the country in two and marks two distinct climactic regions. By far the greater majority of tourists flock towards the Algarve which enjoys a balmy Mediterranean climate comparable with Morocco or southern Spain, though the regions of Costa de Lisbon and Costa Verde are lush in places and rugged in others. Mainland Portugal boasts a yearly temperature average of about 13oC (55oF). Portugal also lays claim to the islands of the Azores and Madeira, located out in the Atlantic, the latter offering year-round possibilities for holiday breaks, or people seeking a quiet break away from buzzing nightlife fanatics or golfing holiday aficionados.

A country of some 11,000,000 inhabitants, Portugal is fairly homogeneous linguistically and religiously and bears the legacy of a pre-Roman occupation then later Moorish influences. Nowhere is this more evident than in the diversity of the country's cuisine. Various recipes of rice, potatoes, bread, meat, sea-food, and fish are the staple foods in the country. Most of all the Portuguese love their cod, (bacalhau in Portuguese). It is said they have a different way of cooking it for every day of the year! Remember also that Portugal has been exporting wine to the world since Roman times. Who has not heard of Vinho Verde, Mateus Rosé or Port?

So if you are looking for an apartment to rent or a holiday villa in Portugal you have a wide choice. Pick a cottage, a farmhouse or spoil yourself with a windmill.