Experience Porto In Portugal

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 230
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In terms of coming up with original holiday destinations, UK tourists are the worst. A bit of sun seems to be the only criteria worth considering, and when we see that Spain is just over the channel, everyone else goes there and its cheap, its what we always end up doing.

There are simply so many other alternative choices to Spain in the world that it beggars belief that people still choose that as the default. Even if you want to stay just in Europe, you are still spoiled. Moreover, if you are willing to be flexible as to the exact form of the holiday you take then you quite literally have the run of the place. Everything is available.

Take Portugal for example. It''s a country that occupies half of the peninsula that most Brits probably assume is entirely Spain and yet the tourism rates there are nowhere near as high as they are in the Iberian neighbour. Why is this? There are plenty of places to go; Lisbon, Madeira, Porto? Each one of these places is equally enchanting as anything that Spain has to offer.

Could it be that people think Portugal is an overpriced alternative? If so, then this is a dumb theory. ...
... Check the internet sites; Octopus Travel for one have plenty decent Porto Hotels on offer for much cheaper than equivalent hotels in Spain

And while on the topic of Porto, what better case could be made for a holiday to Portugal than this city. Geographically, Porto lies on the Douro River just a few miles in from where the river runs into the Atlantic Ocean. It is Portugal''s second city after Lisbon and is surrounded by a number of smaller cities. Taken as a whole, this conurbation is the largest in Portugal, with some 1.9 million inhabitants.

Porto''s history goes all the way back to Celtic times, but it was in the Middle Ages that it truly developed into Portugal''s most important trading city. Later on, in the 18th century it forged a historically important link with the UK in order to import the famous wines from the Douro Valley.

The historic centre was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, and it is indeed a beautiful part of the city. The area down by the Douro River is particularly striking, with the wine cellars by the riverfront on the southern side, plenty of restaurants, bars and hotels on the north side and the iron bridge (Ponte D Lu?s I) connecting the two sides.

Basically, it is one of those magical places that can be done for cheap. Just as cheap as Spain, so when you feel the urge to reach for the internet booking forms, hold back. Think again, do something different Bonny Kominek is a freelance travel writer who specialises in providing information on European cities, they also advise that you go to Octopustravel.com where you can find a range of hotels to suit your budget including Porto hotels.