Portugal doesn’t disappoint when it comes to culinary delights, with fish, meat, olive oil, herbs, spices and bread featuring heavily in many of the country’s most popular dishes. The Portuguese are passionate about freshly-caught grilled sardines (asadas) and bacalhau (codfish) is a national favourite which can be prepared in 365 different ways, one for each day of the year.

Caldo Verde is a hearty soup which features dark green cabbage, potato puree, smoked sausage and olive oil. Pudim de ovos is a scrumptious pudding made with eggs, sugar, milk, liquid caramel and port wine. A popular snack throughout Portugal is a francesinha sandwich which comprises ham, linguiça sausage or steak which is placed between two chunky slices of bread and smothered in broiled cheese sauce and tomato beer sauce.

You’ll also discover churrascarias across the land – these are dining venues where you can savour barbecued meat and poultry, with piri piri chicken being a tasty speciality. Portugal is renowned for its superb wines, with classic port wine being the much-loved product of the Douro Valley.

July and August are the hottest months in Portugal, averaging 27°C, but welcome Atlantic sea breezes help to make the heat more pleasant. Temperatures in the interior of the country can hit 40°C in the summer. The north west experiences short summers with mild winters with high rainfall, while the north east has hot summers and longer winters. In the south the summer period from May to October is very warm, with most of its rainfall in early spring and autumn. Snow falls occasionally in the north of Portugal. January is the coldest month with an average maximum temperature of 15°C.
Atlantic Sea temperatures are not particularly high in Portugal so July to September is a good time for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts to visit, when conditions are most favourable. The shoulder season months of March to early May and November are great times to secure cheap cruise deals.

You won’t struggle to find something exciting to do when you disembark from your cruise ship to spend some quality time on the Portuguese mainland. There’s so much to see in the various wonderful resorts and surrounding areas. Major attractions in Portugal include the Park and National Palace of Pena, the 16th century Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Santa Justa Lift which is an elevator built in 1902, Lisbon Oceanario and Castelo dos Mouros, a magnificent hilltop Moorish fortress.
The iconic Luís I Bridge across the Doura is definitely worth a visit and the Quinta da Regaleira palace and gardens near sintra are very impressive. For some healthy outdoor activity you can go canoeing at Furnas Lake, scuba diving in Lagos, surfing in Nazaré, canyoning in Tobogã,  sunset cruising on the Tagus River, sightseeing on a private electric Tuk Tuk or just enjoy an invigorating walk along the country's jawdropping coastline. Portugal has more than 150 incredible beaches and the best among them include Praia da Falésia in Albufeira, Meia Praia at Lagos, Praia de Vale Figueira at Carrapateira, Praia da Rocha in Portimão and Marinha Beach in Caramujeira.