Results tagged “Portugal” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Olá, travelers! Today Rafa Vieira writes to us from Coimbra, Portugal, and tells us why this European city is simply the best.

Want to see your city on IT? Copy and paste our list of fill-in-the-blank questions into an e-mail, fill in your answers, and send your responses to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org. And if you're still waiting for us to feature yours, fear not! We're going to keep posting as long as we keep getting them (please include photos and links!).

Coimbra is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is the University of Coimbra patio so they can enjoy a view over the city and the river.

When I crave a Tentúgal pastry, I always go the small town of Tentúgal, in the outskirts of my city.

To escape the bustle and traffic I head for the beautiful spa town of Luso. It is really close to the city, and its wonderful forests and enchanting buildings are great for a walk.

If I want to relax and enjoy the trendiness of my city I go to Feito Conceito, a funky shop.

For complete quiet, I can hide away at Jardim do Penedo da Saudade, a hidden garden with a view of the city that's packed with statues and poems of poets and writers.

If you come to my city, get your picture taken in the city southbank with the river Mondego and the city at your back.

If you have to order one thing off the menu from Zé Manel dos Ossos Tavern downtown it has to be Chanfana (an exquisite she-goat dish).

Greetings, city-lovers! Today Maureen Moore fills us in on her adopted city, Lisbon.

Want to see your city on IT? Copy and paste our list of fill-in-the-blank questions into an e-mail, fill in your answers, and send your responses to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org. And if you're still waiting for us to feature yours, fear not! We're going to keep posting as long as we keep getting them (please include photos and links!).

Lisbon, Portugal Is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is to the hilly Graça neighborhood for its amazing views of the city.

When I crave greenery and nature I always go to the Jardim da Estrela.

To escape city noise I head to the river-walk near Belém.

If I want to get lost I wander the narrow, labyrinth streets of Alfama.

For complete quiet, I can hide away at the peaceful Parque das Necessidades in Alcântara.

If you come to my city, try to get your picture taken with the "waving man" who appears at Saldanha plaza nightly.

If you have to order one thing off the menu from the Cantinho de Bem Estar it has to be ameijoas de bulhão pato (clams swimming in hot olive oil, garlic, and cilantro).

Amatudo and A Vida Portuguesa are my one-stop shops for non-kitschy, cool, Portuguese design and original products.

Locals know to skip fado restaurants in Bairro Alto and check out the local spots in Graça and Mouraria instead.

When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go to the park on Sundays in the summer for free jazz concerts.

For a huge splurge I go to a Napoleão wine shop and buy some mid-priced Portuguese wine that you can't get in the average restaurant.

Traveler and Photo District News are currently hosting our annual World in Focus Photo Contest, and this year we're letting readers preview the submissions and vote on their favorites. It's the start to a new week, meaning there's a whole new gallery to check out. Here's one of of the featured shots from this week:

Every trip should have a soundtrack, so we've asked CJ Fahey with Nat Geo Music to select artists from their catalog whose songs will inspire you to get going.


Raquel Tavares, "Fado Lisboeta"

One thing I love about this video from Portuguese fado singer Raquel Tavares is that in the first 30 seconds it seems like a low-budget music special from public access television and then, unexpectedly, the shot cuts to a dramatic close-up of the singer's bright red lips as she begins the bittersweet lament of the fado. It's an abrupt reminder that as spectators of the fado we're here primarily for the voice, which, even if you can't understand the words, conveys longing and nostalgia.

Fado music comes from Lisbon, Portugal's capital city, which is located on the Tagus River just before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The best place to find a traditional fado bar in Lisbon is in Bairro Alto (literal translation: high neighborhood), one of the oldest parts of the city where Lisbon's youth intermix with tourists, drug dealers, and long-time older residents. The neighborhood is the heart of Lisbon's nightlife and in addition to being the perfect spot to catch nightly fado performances, is a good place to come for dinner, drinks, and dancing.    

Check out Nat Geo Music for more fado videos. And read Traveler's story about the best fado festivals in Lisbon.

While Hollywood is all abuzz about the Oscar nominations (Did Benjamin Button really deserve 13 nods?), we can't help but feel like cheap lodgings - especially given the current economic crisis - are worth celebrating as well. So we were glad to hear that Hostelworld.com recently announced their Hoscar Awards (get it?). As we've noted before, hostels aren't just for backpackers any more, and they saw a 14% spike in bookings in 2007, according to Hostelling International. What's more, there are now over 1.7 million hostel beds around the globe (and even better news: three-quarters of the hostels now feature en-suite bathrooms).

The Hoscar list was culled from the votes of over 800,000 users of the site who judged each location based on character, security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness. Topping their list overwhelmingly was Lisbon, Portugal, which seems to be the Benjamin Button of the bunch. Among the top picks were Travellers House, Rossio Hostel, and the chic-to-the-point-where-you-wonder-if-it's-a-hostel Lisbon Lounge. The Guardian has the full list, which includes hostels in Wales, Krakow, Beijing, and Barcelona.

Read More: Check out a hostel housed in an refurbished plane. Choose from a list of hostel booking sites. The Barcelona Urbany was Spain's first eco-friendly hostel.

Photo: Travellers House