Unusual travel destinations

Most interesting and unusual travel destinations.. We appreciate new impressions and new emotions they give us so much in fact!

And sometimes the most unforgettable trips happen to areas already 'famous' as a destination, but only if you look at your trip planning from a very different point of view.

Ask me how to make it happen and get the best of it! )

Never enough

We constantly hear from our grateful guests that there was not enough time to enjoy Portugal!
Be it a week or a two - there is always so much more to see, taste, discover, enjoy

Does not matter if your choice is history or gastronomy orsea sports - or all that and much more - you will always have an unforgettable experience here, in all these fascinating and so different areas, cities, beaches, castles

So always come again and continue the beautiful journey!
With us!

Medieval beauty

Impressive history. Grand Heritage.
Breathetaking beauty of this authentic fortress inspires.

Castle of Sortelha is a symbol of the long history of this borderland village of medieval foundation. It is only14 kilometers from the Sabugal area
It stands on a very top of a rocky hill and is surrounded by beautiful valleys. Great panoramas are visible from its ruined walls.

The Castle was constructed mainly for defensive purposes in 1228 by King Sancho IIand played a significant role in contries history. He chose the location with a great care, making sure that Sortelha Castle performed as a one of the strongest and best fortified strategic points in his kingdom

He started to be built at 760 m on a high plateau. Later on its structure ware reinforced and re-modified by King Dinis and King Fernando.

Sortelha Castle was an important defensive fortress and now an amazing attraction point due to its splendid location. It allowed a perfect view of the entire region which in itself is one step ahead of the action potential enemy.

Its donjon rises high and is visible from a long distance. Inside its territory there are charming houses, calling us back to medieval times

Portugal. Fascinating trails.

Travel. Romance. Magnificent Costa Alentejana area of Portugal

The sun is our greatest asset. On the Costa Alentejana, summer can stretch from March until November. From Alcácer do Sal to Odemira, there are miles of beaches to discover. From the extensive beaches in the north to the little coves hidden among the cliffs in the south, a calm and secret ocean awaits you. No traffic, no crowds.

Located in Southwest Portugal, the Costa Alentejana is a region of unique characteristics, accessed in a few hours from any major European airport. Few destinations in the world combine, in such harmony, development and tradition with comfort and nature, an itinerary of sporting, cultural and leisure activities with the tranquillity of a natural and built landscape that invites tranquillity, romance and relaxation.

This whole scene of natural life can be covered in romantic walks on foot, horseback, boat, or along the graceful roads that cut through the landscape. Because time is on our side and a single moment, if well spent, can last a lifetime.

Beaches are just one of many features of the Costa Alentejana. Throughout the region you will find incredible, unspoiled landscape, natural lakes, reservoirs and places where you could be forgiven for thinking that the sun was setting just for you.

Celebrating unique moments

The Costa Alentejana is romantic. It is a destination of choice for those who love beauty, nature, life and love, above all, for those who want to share this with someone. For a vacation away from the daily routine that distracts us from what is truly important or just to celebrate a special event, here you will find numerous hotels, pousadas, restaurants and bars waiting to be discovered by two. Many experiences only make sense lived side by side.

Hotels overlooking the sea, pousadas built between silence and the landscape, rural tourism accommodation in the heart of nature. The Costa Alentejana is a map of charming places for every romance. Modern and elegant, natural and discreet, elegant and sincere.

Life should be celebrated at the table, with a cuisine refined over centuries and accompanied with exceptional wines. From cosy typical restaurants to areas of the latest design, you’re in good company, with the surf breaking on the sand and the sky sprinkled with stars.

After toasting to the present and the future, come and discover the past.

The castles, churches, museums and ruins that remind us, that long ago, the Roman Empire arrived here, at the gates to the Atlantic. And lose yourself in fairs, festivals and processions.

You can dance the whole year to the tune of local songs or wait for the big summer festivals, when the Costa Alentejana becomes the world capital of music.

Love needs time and space. And time and space are precisely what the Costa Alentejana specializes in. Time and space to leave the world behind for a while. Time and space to break the routine and be free. Time and space for romance. Time and space to rediscover each other and celebrate.

by CostaAlentejana

Cultural Heritage of Old Europe - discover in Portugal! Barocco style masterpieces.

