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In Portugal
Karen Brown is proud to recommend

Solar do Castelo
Lisbon, Portugal

as featured on the
2008 edition cover of our guide.

Portugal:

Overview:

Portugal, whose rich history is irrevocably tied to the sea, was once one of the world’s greatest powers. Its finest hour was when the Portuguese discovered the coveted sea route to the Orient, which enabled them to monopolize the spice trade. At the same time as Columbus was discovering the New World, Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama were testing the frontiers in the opposite direction—Africa, India, and the East Indies. Mighty castles, spectacular fortresses, beautiful mansions, and elaborate cathedrals remain today as reminders of this period of great wealth and prominence. These stunning monuments—along with incredibly lovely places to stay, excellent weather, and genuine warmth of welcome—make Portugal an ideal travel destination.

Airfare:

Karen Brown’s Guides have long recommended Auto Europe for their excellent car rental services. Their air travel division, Destination Europe, an airline broker working with major American and European carriers, offers deeply discounted coach- and business-class fares to over 200 European gateway cities. It also gives Karen Brown travelers an additional 5% discount off its already highly competitive prices (cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions). We recommend making reservations by phone at (800) 835-1555. When phoning, be sure to use the Karen Brown ID number 99006187 to secure your discount.

Transportation:

Readers frequently ask our advice on car rental companies. We always use Auto Europe—a car rental broker that works with the major car rental companies to find the lowest possible price. They also offer motor homes and chauffeur services. Auto Europe’s toll-free phone service, from every European country, connects you to their U.S.-based, 24-hour reservation center (as for the Europe Phone Numbers Card to be mailed to you.) Auto Europe offers our readers a 5% discount (cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions) and, occasionally, free upgrades. Be sure to use the Karen Brown ID number 99006187 to receive your discount and any special offers. You can make your own reservations online via our website, www.karenbrown.com (select Auto Europe from the home page), or by phone (800-223-5555).

For identifying, navigating, and exploring country roads and for finding these secluded countryside properties, it is important to purchase detailed maps. We recommend buying maps before your trip, both to aid in the planning of your journey and to avoid having to spend vacation time searching for the appropriate maps. (We use the one-page map of Portugal, Michelin Map 733, to outline our journey.) Since we often had difficulty finding all the maps we wanted from one source, we stock a full inventory of all the Michelin maps referenced in our guides. You can easily order maps online through our website, and we will ship them out immediately.

Currency:

All pricing, including room rates, is quoted in euros, using the “€ ” symbol. The euro is now the official currency of most European Union countries, including Portugal, having completely replaced national currencies as of February 2002. Visit our website (www.karenbrown.com) for an easy-to-use online currency converter. When traveling, an increasingly popular and convenient way to obtain foreign currency is simply to use your bankcard at an ATM machine. You pay a fixed fee for this but, depending on the amount you withdraw, it is usually less than the percentage-based fee charged to exchange currency or travelers’ checks.

Many establishments accept one or more credit cards. If possible, pay using your credit card as the exchange rate is usually quite favorable. Paying by credit card reduces the need to carry large sums of cash and thus reduces potential loss in the case of theft. Keep a record of your credit card numbers at home as well as with you separately from your cards in case of loss or theft. Also, it is a good idea to contact your card issuer and inform them of your travel plans.Be sure to check with your bank or credit card company about fees and necessary pin numbers prior to departure.

Driving:

DRIVER’S LICENSE: Portugal requires only that you have a valid driver’s license from your home country.

GASOLINE: Gasoline is expensive and should be factored into your budget if you plan to drive extensively. Gasoline is available in almost every town, and service stations are open from around 7 am to 10 pm, while a few are open 24 hours a day. Using a little common sense, you should have no trouble finding gasoline. Most of the gas stations take credit cards, but be sure to look for their sign before you pump.

