When we opened LisbonHolidays in Lisbon, we acquired with the sole reason of promoting the things that we love in Lisbon and Portugal.
I'm not saying that people from other countries don't know things about Portugal, but...
Portugal is famous today! People talk about our beaches, surfers tell tales about our waves, but even people who never been here they know about Portugal because our food and Cristiano Ronaldo... but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are not a big country, but we are a big nation. This post is to show you why we are in love with this beautiful nation.
Portugal is not a young nation, that you are hearing about today.
This is one of the oldest countries in Europe with its borders pretty much unchanged since 1297.
Portugal also had one of the longest-running empires (from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau in 1999) and one of the largest, stretching from Brazil to China. The alliance between England and Portugal, ratified by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386 is the oldest alliance in the world still in force.
The Portuguese language is one of the most spoken languages in the world. It's spoken by the 10 million inhabitants of Portugal….and also by 230 million others all around the world. In fact, Portuguese is the official language of 9 countries and is the 6th most used language online.
Portugal is the only place in Europe that you can interact with dolphins, swimming in the pool with these fabulous creatures is in Portugal – at Zoomarine park in the Algarve. The Dolphin Interaction program gets you up close and personal with the dolphins.
The marine park has a strong educational theme while also being a fabulous family day out. It's also a centre for the rescue and rehab of marine animals.
When you visit the next time Portugal, please visit the largest artificial underwater park in the world – in the ocean just off the Algarve coast.
The Ocean Revival Underwater Park has four decommissioned Portuguese navy ships nestling on the seabed, home to an ever-evolving eco-system and major attraction for divers from all around the world.
In our capital, you will find the oldest bookshop in the world. Bertrand in Lisbon has been doing business since 1732 and is the cornerstone of the Bertrand chain. The location of the original store underwent an enforced change due to the massive earthquake in 1755 but has been at Rua Garrett ever since. And one of the most beautiful bookstores is in Porto.
Lello bookstore was voted the third most beautiful bookstore in the world and is said to have been the inspiration for Harry Potter's Hogwarts.
One of the things that people talk about when they visit Lisbon for the first time is our streets, and I think that because of our beautiful pavements that people love to walk to go to places, and when we talk about walking we have to have the best shoes for that...
Portuguese shoes are all over the world and strut some of the biggest stages.
Rihanna’s 2013 shoe collection for River Island was produced in Portugal. And Pippa Middleton, the famous royal sister, and her mother, both wore Portuguese made shoes for the royal wedding. A traditional industry that has moved with the times, the Portuguese footwear industry styles itself as the sexiest industry in Europe.
Some of the biggest and best waves in the world are to be found off the coast of Portugal, at Nazaré. Due to the topography and geography, it is not unusual for monster waves to batter the coastline here, attracting surfers from all over the world. But if you are a big fan of surf, visit the village of Ericeira 45 minutes from Lisbon, believe me, you will fall in love!
In fact, Portugal totally kicks its traditional image by amazing innovation….the Green Lane toll pay system is a Portuguese invention, as is the pre-paid mobile phone card. And Portugal has experienced the fastest growth in innovation performance among EU member states in recent years, in 2016, Lisbon became the home of the Web Summit.
In 2018 Portugal was ranked as one of the 13 most innovative countries in the world by the CTA International Innovation Scorecard. Lisbon and Porto are hubs of innovation while the Algarve is also beginning to attract interest with its own tech hub and start-up ecosystems.
But I cannot end this post and don't tell you about what I really love about Portugal. Besides the facts above, Portugal is a unique and special place. I really advise that if you have the time and you love adventure, just rent a car or a caravan and visit Portugal from Lisbon to Bragança, and then from Lisbon to the Algarve.
In Portugal in every city, you will meet the culture in every corner, and hear the tales and the History from every mouth. The people are very kind and polite and in some villages is like the time to stop.
I know people talk about bucket list and maybe you have one, please take time and voyage to the land of Portugal, and be wonder by the colour, the fields, castles, rivers and sea. Embrace Portugal.
We are waiting for your arrival in Lisbon.
Book your next vacation with us HERE.
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