revista de imprensa

The top 5 cultural holidays in Portugal

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1. Portugal’s historic gardens
In Minho, the green, lush north of the country, gardens come into their own. With the expert guidance of the Lisbon-based garden historian and landscape architect Gerald Luckhurst, you will explore woodland follies, see 19th-century camellia topiary, as well as more formal 18th-century gardens like Casa dos Biscainhos, decorated with elaborate fountains, statues and Arab-inspired parterres. Four nights are spent in the medieval town of Guimarães, considered the birthplace of the nation as this is where Afonso Henriques proclaimed himself king in 1139. From here there are side trips to parks, gardens and the country’s most spectacular religious sanctuary, the Baroque Bom Jesus do Monte, set on a forested slope near Braga.
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3. Coimbra and Conimbriga

The seat of Portugal’s oldest university, founded in 1290, and a former capital of the country, Coimbra is full of historic and artistic treasures, foremost among them the Romanesque cathedral, complete with gilded altarpiece. Just 10 miles to the south-west is Conimbriga, the site of Portugal’s most extensive and well-preserved Roman ruins. Much remains of the town which flourished here until around the fourth century AD, from masterful mosaic floors to a complex of baths and an aqueduct. An onsite museum displays the finds unearthed in archaeological digs in the area. Stay at the charming 18th-century Quinta das Lagrimas, set in extensive gardens.
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(in the telegraph-travel)