ROADS: Enormous changes are taking place in the highway system and each time we visit we find the roads much improved. A fantastic amount of construction was completed prior to Expo 98. One of the major projects was a spectacular new bridge, Ponte Vasco da Gama, which was built close to the Expo center, at the eastern edge of Lisbon. At the present time, the roads in Portugal run the gamut from outstanding national highways to barely-two-lane country roads. By far the best are the four-lane highways, designated by “A” (for example, the highway from Lisbon to Porto is A1). After traveling over 6,000 kilometers exploring every nook and cranny of Portugal, we concluded that you should take “A” roads whenever possible to go from one sightseeing spot to another. If an “A” road is not available, take the next best highway, one that starts with the letters “IP” (for example, IP5)—these are always quite good and sometimes exceptionally fine highways, usually with two lanes that frequently become three lanes for passing purposes. “N” roads should be avoided whenever possible because they are usually two-lane roads congested with truck traffic. Country lanes and backroads vary in quality, but are far less congested than “N” roads.

ROAD SIGNS: “A” roads are well marked, but many others are very poorly designated. You can guess by looking at the map what road you are probably on, but it is often difficult to reconfirm the number by seeing a sign. The road number is almost never signposted, but is sometimes found on a concrete marker indicating each kilometer along the road. However, these markers are often missing, upended, or simply unreadable at normal speeds. Destinations along the route are better marked—usually the next town of any size is indicated along with either the name of the next large town or the last town on the road. All this makes for an adventure of following a map through unfamiliar territory.

ROADS—TOLLS: Tolls are charged on some of the major freeways/motorways. As you approach the freeway, you pull out a ticket from an automated machine at the toll station. Keep this ticket handy because when you exit the freeway, you need to hand it to the agent and pay according to distance traveled. The tolls are not extravagant—and certainly worth the convenience. Tolls are also charged to cross two bridges: the Ponte 25 de Abril, in and out of the heart of the Lisbon, and the Ponte Vasco da Gama, in and out of Lisbon, just to the east of the city.

SEAT BELTS: Use of seat belts is mandatory in Portugal, so get into the habit of buckling up when you get into the car.

TRAFFIC: It is difficult to drive in the large cities. The volume of traffic, lack of street signs, parking problems, one-way streets, and streets that never run parallel make driving a trial for all but the bravest of souls. Our advice is to buy a detailed map and pinpoint the location of your hotel before you arrive in a city. Make your way to where you are staying and leave the car in the hotel parking lot (or one recommended by the hotel), then take cabs or walk around the large cities. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable. In downtown Lisbon you can use the subway system (the Metro, marked with signs bearing a large “M”). In smaller towns always try to park on or near a main square for easy recall, and then venture by foot into streets that were never designed with cars in mind. Traffic regulations are similar to most other countries. Driving is on the right-hand side of the road, passing on the left. There are many roundabouts where vehicles already on the circle always have the right of way. The speed limits are generally as follows: 60 kph in built-up areas, 90 kph on normal roads, 120 kph on express highways. There are frequently police officers with scanners on the side of the road, so drive carefully. Beyond the cities, the Guarda Nacional Republicana, a national police force, is in charge of traffic. They conduct spot checks constantly around the country, pulling over cars (using criteria known only to them) and checking for valid documents—be sure to carry your car papers at all times.

Electricity:

If you are taking any electrical appliances made for use in the United States, you will need a transformer plus a two-pin adapter. A voltage of 220 AC current at 50 cycles per second is almost countrywide, though in remote areas you may encounter 120V. The voltage is often displayed on the socket. Even though we recommend that you purchase appliances with dual-voltage options whenever possible, it will still be necessary to have the appropriate socket adapter. Also, be especially careful with expensive equipment such as computers—verify the adapter/converter capabilities and requirements.

Shopping:

CERAMICS: The most popular souvenir to take home is ceramics. Throughout Portugal, you will see colorful pottery for sale and each region has its own patterns and colors. The colors are usually cheerful and the patterns frequently folkloric. The porcelain works at Vista Alegre (near Aveiro) are world famous.

EMBROIDERY: Beautiful embroidered shawls, bedspreads, and tablecloths are popular items. The island of Madeira is especially famous for its embroidery work.

FILIGREE WORK: Since the time of King João V who reigned in the 1700s, intricate gold and silver filigree jewelry has been very popular in Portugal. It is still being made, the center of the craft being Gondomar, near Porto.

