Fodor's Portugal, 4th Edition: The Complete Guide with Madeira, the Best Algarve Beaches, Wine Country and Pous adas

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Smart travel tips and important contact info make planning your trip a breeze, and detailed coverage of sights, accommodations, and restaurants give you the info you need to make your experience enriching and hassle-free.  If you only have room for one guide, this is the one for you. The best guide to Portugal, completely updated Rococo palaces awash in pastels, carved Manueline churches, and villages full of hand-painted azulejos and other ceramics Golden beaches, verdant golf greens, and traditional horse-breeding farms and bullfighting arenas Top places to sample port -- from adegas, where it's both business and pleasure, to bars filled with mournful fado music Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget Romantic pousadas in converted castles and convents, luxurious resorts, and cosmopolitan hotels Rustic taverns, baroque cafés, marisqueiras with the freshest seafood, and pastelarias with luscious pastries Fresh, thorough, practical -- from writers you can trust Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands All reviews based on visits by savvy correspondents 25 pages of maps, vacation itineraries, and more Smart travel tips Fodor's Choice What's Where Pleasures and Pastimes, with a section on wine Festivals Comprehensive index

This excerpt, from the Pleasures and Pastimes section, gives you a taste of what Portugal has to offer and the sights and scenes that make it a great place to visit.


Azulejos

One of the most notable images of Portugal is the abundance of azulejos (painted ceramic tiles), originally introduced by the Moors. (Despite the fact that many of the tiles are blue, the term does not come from azul, the Portuguese word for that color, but rather from the Arabic word az-zulayj, which means "little stones.") In nearly every town and village -- adorning churches, palaces, fountains, and homes -- you can see a veritable open-air art display, reflecting the Portuguese love of decoration. The tiles feature geometric designs and come in a wide variety of colors; the Paço Real (Royal Palace) in Sintra is one of the most remarkable examples of their decorative effect.


By the 17th century the early styles were replaced by whole panels depicting religious or secular motifs, often based on engravings and colored blue and white. These are the most enduring azulejos, with fine examples throughout the country, especially at the Fronteira palace on the outskirts of Lisbon.


You should visit at least one of the museums that exhibit well-preserved tileworks: Lisbon's Museu do Azulejo and Museu de Arte Antiga and Coimbra's Museu Machado de Castro. Also, Portugal's country residences (called quintas or solares) often display delightful combinations: for instance, an elegant pastel-color house whose outside walls and landscaped gardens are lavishly adorned with grandiose panels. The most interesting examples are found in the Minho region in the north, though there are also attractive quintas on the Setúbal Peninsula.


Beaches

Despite the tourist boom that has almost completely developed large stretches of the Algarve and the Costa da Prata, you can commune with the sea and the sky in relative solitude along the Costa Azul and the beaches of the Minho and Costa Verde. Decide whether you want the excitement and glamour of a world-class resort, complete with casino and 24-hour nightlife, or whether your spirit would be more refreshed by amber cliffs and yellow sand leading into an indigo sea down south in the Algarve, or lush green mountains and oyster sand meeting the blue-gray ocean, as in the north.


Dining

Portugal has a large, rich, and varied gastronomy. The Portuguese introduced coriander, pepper, ginger, curry, saffron, and paprika to Europe as a result of their explorations and establishment of trade routes with the East. They brought back tea from the Orient -- it was the 11th-century Portuguese princess Catherine of Bragança, wife of England's King Charles II, who popularized the aromatic beverage in England -- coffee and peanuts from Africa, and pineapples, tomatoes, and potatoes from the New World.


Portugal's rivers and its proximity to the sea give it a seafood-oriented gastronomy: Be sure to try the caldeirada (seafood stew) and fresh sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines). Lulas recheadas, squid stuffed with sausage and rice, is a unique combination of texture and flavor. Chicken and pork are good everywhere, and the mention of golden and crunchy leitão da bairrada (roast suckling pig) in the north is enough to give anyone an appetite. Sautéed or grilled bife á português (steak), often cooked in a port-wine sauce, is served throughout the country. Bacalhau (codfish) can be served 365 different ways (or so legend has it). Soups of all kinds are popular, and most restaurants serve caldo verde, a filling blend of shredded cabbage and potatoes. The famous pork-and-clam dish called porco á Alentejana is made with diced marinated pork and clams and served with potatoes or rice. Desserts tend to be sweet and egg-based, with pudim flan, a caramel custard, almost a national passion.