 When the Portuguese navigators got to shore in 1420 they baptised the island as Madeira (wood in Portuguese) because of the amount of plants, bushes and trees they saw. At the time Madeira was a dense wild forest, but slowly it turned into a beautiful well-tended garden that wows whoever visits, specially during Spring.
This time of the year is great to explore the archipelago and we'll show you why.
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 With the Weekend-Break Bookpacks available it’s time to start planning some short escapes throughout the country. There are options for everyone and here are a few of our favourite destinations.
 2018 is water under the bridge. The beginning of the year is time for new resolutions and travelling more is always a good one!
Portugal welcomes travellers from all over the world all year round. There are many destinations worth visiting and for the second year in a row we came up with a list of “When to go Where”. These are our 2019 picks and we’ll tell you why. In October temperatures tend to decrease a fair bit, particularly in the mountainous regions. When the thermometer lowers people start craving for hot beverages, blankets and a cosy fireplace to stay warm. Aldeias do Xisto are a great destination during this time of the year. There you’ll find a curious mix of genuine people, comfort food and beautiful natural landscapes, which creates the perfect scenario to really unplug from the frantic rhythm of the daily routine.  Walking is free, relieves stress, sparks creativity, helps you sleep better, is a great way to stay fit without intense physical effort, and the list goes on… Everyone is well aware of the uncountable benefits of walking on a daily basis and it is fairly easy to squeeze a short walk here and there on weekdays and a longer one during the weekend. However, holidays tend to ruin good habits and the walking routine is replaced by the tempting moto “eat, sleep, repeat”. What if you could pair both and go for a “walk, eat, sleep, repeat” kind of day? Rota Vicentina is the perfect place to do so. It matches spectacular walking trails, beautiful beaches, fresh and delicious food and peaceful villages where relaxing and going offline seems almost mandatory.  Portugal is an absolute paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Although it has a fairly small area it offers very diverse landscapes and plenty of reasons to visit: spectacular sea views, quiet river banks, daunting mountains, long stretches of sand, stunning caves, never-ending plains, and the most spectacular sunsets…
There are many natural parks in Portugal mainland that are worth a visit and May is a great time to explore them. Unlike peak season, spring time is never crowded, temperatures are mild and nature is at its best! The ideal way to explore the parks is to combine road trips with walking trails or outdoor activities as some of the most beautiful places are not accessible by car. Here we selected some of the best ones, from north to south.  Algarve is the southernmost region of Portugal, cornered against the immense Atlantic Ocean. This Portuguese region has been home to many civilizations throughout the years. Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors all left a little bit of their heritage behind, which is still present in different fields such as architecture and art. In fact the word azulejo (tile) comes from zulaich, which means “small rock” in arabic.
When speaking about Algarve the first thing people mention is naturally the beautiful beaches. They are definitely a great reason to visit, specially if you’re in need of a vitamin D boost, but despite its stunning coastline Algarve is still an amazing destination. The peaceful vibe, the natural landscapes, the food and the historical heritage are also good enough reasons to visit. So instead of soaking up the sun at the beach, we challenge you to discover the other Algarve. |