7 Unforgettable Reasons Why You Should Visit Portugal

Portugal is a country by the Atlantic coast in the south of Europe. Its only neighbouring country is Spain. Maybe because of the isolated position in a corner of Europe the Portuguese felt the need to look for new lands and explore the world by sea back in the 15th century.

For that reason Portugal is known as the country that formed the “First Global Village” having formed colonies and trading posts from America to Asia, not forgetting Africa.

Nowadays the Portuguese language is one of the most spoken in the world of course because of the large populations of Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape verde and so on.

But what about Portugal, the country itself. It has been awarded for several years in a row the Best Touristic Destination in Europe. And it is where the www.holidaysenses.com adventure started.

Amongst the uncountable reasons to visit this country we chose seven that you should take in account so that you live really Special Moments in Portugal.

1.  Great mild weather and sunlight

The climate in Portugal is really a gift from God, being a country by the Atlantic Ocean it is in the route of the sea current from the Gulf of Mexico. For that reason there are not really, really cold days even in the winter and the summer is not as hot as an inner continental weather.

Said, that you can guess that it is a perfect destination both in the summer and in the winter. With over 2500 hours of sunshine per year is one of the most, if not the most sunny country in Europe.

Portugal sunlight is unbeatable since there is no dust or moisture in the air, so days are crystal clear. It is ideal for photo shooting.

Holiday Senses offers really Special Moments in Portugal, as you search the website you can find that we aim at offering Personal Tours in Portugal. We are positive that we offer the Best Portugal Personal Experiences.

2.  A country full of culture

As we referred before Portugal formed the “First Global Village”. But its history dates back to to the year of 1093, the year of the formation of the Kingdom of Portugal. Though it is not the most ancient country in Europe it is considered the country in Europe with its borders stable for the longest time. And we are not talking even of times the muslims occupied the territory or even the Roman occupation heritage.

If you visit Lisbon you can find numerous cultural places to visit. Not only museums like the National Museum of Tiles, The National Museum of Ancient Art, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, or the Museum of Coaches just to name a few, but also all the monuments around the historical period of discoveries located in Belém, like the Monument of Discoveries or The Tower of Belém as well as the gothic Monastery of Gerónimos.

As a matter of fact Belém area besides being the location of Lisbon were Holiday Senses offers most of the Nautical Sensations in Lisbon is the place also called the Empire Square where the great international exposition of the Portuguese world, that took place in 1940.

Try our Nautical Personal Tours In Lisbon.

3.  Great, great wine

Portugal is not yet known in the world for its wines like France or Italy is. Probably the best known portuguese wine is the Porto Wine that is no doubt an excellent way to start or finish a meal depending on the sweetness of the brand we choose. This wine is produced in the banks of the Douro river known by its man made stair like landscape. If you are visiting Oporto city (where the name of the wine came from) you can't miss one of our Personal Tours or Experiences we have around the Douro valley. If you are not convinced just have a look at the picture below.

As a matter of fact Holiday Senses aims at offering Special Moments in Portugal around wine. By choosing to have the Best Portugal Personal Experiences we suggest Private or Premium Sensations to have the most commodity at the best price.

Another very well known portuguese wine abroad is the Mateus Rosé. But in fact in Portugal it is not well considered. My personal opinion is that you can find the best wines in the portuguese region of Alentejo. But it is my personal taste, Dão and Douro regions are great choices too.

As wine production is getting more professional in Portugal wine quality increased substantially in the last decades and good to great wines are found from south to north. Portugal still has a great price quality balance in the wine field, but will it last much longer as portuguse wines keep winning international awards?

4.  The Hawaii of Europe

Have you ever heard of Azores Islands? If yes you know that it is a natural heaven in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Nowadays it is called the Hawaii of Europe.

Formed by nine islands, São Miguel and Santa Maria forming the East Group, Faial, são Jorge, Pico, Graciosa and Terçeira forming the Central Group and finally, Corvo and Flores forming the Ocidental or western Group.

The biggest and most known island of Azores is São Miguel and its where Holiday senses offer the biggest quantity of amazing Special Moments. Since sea life is everywhere as well as inland beauty the range of things to do is vast. You can choose from whale and dolphin watch to cook a traditional “cozido à portuguesa” in the hot waters from the island volcanic activity in a place called Furnas. Just search and find what you like.

Another popular destination is the Center Triangle, formed by Pico, Faial and São Jorge islands. These islands are very close to each other and Pico Island has the highest mountain in Portugal. The Pico reaches 2351 meters above sea level.

5.  Amazing Coast

Portugal has an amazing coast for summer holidays. The most known is the Algarve coast in the south. This summer destination has fabulous white sand beaches and numerous spots for fun and amazing nightlife (before coronavirus of course). Places like Vilamoura, Albufeira, Lagos or Praia da Rocha are crowded in the summer. But you are looking for more quietness then places like Faro or Tavira more to the east are great places too. The Ria Formosa with its wildlife is a great natural reserve to spend some days at.

Holiday senses has several of the Best Personal Experiences in this part of Portugal.

The Vicentine Coast facing west in the south to the Atlantic is a not so explored place by the foreingn tourism and still has a natural beauty. Ideal for those surf vacations in the Summer. By the way, talking of surf, you can’t miss the Village of Ericeira. It is a surf natural reserve and the bottom of the ocean is completely charted so that one can know where to find the best waves.

I could go on and on, but I leave it up to you to discover more on your trip to Portugal.

6.  Madeira and Porto Santo Islands

Another ex-libris of Portugal is the Madeira Island and its neighbour Porto Santo located in the atlantic to the south west of Portuguese mainland territory. Madeira is a very popular destination for its mild warm weather. It is the birthplace of CR7 but there is much more to it.

The island with volcanic origin is known by its mountains and profound valleys. Many visit it to walk by the “Levadas”, paths in the mountains with amazing views. Its capital is the city of Funchal. But places like Cabo Girão, Curral das Freiras, Pico Areeiro, Pico Ruivo, the Santana Houses are just some places with visiting.

To have really Special moments in this part of Portugal Holiday Senses offers the traveller a lot of options to choose from. And will add more as more interesting payers join.

The best time to visit Madeira is between May and September, but Madeira’s Carnival or New Year are unforgettable Special Moments. Any time you choose to visit Madeira is a good time.

With the Madeira and Azores archipelagos Portugal is the European country responsible for the largest sea area.

7.  The Portuguese People

As Martin Page wrote in his book “The First Global Village” about Portugal, if you find someone in the world willing to help you in exchange for nothing, that person is probably a Portuguese.

Well, I am sure you can find people like that from all the countries, but being said by and english really lifts my spirit as a portuguese, because that’s what we are indeed. Portuguese people are always open arms for any visitor.

In a few words the Portuguese are UNIVERSAL due to the discoveries times when they left the largest UNESCO patrimony scattered around the world, are SEA LOVERS due to its atlantic position in spite of its mediterranean culture, had a GOLDEN AGE of discoveries worth remembering, love their SUNNY BLUE SKY, and invented the word SAUDADE that later inspired its traditional music called FADO part of immaterial world heritage.