Portugal

One of the oldest capital cities in Europe and one of the most beautiful, Lisbon occupies seven hills above the Tagus estuary, its terraced streets of azulejo-tiled façades and viewpoint miradouros looking out over terracotta rooftops and the river's silver water. The Alfama district — the old Moorish quarter — retains a village character impossible to find in any other European capital, while the Chiado and Príncipe Real neighbourhoods offer the city's finest restaurants, concept stores, and fado venues.

A palace-studded hilltown 30 kilometres west of Lisbon whose romantic landscape of palaces, quintas, and forest gardens climbing into cloud-covered peaks inspired Lord Byron to describe it as 'perhaps the most delightful village in Europe.' The Pena Palace — a candy-coloured Romantic-era folly perched on the highest point of the Serra de Sintra — and the Moorish castle whose walls wrap around the hilltop have made Sintra one of Portugal's most visited sites.

East and south of Lisbon, the Alentejo unfolds across rolling plains of cork oak, olive trees, and vine-covered hills that produce some of the most characterful wines in Europe. The region's herdades — private wine estates with guest accommodation — offer cellar tours with estate owners, private vineyard tastings, farm-to-table dining, and the deep quiet of the Portuguese countryside. The walled UNESCO city of Évora, with its Roman temple and medieval cathedral, provides cultural depth within easy reach of the wine estates.

The oldest demarcated wine region in the world, regulated since 1756, the Douro Valley's terraced slopes produce port, Douro reds, and increasingly celebrated white wines in a landscape of extraordinary drama — schist hillsides terraced by hand over centuries, dropping steeply to the river 500 metres below. The experience of travelling the Douro — by private river cruise, by road from quinta to quinta, or by the historic train from Porto — is one of the great slow journeys in European travel.

The city that gave port wine its name, Porto is one of Europe's most characterful cities — the Ribeira waterfront with its rabelo boats and wine lodges, the azulejo-tiled churches and baroque towers of the historic centre, and the contemporary cultural renaissance of the converted industrial districts. The port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river, offer tastings in cellars that have been maturing wine for centuries, and the Livraria Lello bookshop is among the most beautiful in the world.

Portugal's southern coast stretches 150 kilometres from Lagos to the Spanish border in a landscape of golden limestone cliffs, sea caves, and beach coves of extraordinary beauty. The western Algarve around Sagres — the most south-westerly point in continental Europe — has a wilder, less-developed character than the resort-heavy central coast, with surf breaks, sea-cliff walking, and fishing villages that retain genuine local life.