This region spreads from the Tagus estuary to the Alentejo coastline, from the sophisticated great metropolis to colourful fishing villages.

Boasting springtime temperatures during the winter (average temperature in January 12'C/57"F) and cool summers freshened by, a breeze blowing in from the Atlantic (average temperature in August 24'C/75'F), Costa de Lisboa, on the south-western coast, offers a rich and impressively integrated diversity.

Lisbon is a legendary city with over 20 centuries of History, that the first King of Portugal conquered to the Moors in 1147. It is the capital of Portugal since 1255.Radiant skies brighten the monumental city, with its typical tile-covered building facades and narrow medieval streets, where one can hear the fado being played and sting at night.

But Lisbon is also the stage for popular festivities, the place for exquisite shopping, exciting nightlife, and interesting museums, a place front where motorways branch off in different directions.Nearby, Sintra's lush wooded heights and verdant charms invite one to take a ride on a horse-pulled carriage, and gaze at the marvellous manor-houses, located within the grounds of century old farms, as one drives up to Pena Palace, a fabulous example of Romantic architecture, that keeps the atmosphere of a royal residence.

To make it a difficult choice for the curious visitor and only slightly farther afield, lie the impressive Mafra Convent, the cosmopolitan seaside resorts on the way to Cascais, the verdant Serra da Arrabida and picturesque Sesimbra. the Sado estuary and the aristocratic farm-houses in Azeitao. Driving south, the ochre and blue unspoilt beaches on the Alentejo coastline open on to a vast Atlantic horizon.