Portugal developed unprecedented versions of Baroque style in the world of art – in the fields of azulejo tiles and carved gilded wood. Azulejo tiles – an extremely rich iconographic culture that runs alongside the tradition of great canvas painting – focused primarily on religious themes: the history of the lives of the Saints and cy cles dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Life of Christ. The main profane themes focused on mythology and fables, in particular the fables of La Fontaine, explored in azulejo tiles such as those in the Church of S. Vicente de Fora, and also linked to programmes imposed by commissioners in the domestic space of their gardens and palaces.

Ornamentation and compositional formats, introduction of “gallant scenes”, “hunting scenes”, more or less stereotypical landscapes, sometimes exotic, originated autonomous motifs with countless variations such as the so-called “invitation figures” (figures de convite) - life-sized representations of people adopting gestures of etiquette, as they receive visitors, located at room entrances or staircase landings. This deceptive naturalism and apparent ingenuity, established azulejo work as one of the most characteristic Portuguese styles.

The reign of D. João V was marked by implementation of a utopia in the world of art, whose initial seeds had been sown in 17th century politics. This was the only explanation behind major ventures such as the Royal Convent of Mafra, one of the largest palatial and monastic buildings in Europe. The characteristic elements of Portuguese Baroque - carved gilded wood and ornamentation of churches with azulejo tiles – directly descended from this desire to create a “golden age”. It also derived from a very real access to gold, imported from Brazil.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, carved gilded wood transformed church interiors, which often had unique layouts, thus conferring them with luminosity and spatial energy. A classic example is the Library of the University of Coimbra, whose interior was transformed through the use of carved gilded wood. A wide array of altar-pieces were installed in all styles of Portuguese churches throughout the 17th century. Derived from mannerist altars and altar-pieces - stable, firm and of classic taste - the Portuguese style altar-piece ended up by replacing slower, heavier and expensive models, executed in stone by Italian Baroque sculptors.

However, the  Portuguese style should not be viewed as a poorer or imitative version of its predecessors. On the contrary, it included original motifs and was based on unique compositions. The splendour of the gilding, the greater or lesser depths of the hand carved ornamental motifs, constitute the backdrop for the key architectural elements: the arches and door-jambs – thick, repeated, staggered in depth; tribunes constituted by several steps, raising up to great height in a curious play of different scales and monumental display; the throne, upon which the statue of the patron saint was placed; Solomonic columns, decorated with vines and small angels.

In the same manner, the Enlightenment spirit fostered by the Marquis of Pombal during the reign of D. José (1750-1777), formed part of a broader Baroque strategy, especially if one considers his urban-planning proposals. 

The key impulse behind this avant-garde movement was the unprecedented catastrophe, whose impact was felt throughout the world – the brutal 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon. Some commentators viewed the Earthquake as a sign of the end of the world. For others, however, it was an opportunity to secularise a society that was atavistically entrenched in profound religiosity.

Discover this great world heritage and see it in real life in Portugal! 

by visitportugal 

Great World Heritage in Portugal. Rome in Alentejo region.

The Roman period in the Alentejo began in the 2nd century BC and lasted until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. From these times, and from their influence on later periods, there remain many memories: mining and agricultural exploitation carried out on great estates crowned by luxurious and richly decorated houses (the Roman villas); ceramics industries, salt mines, fish-salting and shipbuilding; fortresses, temples, bridges, paved roads and pathways,

sanctuaries, theatres, dams, aqueducts; municipalities as the basis for the structure of local administration. And there remains with us, obviously, Latin as the mother tongue of the Portuguese.

The remains of this period can be visited in and from urban centres. Take a note and make these sites part of your itinerary.

On the Marvão – Alter do Chão – Monforte axis you should see the Civitas de Ammaia (S. Salvador de Aramenha, Marvão); the ponte (bridge) de Vila Formosa (road between Alter do Chão and Ponte de Sor); the villa at Torre de Palma (road between Monforte and Cabeço de Vide); and the Núcleo Museológico of the Igreja (church) da Madalena (Monforte).

