Portugal
In the most western part of Europe, Portugal juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and shares an eastern frontier with Spain, with a southern coastline bathed by the Mediterranean waters and including the archipelagoes of Madeira and Azores (Açores).
A land of contrasts, Portugal encloses, namely in Lisbon (Lisboa), the modern and the antique, Latin culture and the modern European customs, an architecture and gastronomy of its own and a wide variety of landscapes.
Most visitors to this small country in the Iberian Peninsula head for the sunny beaches and sophisticated holiday resorts of the Algarve, in the southern coast, or only visit its capital, Lisbon, famous for its monuments, museums and an intense cultural calendar.
But beyond this lies the least explored corner of Western Europe: from the varied forests (Green Coast and Silver Coast) and mountains to unspoiled beaches, an ever-changing sea, quaint towns and impressive monuments; from the excitement of surfing in an extensive coastline to the quiet beauty of evergreen golf courses; from the calm of starlit nights in the plains of Alentejo to the bustle of Lisbon's nightlife and shopping centres.
