Portugal

Portugal is a destination that reveals itself slowly. From Minho to the Algarve, each region has its own rhythm, its own landscape, its own festival. Villages where time stands still, lively cities along the river, beaches that stretch for miles. A people who welcome you as if they had always known you.

• Lisbon and the Tagus — hills, trams, fado at night• Porto — wine, azulejos, the ribeira and the D. Luís Bridge• Douro — terraced vineyards, river cruises, wine villages• Alentejo — golden plains, whitewashed villages, silence• Algarve — cliffs, beaches, warm sea• Azores and Madeira — volcanoes, open ocean, flowers everywhere• Historic villages — Monsanto, Marvão, Sortelha, Piódão• Shrines and pilgrim routes — Fátima, Bom Jesus, the Way of St James

Festivity is in Portuguese DNA. Every town has its own saint, its own pilgrimage, its own street fair. Fado is recognised as intangible world heritage. São João in Porto, Santo António in Lisbon, the Holy Spirit Festivals in the Azores. Embroidery, ceramics, filigree. Living folklore from Minho to the Alentejo.

Codfish in a thousand forms — fritters, à Brás style, with cream, à Zé do Pipo. Grilled sardines in summer. Cozido à portuguesa stew. Francesinha from Porto, Algarve cataplana, custard tarts from Belém. Cheeses from the Serra, Azeitão, São Jorge. Wines from the Douro, the Alentejo, the Vinho Verde region. Port wine to finish it all off.