Portugal, 21st Edition 2010
by Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince
Published by:
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
Copyright 2010 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommers is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
ISBN 978-0-470-54120-3
Editor: Richard Goodman, with Christine Ryan
Production Editor: Eric T. Schroeder
Cartographer: Guy Ruggiero
Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
Front Cover Photo: Tom Egan / Robert Harding Picture Library / Masterfile
Back Cover Photo: Peter Horree / Alamy Images
For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax 317/572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats.
Manufactured in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
List of Maps
Best Portugal Itineraries
Portugal for Families
The Algarve in 1 Week
Lisbon
Lisbon Accommodations
Lisbon Dining
Belm Attractions
The Bairro Alto
Walking Tour: The Alfama
Walking Tour: Baixa, the Center & the Chiado
Estoril & Environs
Sintra
South of the Tagus
Estremadura
The Algarve
Portimo
Alentejo & Ribatejo
Coimbra & the Beiras
Coimbra
Porto
Walking Tour: Porto
The Porto Region
The Minho Region
Madeira
Funchal
Note About Maps
This guide contains dozens of maps of varying sizes and complexity. If you find it hard to read a map on your device, use the zoom function to enlarge. You can also download and/or printout PDFs of all of the maps in this guide. Go to www.frommers.com/go/ebookmaps and click on the title of your guide.
How to contact Us
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful placeshotels, restaurants, shops, and more. Were sure youll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, wed love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommers Portugal, 21st Edition
Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any timeand this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
About the Author
As a team of veteran travel writers, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have produced numerous titles for Frommers which have included Italy, France, the Caribbean, Spain, England, Scotland, and Germany. A film critic, columnist, and broadcaster, Porter is also a Hollywood biographer. Recent releases by Darwin include Merv Griffin: A Life in the Closet, documenting the private life of the richest and most notorious man in television, and Paul Newman, The Man Behind the Baby Blues. Prince was formerly employed by the Paris bureau of the New York Times and is today the president of Blood Moon Productions and other media-related firms. book title
Frommers Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).
In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:
Special findsthose places only insiders know about
Fun factsdetails that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun
Best bets for kids, and advice for the whole family
Special momentsthose experiences that memories are made of
Places or experiences not worth your time or money
Insider tipsgreat ways to save time and money
Great valueswhere to get the best deals
The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:
AE American Express
DISC Discover
V Visa
DC Diners Club
MC MasterCard
Travel Resources at Frommers.com
Frommers travel resources dont end with this guide. Frommers website, www.frommers.com, has travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly, giving you access to the most current trip-planning information and the best airfare, lodging, and car-rental bargains. You can also listen to podcasts, connect with other Frommers.com members through our active-reader forums, share your travel photos, read blogs from guidebook editors and fellow travelers, and much more.
Chapter 1: The Best of Portugal
Centuries ago, Portugal was a pioneer of worldwide exploration. Until recently, however, it was never as successful in attracting visitors to its own shores. Outside of greater Lisbon, the Algarve, and the island of Madeira, Portugal remained unknown and undiscovered by the mainstream visitor for many decades.