Exploring Portugal - Travel Advice

Plan a vacation with these articles on Portugal’s best attractions, from the Algarve to Porto, folk festivals and new museums to fado houses and off-beat travel

Lisbon: Portugal’s City on Hills -- A Walking Tour of the old Alfama

Mournful notes of fado, blue tiled walls, cable car bells, pungent smoke from chestnut roasters, sun-warmed stones of Castelo Sao Jorge. Lisbon is a city for the senses

Portugal’s Ten Best Sights -- Roman villas, Moorish cities, vineyards and Knights Templar castles

Portugal is filled with exciting travel experiences, don't miss sites, hilltop castles, gardens and beautiful scenery, so it's hard to pick only 10 best places to visit

Portugal Solares More than Hotels -- Intimate Lodgings Bring Travelers into Portuguese Culture

Portugal's unique lodgings in manor houses, wine estates and other private country homes give travelers a chance to meet local people and take part in local life.

Fado, The Musical Soul of Portugal -- Lisbon’s Urban Folk Songs

Virtually unknown outside Portugal until the fadista Mariza won the BBC Radio 3 award in 2003, fado, the earthy street music of Lisbon, has hit the world music scene

Portugal’s Knights Templar Trail -- Castles Built by the Mystical Order of Crusaders

When the Knights Templar were disbanded by the Pope, Portugal's king formed the new Order of Christ, and invited them to join. Several castles and sites tell their story

New Museum of Carnival Masks -- Spanish and Portuguese masks and costumes are displayed in Braganca

Northern Portugal and the region of Zamora in Spain share a tradition of colorful carnival celebrations that are shown in a bright new museum

Faro’s Secret Spooky Bone Chapel -- Portugal’s friendly Algarve capital has some surprises for tourists

Human bones line a chapel, storks nest in the church towers, Roman mosaics decorate a former convent and blue tiles form murals inside gold-washed churches.

Internet Access in Rural Portugal -- Finding Internet cafes, WiFi or public access is not always easy

A working knowledge of Portuguese, a laptop with WiFi, a little spare time and a lot of persistence may be the keys to finding internet access in Portugal's remote towns