LACE: Portugal’s handmade lace is beautiful. Most of the craft is located along the coast near fishing villages.

PORT WINE: Port wine is served throughout Portugal—you will taste some delicious varieties that you never knew existed. Bring a bottle home to renew memories of your holiday.

RUGS: Throughout Portugal you will see beautiful handwoven woolen carpets accenting floors of hotels and homes, the best known types coming from Arraiolos, the center of this cottage industry. For their quality and charm, they are well priced.

WROUGHT-IRON ITEMS: Portugal produces many handsome items made of wrought iron. You can also find some lovely old fixtures in antique shops.

Tourism:

A rich source of free information about Portugal is the Portuguese National Tourist Office. It has branches around the world that can provide you with general information about the country or, at your request, specific information about towns, regions, and festivals. Some of the offices are shown below:

ICEP Portugal Avenida 5 de Outubico, 10 1050-051 Lisbon, Portugal Tel: 217.90.95.00, Fax: 217.90.95.78

ICEP Portugal 590 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor New York, New York, 10036, USA Tel: (212) 354-4403, (646) 723-0200, (800) PORTUGAL, fax: (212) 764-6137

ICEP Portugal 88 Kearny Street, Suite 1770 San Francisco CA 94108 Tel: (415) 391-7080, fax: (415) 391-7147

ICEP Portugal 60 Bloor Street West, Suite 1005 Toronto, Ontario M4W3B8, Canada Tel: (416) 921-7376, fax: (416) 921-1353

Websites: www.portugalinsite.com, www.portugal.org, www.visitportugal.pt Email: tourism@icep.pt

If you send a request for information addressed to the Posto de Turismo (Tourism Office) of almost any town in Portugal, you will be inundated with colorful and informative brochures. The tourist offices throughout the country are usually prominently located in the center of town and offer an incomparable on-site resource, furnishing town maps and details on local and regional highlights. During tourist season, they are frequently open seven days a week and their hours are usually longer than most other establishments. The Turismo sign identifies them.

Weather:

Portugal enjoys Europe’s best climate since the moderating influence of the Atlantic keeps all seasons relatively mild in most parts of the country. There is a natural progression of temperature variation from north to south. It is seldom hot in the north and almost never cold in the Algarve. The Alentejo (the central plain) is very hot in summer, at which time an air-conditioned car and an air-conditioned room are very important. The highest and lowest temperatures show greater divergence as you move away from the coast and in the higher mountain ranges, such as the Serra da Estrela, there is enough snow for skiing in winter. In most of the country winter usually means simply an increase in rainfall. The ideal times to visit, in our estimation, are the spring and fall when the weather is usually excellent and there are fewer tourists. Try to avoid summer if possible—especially the Algarve, which is swarming with tourists in July and August. Another advantage to traveling off-season is that rates are usually less expensive.

Itineraries:

Our itineraries may be taken in whole or in part, or tied together for a longer journey. As an example, the Exploring the Alentejo itinerary, which ends in Estremoz, can connect to the Medieval Monuments itinerary, which when taken in reverse, begins in Estremoz. The two can be joined to make a perfect loop from Lisbon. Also the Port to Port itinerary, which begins in Lisbon and ends in Porto, dovetails nicely with the Back to the Beginning itinerary, which begins in Porto and ends in Bouro. Each of the itineraries highlights a different part of the country, and they are of different lengths, enabling you to find one or more to suit your individual taste and schedule. For identifying, navigating, and exploring country roads and for finding these secluded countryside properties, it is important to purchase detailed maps. We recommend buying maps before your trip, both to aid in the planning of your journey and to avoid having to spend vacation time searching for the appropriate maps. (We use the one-page map of Portugal, Michelin Map 733, to outline our journey.) Since we often had difficulty finding all the maps we wanted from one source, we stock a full inventory of all the Michelin maps referenced in our guides. You can easily order maps online through our website, and we will ship them out immediately. At the beginning of each itinerary we suggest our recommended pacing to help you decide the amount of time to allocate to each area. Refer to the color maps at the front of this guide to cross-reference towns where we have recommended places to stay. Our suggestion is to choose a place to stay that appeals to you and use it as your hub, going out to explore each day in a new direction. We highly recommend staying several nights in one spot whenever possible.

