Costa
de Lisboa is an official geographical
area created by the Tourist Authorities.
It extends along the coastline,
starting north of Lisbon at the
beach town of Ericiera. The area
extends east inland to just above
the town of Vila Franca de Xira,
and southwards including the town
of Palmela. Continuing south, the
region includes Alcácer
do Sal and Grândola before
going west and joining up with
the coast on the sandy beach of
Porto Covo. In this area lives
more than 40% of the country’s
population.
Lisbon which was made the official
capital of the Kingdom of Portugal
in 1256 draws you in to enjoy its
eighteenth century architecture
and colorful antique tiled buildings.
One may visit the extraordinary
Mosterio dos Jeronimos, a massive
16th century cloister and monastery
in Belem, the point where Vasco
de Gama set sail for India in 1497.
Also discover the Castelo de Sao
Jorge, the 5th century castle,
later fortified by the Moors in
the 9th century and conquered by
the Christians in the 12th century.
Around Lisbon
golf enthusiasts will also find
the majority of
Portugal’s golf courses ranging
from 9 holes to executive.
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International
airports are found in Lisbon, Porto,
Faro, Funchal (Madeira), Ponta
Delgada (São Miguel, Açores),
and Lajes (Ilha Terceira, Açores).
The national airline is TAP–Air
Portugal. Flights from the UK can
be found from over 20 airports
including Heathrow, Gatwick, London
City, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle,
Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Every day, international trains
run between Lisbon and Paris, Madrid
and Porto-Vigo.
Express trains run between Lisbon and Porto stopping in Coimbra (Alfa trains),
while regional trains (Intercidades and Inter-regional) connect the different
parts of Portugal.
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