1. Festival Do Orgao do Algarve (Organ Festival of the Algarve)

The festival is taking place between 03.11.2017 – 25.11.2017. It follows eight succesfull years in faro and has been expaded across the regios. This year, the festival will take place across four counties: Portimao, Faro, Tavira and Loulé.

You should’t miss this as you will enjoy many concerts and for sure you will have lot of fun.

2. St. Martin’s fair in Portimao

 The fair has taken place every year since 1662 and it is considered the most ancient event and also the most popular in the city.

Visitors will have the chance to browse through 84 stalls where you can find anything from food, clothes, shoes,household item, toys and so on.

Also this year a novelty it will be the exhibition of new and used cars, which represents nine car brands in the Algarve. The show will take place at Portimao Arena, locaed in the grounds of the Parque de Feiras e Exposicoes, from 15:00 to 23:00, each day until 18.11.2017.

3. Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Christmas celebration in Portugal traditionally start on December 8^th (“The day of “Our Lady of the Conception”) and end of 12^th night.

Christmas itself is celebrated on Christmas Eve night.

Did you ever imagined spending Christmas sorounded by decorations but somewhere where the weather is still warm? Algarve is the perfect answer.

New Year celebration can become very expensive but did you thought that you can get more with less money?

You can watch the firework displays on the river front in Lagos and get a view of Portimao’s display as well.

Many open air concerts will take place in Albufeira and all the bars and clubs across the Algarve will stay open until the early hours so everyone can celebrate.

If you need a car we suggest you to hire a car from Lagos Car Hire as they have very good prices and lots of discounts up to 30% this time of the year.

Hope we helped you with some ideas for this autumn and winter and we wish you to enjoy your time in Algarve.

The North of Portugal is the industrial region, recognized as the richer and more somber side of the country. You can travel here easily with a Porto airport transfer. You can also travel from there to the other corners of the country should you like to lodge in the north during your stay.

7. Porto has a lot of mainstream sites to boast with, but also a lot of hidden, secret and wonderful sites, such as the Lello Bookstore, dubbed the most beautiful library in the world. Any bookworm traveling around the Globe should go there for a cup of coffee and a good book to browse through.

8. If you want to rent a car in Porto, you can afford to travel outside the city as well. In this case of figures, you should take a ride to Vila Nova de Gaia. the “barcos rabelos” accosted in the harbor make for a colorful and idyllic landscape. A trip top this typically northern-Portuguese town can serve as a perfect city break option.

9. And here we are, at the end of our list. What should our last Portuguese suggestion be? Can we end our list so soon? First off, you must remember these are just mere suggestions, the list doesn’t really ever end. So here it is: Cais da Ribeira, a labyrinth of winding streets and narrow alleys facing the beautiful riverfront of the majestic Douro River.

Have a great time in Portugal this summer!

The southern part of Portugal is called the Algarve. It is the most beautiful and bright area and also home to some of the most outstanding samples of inter-culturality, as it witnessed the rise and fall of several empires and rules, from the Roman to the Christian, to the Moorish and back to the Portuguese victory of the Reconquista. Good: so what can we visit here?

4. Faro is the capital city of the Algarve. It is also one of the most beautiful and economically prominent sites in Portugal. Cidade Velha is the compact and extremely romantic old town center of Faro, reminiscent of centuries old gone. Larga da Se is the core of the quarter, dominated by the silhouette of the old cathedral.

Of course, Faro is not just the old center. The harbor is a beautiful picturesque spot as well and not to mention the Museu do Marítimo Almirante Ramalho Ortigão, which tells a beautiful tale about the maritime history of Portugal and the Algarve.

5. Lagos is our next recommendation for your Algarve trip. You can stay there for a week or more for very accessible rates. It is big enough to have a city feel and everything you need at the tip of your fingers and small enough to be cozy and authentically Portuguese. You can go to Lagos car rental and benefit from the best transport option: a car all ready for you for your trip.

6. Last (for today), but certainly not least, is Silves, one of the most scenic and picturesque towns in the Algarve. The Medieval Festival of Silves is an event that attracts thousands of people from all around the world, eager to have fun and remember the wonderful past with melancholy.

