Country characteristics

Landscape
You can travel in a single day from green mountains in the North, covered with vines and all varieties of trees to rocky mountains, with spectacular slopes and falls in the Centre, to a near-desert landscape in the Alentejo region and finally to the glamorous beach holidays destination Algarve.

Enjoy your train trip along the Douro River where you can see the natural beauty of the green mountains of Minho or the dry mountainous region of Tras-os-montes. A striking contrast you will come across when visiting the southern part with the vast plains of Alejento and the magnificent Algarve with beautiful beaches. Enjoy the beach during the day and the best discos and pubs around, at night.

Lisbon and surroundings
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, has a particular beautiful setting built on seven large hills overlooking the Tagus River. At the top of São Jorge Castle you can see the best view from the city.
Sintra, with its green surroundings, palaces and castles, is a place you must visit.
Alternatively, Cascais, in the Lisbon coast may also surprise you with its beaches and historical monuments.

North of the country
In Porto  you may watch the Douro River meandering through the city. Here you can see the "Rebelos", boats especially built for wine transport, carry the porto wines from the top of the mountains to the city.

Coimbra, with its romantic atmosphere and one of the best libraries of Europe that can be found in the City University. You can also visit Conimbriga, the Roman City.

Related Pages

• InterRail Global Pass (valid in 30 countries, incl. Portugal)
• InterRail One Country Pass Portugal
• Train Information for Portugal
• Pass Benefits in Portugal

Seven Wonders of Portugal

In 2007 a public election was held in Portugal to select the top seven wonders of the country. These were the seven winners:

• Castle of Guimarães (Guimarães, Braga)
• Óbidos Castle (Óbidos, Leiria)
• Batalha Monastery (Batalha, Leiria)
• Alcobaça Monastery (Alcobaça, Leiria)
• Jerónimos Monastery (Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon)
• Pena National Palace (Sintra, Lisbon)
• Belém Tower (Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon)

At Wikipedia you can find descriptions of these wonders.