Must-do Days Out When Visiting Portugal

Religious festivals often bring out the best in the Portuguese. The town of Sao Miguel is lit up by a series of spectacular illuminations on churches and buildings, with much fanfare and torchlight processions in this super lively religious event.

Travel back in time to an age when knights were bold and everything looked like a Game of Thrones episode. The sights and sounds of the Middle Ages and Christian Reconquest era are recreated over nine days when the town is invaded by all manner of jugglers, acrobats, dancers, snake charmers and jousters. Experience live-action history lessons, with processions, tournaments and artisan producers, showcasing their skills and proffering their wares.

Do you like flowers? We mean, do you really like them? How do you fancy twelve spectacular gardens that come into bloom in some exquisite spaces? See the cutting edge of international gardening combine visions of the future with a passion for preserving the environmental heritage. You’ll be inspired to try something new in your own back garden.

Give your creative brain a big jolt. Immerse yourself in an intense 40 hours of non-stop contemporary art. Hundreds of artists bring the streets of Oporto’s Baixa district alive with opera, dance, performance, theatre, modern circus, literature, cinema, video, photography, workshops, guided visits and exhibitions. The only question is “What shall we see next?”.

Okay film buffs, this one’s for you. See some award-winning movies, many of which never make it to the multiplexes. Luminaries from world cinema whose work has been featured in recent years include Perdro Almodavar, Kirk Douglas and Dennis Hopper. If you need to stretch your legs, combine a day’s movie-going with a walk in the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park.

Enjoy the perfect soundtrack for those long, hot summer nights. This festival attracts Jazz musos from across the globe, who can be found playing in many stunning parks and unique open air venues across the city. Sit back, close your eyes and let the music take you to somewhere special.

Time for a few thrills now. Watch some of the world’s top jet skiers tear through the waters as they compete in the European Grand Prix of this high octane sport held on the River Tua.

Coimbra’s fresh graduates know how to throw a party, and this one is named after their initiation ritual of burning their badges in chamber pots. Join them for a week of traditional serenades, parades, tea dances and cultural shindigs. No chamber pot required. Or badges.