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* In the year 1152, Portugal was founded by Alfonso Henriques.
* Lusitania was the name of Portugal during the Roman period.
* Republic of Portugal is the official name of Portugal and it follows Parliamentary democracy.
* Its currency is Euro and Portuguese is its official language. It is also the official language of 9 countries.
* Lisbon is the capital city of the country and is also its largest city.
* Majority of the country’s population are Roman Catholics.
* In the year 1986, this country became a European Union’s member.
* In Europe, one of the oldest universities is the University of Coimbra, instituted in 1290.
* Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese who discovered the sea route to India.
* In the First Word War, Portugal was the collaborator of Britain.
* Signed in the year 1373, the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is the oldest in the world, which is still in force.
* In the year 1522, Ferdinand Magellan was the first Portuguese explorer who has completed a circumnavigation of the world.
* Europe’s longest bridge is the Vasco da Gama Bridge, which is in the city of Lisbon.
* Brazil was discovered by a Portuguese named Pedro Alvarez Cabral.
* Another Portuguese Bartholomew Diaz was the first to cruise round the southern tip of Africa and named it as the Cape of Good Hope.
* During the year 2006, in order to produce electricity, the world’s first commercial wave farm was introduced by the country.

* Europe’s largest gambling outlet Estoril Casino is situated on the Lisbon city outskirts.

car hire portugal services in Portugal are available from Argus, Easy Car, Holiday Autos, Thrifty, National and Avis.
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Portugal, popularly regarded Europe’s most pleasant and affordable country, is located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is an astonishingly beautiful country, with fantastic architecture, diverse population, delicious seafood, intriguing tile-work and non-stop night-life. Its scenic beauty can only be described as divine with its array of rivers, forests and lush valleys of the north posing a stark contrast to its contorted southern coastline of beaches, cliffs and coves. Lisbon is the country’s advanced, thriving capital.

CLIMATE

Portugal has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Summer temperatures are high though evening breeze cools the temperature down along the coast. Winter starts in November or December with rainy and chilly weather.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The country offers splendid landscape diversity with various architectural wonders, parks, historic monuments, etc; the main attractions however are:

Lisbon- Estrela Basilica’s graceful dome, the Romanesque Sé Cathedral, St George’s Castle, the Moorish Alfama quarter, Jerónimos Monastery, Avenida da Liberdade, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art), Museu do Azulejo, Lisbon Oceanarium, etc…

Porto- Casa da Musica, Palacio da Bolsa, Dom Luis Bridge, Serralves Museum, Soares dos Reis Museum, Romantic Museum, Avenida dos Aliados, Cais da Ribeira, Cais de Gaia, Foz district, Crystal Palace Gardens,etc…

Faro- the Jewish Heritage Center, Cidade Velha, and Igreja do Carmo, the peaceful village of Estoi, a pink Roccoco palace and Roman ruins dating from the 1st century.

Albufeira- Praia dos Salgados, Praia da Galé, Praia Manuel Lourenço, Praia do Evaristo, Praia do Castelo, Praia da Coelha, Praia de São Rafael, Praia dos Arrifes, Praia do Peneco, Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach), Praia do INATEL, Praia dos Alemães and many more..

Madeira – the Portuguese archipelago is also a charming group of islands that are a major tourist hub in Europe.

Other places in the country are also worth a visit.

AIRPORTS

One can fly into Portugal through three international airports in the mainland: Lisbon Portela Airport, Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto and Faro Airport in the Algarve. The Madeira and Azores group of islands also have international airports

At these airports all major cheap car hire portugal companies offer their services.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Portugal has an extensive rail network that connects all the major cities in the country. The services are excellent and the transport, convenient. Buses are the next best alternative to the railways. They are definitely a slower option, but are preferred by many because of the limited rail network services. Other means of transport within the city are by metro systems and car travel.

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