In Évora, the Roman-Goth-Arab walls, the Roman temple, the Termas (baths) in the Paços do Concelho (Town Hall), the Arco (arch) de D. Isabel and the Casa de Burgos, all in the historical centre; outside the city, the Termas of the Roman Villa of Tourega (road from Évora to Alcaçovas). Between Alvito, Vidigueira, Cuba and Beja, the bridge at Vila Ruiva (road between Vila Ruiva and Albergaria dos Fusos) and the Roman villa of Cucufate and Casa do Arco (Vila de Frades).

In Beja, the Portas (gates) de Évora and de Avis the gigantic capitals next to the Regional Museum and the Núcleo Museológico Romano da Rua do Sembrano, where you will also find important vestiges of the Iron Age.

Between Beja, Castro Verde and Mértola, the Roman villa of Pisões (road from Beja to Aljustrel, next to Penedo Gordo); the Museu da Lucerna (museum of Roman lamps) (Castro Verde); and the Núcleo Museológico Romano (Mértola).

On the coast, the Estação Arqueológica de Miróbriga (Santiago do Cacém) and the Cripta (crypt) Arqueológica do Castelo (Alcácer do Sal), situated under the former Aracoeli convent.

from visitalentejo.com

Fascinating Azulejos. Portugal. Lisbon.

For centuries This Art of Portuguese tiles making inspired artists and architects, poets and all travellers around the World. Its complexity, variety and sophisticated technology made this Art one of the trade marks of the country, copied many times and in many variations by others during centuries and centuries.  

These tiles are located in the church "Madre de Deus" of Lisbon. The church was built in the 15th century and later rebuilt after the great earthquake and tsunami. The blue and gold tiles are replicas of 17th century Azulejos covering the walls.

As a whole, Igreja Madre de Deus is one of the most interesting churches of Lisbon. The decorations inside the church reflect the life of Queen Leonor and her husband Joao II. Igreja Madre de Deus' architectural design shows a bit of the country history through the 
combination of Baroque, and later Portuguese architecture.

by atrio 

Pay a visit and let yourself dive into this rich, colourful history and art of Old Lisbon places... 

History and heritage. Portugal. Lamego.

Sé Catedral de Lamego

by dourovalley.eu

This unique church built in the twelfth century, presenting a Manueline front and body designed by Nicolau Nasoni. 
This temple has undergone many changes, particularly in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. 

Inside, three ships will reveal the side chapels with carvings of the eighteenth century, the transept with central lantern, the altarpieces, paintings and stalls. To church, divided into three naves and cruise, attached to the chapter house, cloister and other dependencies. On the opposite side, there are many dependencies and Romanesque bell tower.

Portuguese villages... Unique discovery.

by aldeiasdeportugal.pt

LET DISCOVER CASTRO LABOREIRO VILLAGE

Castro Laboreiro, in the parish with the same name and in the borough of Melgaço, lies in Peneda-Gerês National Park, which makes it a touristic attraction right away but, besides that, it hás a unique kind of ancient village buildings and it´s the original place of the world famous canine breed, the Castro Laboreiro dog.

The region

Furthermore, the village has a rich millenary historical, archaeological and architectural heritage, namely megalithic monuments, the Castle of Castro Laboreiro - acknowledged as a national monument - medieval bridges and churches, community ovens, mills, agriculture and grazing activities, and the unique brandas, inverneiras and fixed places, which are testimonies of the transhumance that happens here as well. 

The region´s forests are dominated by oak-trees. We can also find the arbutus-tree, the holly, the laurel cherry-tree, the pine-tree and the white birch. Bushes are more common in the higher areas where mainly brooms, furzes and heathers grow. The most representative animal species are the wild boar, the deer, the badger and the otter.
At the village, visitors may find lodging in recovered village houses and mills.

The gastronomic offer is varied, with typical dishes that include kid, bacon steaks, smoked sausages, rye bread and corn bread. There´s also two typical desserts: bucho doce (usually pork stomach cooked with lard, sugar, eggs, bread and cinnamon) and sopa seca de pão duro (Minho's traditional recipe resembles Cozido à Portuguesa, usually made with more or less the same ingredients: beef, pork, chicken, smoked sausages, cabbages, carrots, and bread). 

After that, for an easier digestion and for a deeper contact with the natural environment, we suggest a walk or a ride in a four-wheel drive vehicle through Rodeiro, Alto da Portela de Pau, Pedra Mourisca, Alto dos Cepos Alvos, Portos, Varziela and, again, Castro Laboreiro.