Travel to Portugal

Lagos per 2

Lagos is both a city and a municipality located at the southern region of Algarve in Portugal .

The municipality has a total population of 27,041 inhabitants. The majority of the population lives along the coastal line and works in tourism and services. The inland region in sparsely inhabited, with the majority of the people working in agriculture and forestry.

Meia Praia (Half beach) - With soft and white sand, is one of the biggest bays in Europe and has a calm sea due to its width. Owing to its lack of rocks it is ideal for nautical sports. When the wind is strong, there are many sheltered sand beaches between the cliffs

• Praia da Batata (Potato beach).
• Praia dos Estudantes (Students' beach).
• Dona Ana - Probably the beach most frequented by tourists, and for good reason. The sand on Dona Ana is slightly thicker than the beaches in the surrounding area, and the beach itself is bounded by lovely rock formations. Many different shapes come alive when you look at the rock formation, a birthday cake, the titanic, and the sphynx's to name a few. Dona Ana is essentially split into two beaches with a protruding cliff separating the two sides at high tide. The best place to stay to see this place is Iberlagos apartments, they have wonderful views of the ocean and the rest of Lagos
• Canavial
• Camilo
• Praia da luz(Light beach) - A beach in the popular nearby Tourist town of Luz, the beach has watersports facilities and is bounded on its Eastern side by the so-called 'Rocha Negra'.

I must confess I stole this information of an enciclopedia, because I didn't want you to miss any information, I really think this is a great place to travel, visit and discover. =)

Sintra a Magical place

If you want to travel but you are not sure about where to go, well , think what are you looking for? can be romance?.

If Romance is what you are looking for you must know Sintra, Oh my GOD, this city is taken out from a fairy tail!, with castles, cascades, extraordinaire gardens.

You will feel like royalty , in fact Sintra was the chosen place for relaxing and vacations of  kings, queens, and all the important people.

Poets have made Sintra their muse,  making her poems, lyrics and painting, reciting plays, they made the city have a soul, theirs.

You got to visit Sintra, there is an old spanish frase that says "To go out and see the world and not see Sintra y going blind"

I promess you will live a fairy tail from the start untill your reality time say The End!

Monsaraz

Perched above the River Guardiana on the frontier with Spain, the tiny medieval walled town of Monsaraz is one of the most atmospheric places in the Alentejo. With its narrow cobbled lanes, low-rise old houses and an imposing castle, visitors are offered a feel of medieval Portugal in one of the oldest places in the country. Regained from the Moors in 1167, the town was handed over to the Knights Templar before Dom Dinis added the castle and fortified walls in the 14th century. What to see: The parish church of Santa Maria do Castelo houses an ornate marble tomb dating from the 13th century. Next door is a religious museum containing a 14th century fresco of a judge being simultaneously tempted by the devil and encouraged by the majestic justice of Christ.

REGIONAL GASTRONOMY

In this region, the cuisine is also particularly varied and flavourful. You can choose to try the stewed eels, the shad soup or the Tagus lamprey, the sausages from Castelo de Vide, from Nisa, from Arronches or from Arraiolos, or the kid stews, the hare with the red beans and the fried rabbit with Alentejo olive oil. Do try the delicious regional bread, that you can add to the sheep cheeses from Serpa, Nisa of from Évora or the Alandroal goat cheese. In this regíon you will also find an enormous variety of cakes and pastries, such as the "ceIestes" from Santarém, the "palha" from Abrantes, the "ímperial" cakes from Almeirim, those from Évora baked with eggs and almond paste, and the convent pastries from Portalegre and from Beja. Do not forget the fruit: the melon from Almeirim and from Alpiarça are rightly famous. Try also the Cartaxo wines and those from Almeirim, Borba, Reguengos and Vidígueira.

Torrão

Situated at one tip of the Vale de Gaio dam, this tiny town has bleached white houses with enormous chimneys to characterise its streets. The matrix church boasts a lovely Manueline portico and, inside, still has Spanish-Arabian tiles in the lateral chapels. Of what remains of the convent, there is still the belvedere where nuns could look out over the fields of sunflowers that both then and now surround this charming place

Vila Viçosa

Dukes Palace, with Renaissance façade and Museum-Library. Other places of interest: Castle (13th-14th cent., with St.Maria Church); St. Agostinho Church (13th-18th cent.); Chagas de Cristo Convent (Pousada); Nossa Senhora da Esperança Monastery; Castelo Novo (Renaissance). Accommodation: Quinta do Colmeal (Self catering), Pousada Dom João IV.

Sines

Is part of the St. Vincent and Southwest Alentejo Coast Natural Park, one of the best-preserved coast areas in Europe. There are some of the finest Portuguese beaches ("praias"), small bright sand sheets among huge rocks creating an ambience of intimacy and exclusiveness (The best beaches are Praia Grande de Porto Covo, Praia da Ilha, Praia de Morgavel).

Serpa

Famous for its creamy cheeses, Serpa is a sleepy agricultural hilltop town of white houses. The town itself, which is walled, was founded in 400 BC by the Turdelos. Known to the Romans by the same name, Serpa was later conquered by Geraldo Sempavor in 1166, taken again by the Moors and finally regained in 1232. Visitors to Serpa are sometimes serenaded by the town's traditional singers, who are genuine descendants of medieval troubadours. What to see: The convent church of Santo António has a small cloister and flamboyant 18th century azulejo glazed tile panels depicting the life of St Francis. Of Moorish origin, Serpa's castle was rebuilt by King Dinis in the late 13th century, but badly damaged during the Spanish invasion in 1707.

Santiago do Cacém

This is a village has a majestic castle of Arab origin, it was completely rebuilt by the Christians in the 12Ith century. Beside the castle is the São Pedro Chapel, which dates from the 7th century, while the main church dates from the 8th century. Near Santiago do Cacém one should visit the archeological site of Miróbriga, which was an important urban centre in Roman times. The site contains a hippodrome, houses decorated with mural paintings, an acropolis, a forum and a very rich bathing complex, which is one of the best preserved in the country.

Portel

King Alfonso III gave permission to João Aboim for the castle to be built in 1261. The circular towers and keep date from the earliest construction period. In the 15th century it became a pertinence of the Dukes of Bragança, who made only minor improvements. The castle guards the walled town nestled beneath it, and the height of the keep ensured a good view of the surrounding countryside