Destination notes
Golden shores with gently lapping waves. The smell of grilled sardines and sunscreen. Trees heavy with figs, lemons and olives. White-washed villages watching slow days pass by. I love the Algarve, especially in the summer, and…
Having lived in Lisbon since 2018, I’ve had the chance to visit Porto a dozen times, exploring the city from bases in various different neighbourhoods and staying in a mix of hotels, guesthouses and apartments. Since…
Elvas has been shot at, starved out and surrounded by Spanish troops. But not once did the largest fortified town in Europe fall to the Spanish – and they tried to take it four times. History…
How you travel to the Douro Valley deeply changes your experience of the gorgeous wine region. Whether you curve around the steep ridges by car, trace the water’s edge on the historic Linha do Douro train…
The first time I visited Estremoz it was bucketing rain. I was trying not to slip on the tessellated marble pavement on the short walk between the car and the tasca. We were on our way…
You won’t see the inside of Coimbra’s most stunning building on this blog, or almost anywhere. So concerned is the leadership of Portugal’s oldest — and for hundreds of years only — university with protecting the…