Festivals and Forklores:

The major national holidays are:

April 25 (1974 Revolution),

May 1 (Day of the Worker),

June 10 (death of the great poet, Camoes),

October 5 (Establishment of the Republic),

December 1 (Independence from Spain, 1640).

Of course, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter are also major holidays.

In addition, every Portuguese town has its patron saint, and every saint its day of honor, so there are as many festivals as there are Portuguese towns. If you know where you want to go ahead of time, contact the Portuguese National Tourist Office (see p. 23) for a list of festival dates so that you might arrange your visit to coincide with one or several of these colorful local events. (Be forewarned, however, that hotel space can be a problem during festival time.)

Each week in most towns there is a major market day (feira or fair) that is held in one of the main squares—we have mentioned a number of these in the itinerary section. You should try to visit these to see a wider selection of folk art and handicrafts (and at better prices) than you will find in the shops.

All over Portugal, from April to October, major festivals often include the local variant of bullfighting. Unlike the Spanish version, in Portugal the bull is not killed, and part of the show features an amazing performance by the bullfighter on horseback. If you’ve been put off by the better-known Spanish spectacle, the Portuguese interpretation might be an acceptable alternative.

The archetypal musical form in Portugal is the fado, a mournful lament on the fateful adversity of life, usually sung by a female accompanied by one or more 12-string guitarists. The Coimbra-style fado is characterized by a happier, sometimes satirical tone. Performances, often included on city tours, are most common in Lisbon cafés and clubs and, to a lesser extent, in other cities.

Food and Drink:

The government rates restaurants from one to four crossed forks and spoons (four is best). However, its rating system is based on such matters as the number of choices on the menu, the wine cellar, and whether the menu is translated, rather than the quality of the food, so ratings can be misleading. It is fun to sample some of the regional fare in the modest restaurants where the locals go—usually the price is extremely reasonable and the food excellent. Servings tend to be quite generous.

Not surprisingly, given its proximity to (and its economic dependence upon) the sea, the Portuguese menu features an incredibly wide variety of seafood. Many of these are totally unknown to Americans (even where the menu is translated, it doesn’t necessarily help). Items such as enguias (baby eels) and numerous shellfish are best viewed as an adventure—you will find many of them excellent and should definitely experiment. By far the most common single item on the menu is bacalhau (cod). This is often dried, salted, soaked to restore the softness, then cooked mixed with other items such as eggs and potatoes—there are said to be 350 ways to fix cod, and I certainly believe it.

Pork, lamb, and veal are the most prevalent meats served in restaurants. You will find the vegetables accompany the main course with more frequency than in other European countries.

Wine is ubiquitous. In the large, fancy restaurants a good selection of imported wines is usually available in addition to the extensive native listing. In smaller ones the options are mostly Portuguese, which is often a rich selection indeed, and fun to sample. We found ourselves returning repeatedly to the very smooth reds from the Colares region, but almost every area has some good local wine that is quite economical. You’ll seldom be disappointed with the vinho da regiao (regional wine). Unlike most countries where wine comes in three varieties—tinto (red), blanco (white), and rosado (rose)—in Portugal there is also vinho verde (green), a light wine with a slight sparkle. This is a young wine produced in the north and actually comes in both red and white versions (not really green), although the white is much more common. Portugal’s most famous drink is, of course, porto, the well-known fortified wine from the Upper Douro River region. It comes in seemingly endless varieties from vintage (single good year) to blended (several years mixed), and from deep red and sweet (usually for dessert) to white and dry (for an aperitif).

Cerveja (beer) is another favorite liquid refreshment and is always good, sometimes excellent, especially on hot days in a shady outdoor café. Sagres is the most common local variety, but imported beers are also widely available (at a higher price, of course).

Another customary beverage ordered in Portuguese restaurants is water: the bottled kind. Though there is nothing wrong with agua da torneira (tap water), agua mineral (mineral water) is popular in either litro or meio litro (liter or half-liter) sizes. It may also be ordered com (with) or sem (without) gas (carbonation). You’ll notice that the Portuguese often dilute their wine with it.

