Awash with secluded pine forests, undulating sand dunes and sleepy fishing villages, Portugal, on the Iberian Peninsula, offers a refreshing change of pace. With huge open skies, and where Atlantic rollers break onto wide empty beaches, its beauty is understated and simple. Despite its Mediterranean climate, a refreshing sea breeze provides welcome relief from the the midday sun, and draws surfers and kite flyers to its vast golden beaches, which are rarely overcrowded. Inland, the ancient city of Lisbon, the Royal Palace at Sintra and the pilgrimage town of Fatima dot the wild flower-filled landscape, waiting to be explored. 

While you're here, try...

• Cataplana de Marisco
• Pastel de Nata
• Rose Wine