Written by Devin Meireles
In 2015, Thailand was the hotspot for travelers then 2016 saw Iceland have it’s heyday. Now this year a new destination is being featured with its mix of beaches, cities, islands and historic towns
Portugal has long been popular with travelers but it looks like visitors will be stopping over even more in 2017- Travel + Leisure has recently named Portugal its Destination of the Year and I couldn’t be more excited about it!
My family comes from a proud Portuguese ancestry and I had visited just a few months ago but my endorsement has nothing to do with any of that- Let’s just say if you want a great travel experience but you’re counting your pennies, you would be pleasantly surprised with how far you can stretch your travel budget in Portugal.
For starters- The beautiful beach region of the Algarve has been named the cheapest holiday destination worldwide for the second year running with the average cost of a glass of wine at just £1.31- That’s less than $2 CDN.
Some 800 miles off the coast is the archipelago of The Azores- These nine islands could put Hawaii to shame. Dubbed as the “next Iceland,” these increasingly popular islands won’t be a secret much longer. There you could experience free diving, waterfall rappelling, volcano hikes and whale watching.
In May, you can see the annual veneration of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles). On this day, the fifth Sunday after Easter, a great procession featuring a wooden image of Christ winds the streets of the capital, Ponta Delgada. This event is the oldest religious devotion still carried out in Portugal dating back to the year 1700.
250 miles north of the Canary Islands is the other autonomous region of Portugal, Madeira, a well-known cruise ship destination. Famous for Madeira wine and Cristiano Ronaldo, this island offers superb accommodations, fantastic scenery, amazing traditional food and clean, crime-free streets. Known as a destination for “newlyweds and nearly-deads”, this landscape is a real draw for thrill-seekers and offers activities like mountain biking, canyoning and paragliding.
Almost anything can, and does, grow on Madeira because of it’s subtropical climate and volcanic soil. It hosts numerous botanical gardens as well as a wide selection of tropical and indigenous plants. If you pay a visit to the famous Mercado dos Lavradores (a farmers market) you will see many hybrid fruits set out in colorful displays. There you can have a taste of anona- in English that’s a custard apple- and let your tastebuds experience that sweet delicious flavor.
If you are planning a trip to Portugal, you should consider including the capital city of Lisbon, which gets plenty of attention for its scenic day hikes and exciting nightlife. Built on seven hills by the Tagus River that spills into the Atlantic, Lisbon is a great city for tourists because of its compact size. Simply walking downtown is an experience where you can get lost wandering narrow streets with overhanging laundry. You can find stone staircases that open onto terraces with spectacular views over the red tile rooftops to the Tagus River.
The Baixa is the downtown district where the main shopping and banking is located and sits between two hills stretching from the riverfront to the Avenida da Liberdade. Here you can stop for a bite to eat at local restaurants and cafes.
Lisbonites shop in the Chiado and Bairro Alto districts on one of the hillsides above the downtown area. You can take the Santa Justa Elevator (also called the Elevator of Carmo or Carmo Lift) up to the Bairro Alto. This elevator was designed by a student of Eiffel and built in the early 1900s. The Bairro Alto also has a vibrant nightlife where you can party and listen to fado, a music genre which can be traced from the 1820s.
Admire the miradouros (or viewpoints) that offer breathtaking panoramas over the city. Take a ride on the old yellow trams and explore the history of Lisbon that has also been nicknamed the City of Explorers. Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama, and other explorers had set sail from the city’s Belem neighbourhood to “discover the world” during the glory days in the 15th century.
Last year, Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado airport welcomed a record 22.4 million passengers and extra crowds are expected this year. The Catholic pilgrimage site of Fátima, will celebrate the centennial of the Virgin Mary’s apparition to three young villagers in 1917 and this event will be marked with a visit from the Pope Francis. To accommodate all of this traffic for the future, a second airport has been approved and should be operational by 2021.
In the meantime, the year 2016 was the best year ever for tourism in Portugal and 2017 will be even better. With timeless attractions and something for everyone, Portugal has it all and I believe it’s safe to say that we’ll be hearing LOTS about Portugal in 2017.