Once you leave the large cities and tourist-frequented restaurants, you’ll find that menus are often poorly (and sometimes amusingly) translated or not translated at all. The following list includes some of the terms of traditional specialties to be found at each mealtime.

Meal Descriptions:

PEQUENO ALMOCO (breakfast): Breakfast is often “continental,” which means you are served pao (bread) and/or pao doce (sweet rolls) along with café (coffee), chá (tea), leite (milk) or chocolate (hot chocolate). However, the pousadas always offer a large breakfast (usually served buffet style), which includes tea, coffee, hot chocolate, fruit juices, various breads, cereals, fresh fruits, cold meats, cheeses, and sometimes scrambled eggs and sausage. The larger city hotels usually offer a continental breakfast with other items at an extra charge such as ovos (eggs), which may be ordered mexidos (scrambled), mal pasados or quentes (soft-boiled), escalfados (poached), fritos (fried), or cozidos (hard-boiled). Bed and breakfast accommodations vary greatly in what they offer. Some serve a large breakfast, but most serve a continental one. Breakfast is always included in the room rate unless we state otherwise in the description.

ALMOCO (lunch): This is usually taken between 12:30 and 1:30 pm and normally consists of several courses: acepipes (appetizers), sopas (soup, usually of the thick variety), carne (meat dishes), peixe e mariscos (fish and shellfish), sobremesa (desserts), and, of course, vinho. No one orders all these courses—two or three is most common. Restaurants will usually offer an à-la-carte ementa (menu) and a smaller menu (daily special-price meal). The latter will have fewer choices and frequently two prices—one includes soup, a main course, and dessert; the other adds another main course. This menu is almost always a babargain if you like its selections. If you prefer a lighter lunch, just stop at a small bakery shop (pastelaria) or bar. Even though you might not see it on the menu, at either place you can almost always order either a ham or cheese sandwich (sande) along with a cold drink, coffee, or tea. CHÁ (tea): This follows the British tradition of tea accompanied by various pastries and is to be found in numerous casas de chá (teahouses), especially in the larger cities. The Portuguese were the first to import tea from the Orient in any appreciable amount. The word chá comes from the Chinese word for it, while “tea,” the word used in most western languages, comes from the Chinese word for leaf.

JANTAR (dinner): This meal is taken around 8 pm and usually consists of the same combinations mentioned above under almoco (lunch).

MENU—VOCABULARY: Some of the words you are likely to puzzle over on your menu are the following: acorda—a thick soup with various bases (one of which is almost always garlic); aldeirada—a hearty fish chowder; azeite—olive oil, about the only kind of oil used to cook with in Portugal, and used in many, many dishes; caldo verde—a potato and cabbage or kale soup. Cataplana—this actually refers to the utensil—is a flat frying pan with a curved bottom and a hinged lid, which is frequently used over an open fire to cook mixtures of seafood (clams, shrimp, etc.) and other meats and sausage.

MENU—CONDIMENTS: Alho (garlic), coentros (coriander), piri-piri (a spicy chili sauce).

MENU—MEAT (CARNE): Anho (lamb), bife (beefsteak), cabrito (kid), leitao (suckling pig), porco (pork), vitela (veal). Costeleta is a chop and lombo is a filet. Several of these items are also commonly used in guisado (stew). They may be assado (roasted), grelhado (grilled), nas brasas (charcoal grilled), or salteado (sauteed). If you want poultry instead of meat, look for frango (chicken) on the menu.

MENU—FISH AND SHELLFISH (PEIXE E MARISCOS): Ameijoas (clams), bacalhau (cod), camaroes (shrimp), chocos (cuttlefish), espadarte (swordfish), lagosta (crayfish), lavagante (lobster), linguado (sole), lula (squid), peixe espada (scabbard fish), pescada (hake), pregado (turbot), salmao (salmon), truta (trout), tum (tuna).

MENU—VEGETABLES (LEGUMES E HORTALICAS): Alcachofra (artichoke), arroz (rice), batata (potato), cebolha (onion), cenoura (carrot), cogumelos (mushrooms), espargos (asparagus), espinafre (spinach), grelos (turnip greens).

