Bem-vindo! Welcome to Portugal!

It's easy to find your accommodation in Portugal, click on our Portugal Accommodation. If you prefer to choose your accommodation in Portugal based on the hotel's location, click on our Portugal Map first.

The people of Portugal are warm and welcoming and this is reflected in the large number of immigrants the country has seen over time, from former colonies and beyond. Most Portuguese are Roman Catholic and have descended from Romans, Moors, Visigoths and even the Arabs.

Portugal is known to be one of the more affordable European destinations, and is graced with one of Europe's most relaxed and attractive capitals, Lisbon. Savouring life a step at a time seems to be a Portuguese tradition, and so most of its offerings follow pretty much a relaxed manner. Enjoy the religious celebrations, street fairs, humble markets, lively and very colourful folk festivals, al fresco barbecues and absolutely riveting music! Make friends with a local Portuguese family, and chances are you will get invited to a hearty meal and one of their sing-along parties where everyone joins in and sings to the tune of a designated family guitarist.

As far as tourism potential is concerned, Portugal has only begun scratching the surface! Offering exclusive resorts through Vilamoura, Albufeira and Carvoeiro, the central Algarve is the best known area for International tourism. From Faro to the Guardiana River at the Spanish border, the Eastern Algarve coastline is a protected Nature Reserve and in consequence the area has not had the same tourism development as the Central and Western areas. The dramatic and rugged Western coast is a protected National Park so all new development has been focussed in and around the old City of Lagos with its wonderful sandy coves and beaches, and further West, the beach resort of Praia da Luz and Burgau.

Portugal is also making a strong commitment to addressing the issue of global warming, as well as various other sustainability initiatives, through its hosting of various high level international meetings around these topics. One of the most significant is the recent International Carbon Action Partnership, where world leaders on the topic of climate change met in Lisbon.

From the good old days of its seafaring folklore, to the swanky and idyllic beach resorts, Portugal offers a great escape to the intrepid discerning traveller. Come home to great weather, great scenery, gorgeous olive groves, oak trees, vineyards, fields of golden wheat and a generous helping of churches, castles and World Heritage Listed sites to visit.

Portugal has always been famous as a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery. It looks out from the Iberian peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean. The year it handed over its last overseas territory, Macau, to Chinese administration in 1999, Portugal brought to an end a long and turbulent era as a colonial power.

The climate in Portugal is temperate and so is quite pleasant throughout the year. Summers are warm and dry in the South, and can get extremely hot and a little humid in the Northern mountains and river valleys around the Douro. The main golf seasons in Portugal are September to November, and February to May.