Things to do in Portugal

Portugal’s iconic pastel de nata is the jewel in the crown of the nation’s culinary reputation. First cooked up by monks in the early 19th century, these sweet and creamy custard tarts are a beloved national favourite, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad one anywhere in one of Portugal's best cities, Lisbon. Pastéis de Belém is where it all began, and today it makes and sells about 20,000 pastries every day.

If you get your pastel de nata to go, you’ll find that the Belem district of Lisbon has plenty more to offer, particularly along its seafront, where you can see the Monument of the Discoveries. Built in 1960 as a tribute to the discovery of new territories by the great explorers, the design takes the form of the prow of a caravel (a ship used in the early days of Portuguese exploration). You can take the lift to the top for a magnificent view of the harbour or you can continue walking along the promenade until you reach Torre de Belem, which was built in 1514 as a defensive tower that could fire its cannons on enemy ships.

If you want some beach time in the afternoon, take your pastel de nata as a snack aboard a short 30 minute train to Cascais, where you’ll find golden sand beaches just off an old fishing village filled with pastel-coloured shop fronts and wrought iron balconies covered in bougainvillea.

Since the 1960s, Portugal (especially the Algarve) has established itself as perhaps the ultimate destination in Europe for holidaying golfers. Luckily Club Med Da Balaia offers PGA Europe professionals to give you the coaching you need to tackle some of the tremendous courses in the region.

A stay at Club Med Da Balaia on the red cliff tops of Albufeira gives you free access to Balaia Golf and easy access to an array of Europe’s top golf courses including Quinta do Lago and the iconic Victoria course designed by Arnold Palmer.

Quinto do Lago is used for prestigious tournaments such as the Portuguese Open, part of the European Tour and is one of the most famous courses in the Algarve, with a notorious 15th hole. Only 30 minutes away, the 18-hole championship course at the five-star Penina, designed by Sir Henry Cotton, is considered the spiritual home of golf in the Algarve, and was the first course in the region when it opened in 1966.

Portugal offers approximately 943 kilometers (586 miles) of shoreline and is considered one of the best countries in the world for surfing, with surf spots right the way up the coast.
The unspoilt beaches of the Algarve make a perfect base for a surfing holiday. Here, golden beach after golden beach is pounded by the mighty Atlantic, meaning there is one for every level of surfer keen to get out there and line up to catch a wave. Beyond the Algarve, there are great waves for surfing all the way along the mainland, as well as in the Azores and Madeira islands.
For beginners, the best time to surf is in the summer, between May and September, because at this time the swells are less frequent and the waves are much smaller. But note that the best surf spots tend to be very popular indeed, especially throughout July and August.

Sticking with Porto, the 110 year old Lello Bookstore is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world and a must-see site in Porto. It’s a stunning old world bookshop filled to the rafters with new and antiquarian books. As you walk through the doors of this bookstore you are greeted by a marvellous central stairway while all around, ornate wooden walls and the stained glass ceiling transports you to a different world.

The bookshop claims bragging rights as an inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series. The author lived in Porto for two years between 1991-92, teaching English, and was a frequent patron of the bookstore. Around the same area, you’ll find Clérigos Tower and Carmo and Carmelitas’ churches giving you plenty more options to explore before heading to a well-deserved lunch.