MENU—TOSSED SALAD (SALADA MISTA): Alface salada (lettuce salad) usually includes any or all of the following: olive, tomato, onion, and raw vegetables. But remember that there is only one salad dressing: vinagre (vinegar) and azeite (olive oil).

MENU—FRUITS: Ameixas (plums), figos (figs), macas (apples), morangos (strawberries), peras (pears).

MENU—DESSERT: There is usually a wide variety of sweets available for dessert, including pies, cakes, baked custards, and fruits. One of the most popular desserts, found throughout Portugal, is a rich confection based on sweetened egg yolks, which has as many names as versions.

In the few instances where a property we recommend in this book actually has a restaurant and serves meals to non-guests, we have indicated this with the symbol g in the list of icons at the bottom of the description.

Telephones:

It is more expensive to call home from Portugal than vice versa. The best way to phone overseas is to charge your call to a calling card. Large hotels and pousadas usually have direct-dial phones in the rooms, but you can use a public telephone. Many of the telephone booths are set up to accept special phone cards that can be purchased at post offices. You buy these cards in a predetermined amount, and your credit is used up according to the length of your conversation.

Cellphones are wonderful to have, especially at the smaller hotels and inns that do not have direct-dial phones in the guestrooms. Also, cellphones are enormously convenient when you are on the road and want to call for directions, advise of a changed arrival time, or simply make sure that someone is home Cellphones can be rented through your car rental company, at the airport or train stations, or you can purchase an international phone once you are overseas. If you are considering taking your cellphone from home, check with your carrier to make sure that your phone has international capability. Sometimes it is necessary to make arrangements before you depart to activate a special service. We would also recommend getting international phone access numbers and inquiring about international charges before you leave home..

Tipping:

As everywhere, tipping is not clear-cut. Many restaurants include servicio in the bill but a tip of about 5% is usually given anyway when the service is good. If service is not included, the tip is usually about 10%. Tip taxi drivers about 10% of the meter’s fare. Also it is customary to tip the porter who carries your suitcases and the concierge if you request special service.

Trains:

There is a rail network throughout Portugal. The fastest, most luxurious service is on the Alfa Line, which runs between Lisbon and Porto with a stop in Coimbra. Second-best is the Rápido Inter-Cidades Line, which (as the name implies) connects most of the major cities. In addition there are local trains, but these are usually very slow. Rail Europe offers a special 15-day pass that is extremely flexible. You can choose to travel any 4 days during the 15-day period and the days do not need to be consecutive. The Eurail Pass is also valid within Portugal, although there is a small supplemental charge for certain trains. It is possible to research schedules and availability online. Also, important to note, many special fares and passes are only available if purchased in the United States. For information, the best possible fares, and to book tickets online, visit our website, www.karenbrown.com.

Regions of Portugal:

Portugal is officially divided into eighteen political districts. But for the traveler, the tourist department breaks down the country into eight “user-friendly” geographic regions, each of which has a unique personality and offers its own special charm. Two of these regions are islands: Madeira and the Azores; the other six are on the mainland. Our itineraries weave throughout these mainland regions, visiting their sites of rare beauty and exploring their rich history. Following is a capsule summary highlighting regional information to help you plan your holiday. After each of these brief overviews, we list the towns where we recommend places to stay and the featured hotels and/or bed and breakfasts in each town. Also given is the map number of the town so that you can quickly pinpoint where it is located. For detailed information on individual properties, look in the Hotel Description section at the back of the book where they are featured alphabetically by the town name. Some of the recommended places to stay are located in fabulous towns, some are in buildings with historic or old-world charm, some have incredible views or spectacular settings, some offer their own special ambiance. To assist you, we have coded the hotels and bed and breakfasts as follows: x Characterful Town Place to stay in, or just outside, a town with special character. H Historic Building Place to stay in a building with historic or old-world charm. y Outstanding Setting Place to stay with outstanding views or dramatic location. . Special Ambiance Place to stay with some kind of special ambiance, such as lovely gardens, antique décor, and beautiful furnishings.