Today we have prepared Part 1: Lisbon city, the capital city of Portugal and one of the proudest cities in the country and the world. Trust us, this is not an exaggeration. Fun fact: did you know that actually Lisbon is older than Rome? It also used to be a center of Colonialism in the aftermath of the Great Age of Discoveries, so don’t be surprised that this beautiful corner of Heaven on the European Continent has so much to show.

Here are some great attractions never to miss in Lisbon:

1. The Lisbon Oceanarium is one of the most impactful and wondrous aquariums in Europe and also one of the largests in the whole wide world. You can take your kids there, you can spend an exciting afternoon with your partner and you can learn everything about the sea life that is part of Portugal’s identity.
2. One of the greatest symbols not only of Lisbon, but the entire Portugal is the 16th century amazing Monasterio dos Jeronimos, a UNESCO World Heritage recognized site. The monastery was meant to be not only a house of Christian worship, but also a way to boast about the greatest achievements of the Age of Discoveries.
3. Belem is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Lisbon and its tower is the symbol of the city – another reminder of the glorious age of Columbus. You can go there with a Lisbon airport transfer to Lisbon city.

While the rest of Europe still struggles with the cold and the snow, Lisbon and Porto and the ever sunny Algarve are already experiencing spring-like weather and a bright sun in the last month of winter. So if you are searching for a last-minute deal in a beautiful warm place in Europe to take your loved one on Lover’s Day, Portugal just might be the place for you.

And if we still haven’t convinced you so far, we will today! Because we talk about a couple of really beautiful places under the yellow Portuguese sun.
Number one is the beautiful medieval and universitary town of Coimbra. It is bisected by the Rio Mondego and at night, under the pale electric light, it still shines in a specter of bright colors and takes your breath away. It is one of the most scenic places in Portugal and it is a place steeped in history, home to a five century old university, the greatest in the country.

But as you might imagine, Coimbra is much more than a simple university town. It is a wonderful romantic destination and to convince you, here are just a few of the activities you can enjoy here:
Boat trip on the lovely river under the moonlight;
For a “geeky” kind of love – and let’s admit it, this is so cute – you can go for a visit to the Museu Nacional Machado de Castro, the history and art museum of town.

A kiss among the relics of the old Moorish part of town.

Could this be the place for you? You can definitely find out! And you can get there from Lisbon with a Lisbon car rental.

Portugal may not be as vastly explored a tourist destination as its sister neighbor, Spain, but it is a lovely place, full of wonder and romanticism and it is worth giving credit, as in the last years its tourist industry has been on the rise.

The search for romantic destinations in Portugal is definitely not a difficult one. The country attracts thousands of people to its center and by default to its lovely capital city, Lisbon. Even a tram ride in one of the yellow cable cars in Lisbon (a trademark of the town) can be a romantic journey. But Lisbon has even more to offer.

Lisbon is an outstanding destination, where you can get a boat trip on River Tagus. You will see a great part of the city as you sway gently on the waves of the beautiful river. You can also climb the miradouros. These are high points,basically, from which you can look down on the red rooftops of the various neighborhoods nesting in the valleys made by the seven intertwined hills.

And one of the most romantic walks in the city is one through Alfama, the oldest and most authentic neighborhood in Lisbon. There you will see old traditional houses with wide windowed balconies decorated with plants and with laundry hanging from strings to dry in the wind, azulejos-covered facades, winding cobblestone streets and you can kiss your lover in the colorful decor of the buzzing life here.

You can also get a Lisbon tour and see all the highlights of the city with your better half.

Portugal boasts with one of the proudest legacies in Europe. Vastly forgotten today for its role in the great Age of Discoveries, its beautiful lands and its beautiful people still remind you that you are in a very special place every moment you spend there.

And number one on the list of Portuguese tourist attractions is the sunny wonderful shores of the Algarve. The seaside, southern region of Portugal attracts thousands of local, but especially foreign visitors every year basically year-round. Winters are mild, so even though we’re not talking sunbathing and swimming in the ocean in February, the Algarve is also “visitable” in the low season.

One of the most inspiring places to pull out that ring and get down on one knee is the wonderfully romantic Benagil beach in the vicinity of Carvoeiro. The attraction of the beach is a dome-like cave carved naturally from the cliffs, with an aperture that lets the sun stream in and shine over the ocean-bathed golden fine sand of the beach. You can also get a Carvoeiro car rental at an affordable price during this time of the year. Just a thought, I imagine few girls would find bus rides romantic.

