Portugal

Discover Portugal

Fun Foods

Bacalhau, Prego , Pastel de Nata, Bola de Berlim, Travesseiros

On November 1, 1755, the ground shook for six minutes and changed everything. Fires erupted, a tsunami crashed in, and Lisbon collapsed into rubble. One of Europe's richest cities was gone in a morning.

Portugal perches on the western tip of Europe, staring out at the Atlantic Ocean. Its borders haven't changed since 1297. That makes it the oldest nation-state in Europe.

Before the earthquake, Portugal was powerful. Moors from North Africa ruled for centuries until Christian kings pushed them out. By the 1400s, Portugal started looking beyond its tiny borders.

Prince Henry the Navigator sent ships down the African coast. Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498 and opened the spice trade. Suddenly, this small country controlled routes to half the world.

The empire stretched from Brazil to Macau. Gold and spices poured into Lisbon. Then the earthquake wiped it all out.

Portugal rebuilt but struggled for centuries. A dictator named Salazar ruled for 40 years. In 1974, the Carnation Revolution ended the dictatorship when soldiers stuck flowers in their rifle barrels instead of fighting.

Lisbon is hilly, colorful, and full of surprises. Yellow trams rattle up impossibly steep streets. Sintra has castles that look straight out of a fairy tale, hidden in misty forests.

Portuguese people take food seriously. They have 365 ways to cook bacalhau, the salted cod they've eaten for centuries. Pastéis de nata are custard tarts so good you'll want to smuggle them home.

Fado music plays in tiny Lisbon bars. It's beautiful and sad, full of longing for things lost. The Portuguese call this feeling saudade, a word with no English translation.

Santo António in June fills Lisbon with sardine grills and street dancing. São João in Porto is even crazier. Strangers tap each other on the head with plastic hammers for good luck all night long.

Blue and white tiles called azulejos cover buildings everywhere. Some tell stories. Some just look beautiful in the sun.