And here’s another truly romantic spot for all those wanting to run away from the routine and crowds: the secluded and utterly charming hamlet of Cacela Velha. Don’t be put off by its size: Cacela Velha has history as old as time, reminding you of the Roman and Moorish occupations, but preserving the utter Portuguese essence.

So what exactly does this new system entail? It is called “the licence for points” (carta por pontos) and basically means every driver’s license has 12 points starting from June 1st 2016. For every serious traffic offence, the driver loses points. If you lose too many, you’ll need to attend a traffic safety course or take the driving test once again.

Here are some other answers to common questions and additional useful information:

First, you don’t need to change your driver’s license. There is an online system in place recording the points. Also, you can review the status of your license points online, on the Portal de Contraordenacoes Rodoviarias.

So why does a driver lose points? Or rather, what is considered to be a serious traffic offence? Among the most serious such contraventions, there is driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. And in case you were wondering, a driver can lose a maximum of 6 points for one contravention.

The good news is you can also win points. After 3 “clean” years, with no serious or very serious traffic offences on the record, a driver gets 3 points. If you have never committed any traffic offences, you still get points, naturally, amounting to a maximum of 15 points.

How many points can I lose and what happens if I lose too many? If you are left with 5 or 4 points, you need to attend a traffic safety course. If you fail to attend this course, you risk losing your license and the right to take the driving test for 2 years. If you have 3 or less points left (minimum 1), you’ll have to take the driving test again. Once more, if you fail to take the test, you will lose the right to file for a new driving license for the next 2 years.

Just a couple of words of advice: drive safely!

The most intense Christian celebration is feasted, at least in the Iberian area, with a blend of religious processions, masses and colorful traditions.

The Holy Week, the 7 days before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated intensely throughout Portugal. There are several local customs, including godchildren visiting their godparents bringing olive branches, sweets or flowers, dying eggs and offering chocolate Easter bunnies. As Christianity came to replace pagan rituals with religious celebrations, some of the old customs were still preserved, such as flowers as a sign of the rebirth of nature.

Maundy Thursday is another day charged with religious significance. In the profoundly religious Braga city and the adjacent region, the Archbishop performs a ritual of feet washing (in Portuguese: lava-pes). As the name suggests, he washes the feet of 12 people, like the Lord washed the feet of His 12 apostles. This ritual is followed by the Lord’s Supper Mass (in Portuguese: Missa da Ceia do Senhor).

Easter marks the end of the long Lent, so this has to be celebrated with excellent traditional dishes. Housewives cook lamb, people drink wine and eat many sweets. The folar cake occupies a special place among the Portuguese recipes. It is a sweet cake made of bread with a boiled egg at its center. Chocolate and almonds are also present in most houses.

The Easter is all about family. The Portuguese gather around the table to enjoy the Blessings and spend quality time together. There are certain places in Portugal with a particular religious significance. One of them is Fatima. If you need to book Lisbon airport transfers to Fatima, you can do so online.

Meanwhile, have a very happy Easter!

Basically, commercial car rental is much like regular car rental – just that you can borrow a larger van or vehicle to transport things in Portugal from one place to another. There are several office locations from where you can pick up your commercial vehicle and, just as the case of regular car hire, you can enjoy having a car at your disposal for a day or more, all depending on your need.

Why would you need to call on commercial car rental? Well, because there are times when you need a larger car to carry things. Take, for instance, the example of moving into a new house. You might have furniture and house appliances you need to take from your old place to the new one, books and personal belongings that you want to take with you, etc.

Or, for instance, say you are planning to redecorate your home and need to transport materials you have just purchased for this purpose. If you are working in commerce and need to transport supplies, that might equally be the case to employ commercial car rental throughout Portugal.

The price of renting such a car is actually not very high and it can save you much effort and trouble. The booking process itself is easy, you simply go online, complete a booking form with some general info – which will only take a couple of minutes – and as soon as you get the email confirmation, you can be sure you can collect your commercial vehicle at the agreed date and time.

It’s great to know how many services are now available and how easy it is to enjoy them.