Portugal

Portugal is a great little country to visit. They hate to be constantly compared to the Spanish, but let's face it, until they change their language and history, and preferably lift the country up and move it a few miles away from their larger neighbour, they haven't got much chance of avoiding it, certainly not here anyway, so here goes:

In short Portugal is like a well-organized minituare version of Spain which caters better to visitors. There. I said it. The climate, language, and to a large extent the outlook of the people are very much like Spain. The history is closely linked, and much of the landscape resembles parts of Spain. At the same time, the rail network is fairly competent, people are more likely to speak good English, and the whole place just seems more efficient.

Portugal has something to offer every kind of visitor, except those obsessed with winter sports. The south is overrun with resorts like Lagos and Faro dedicated to surfing, drinking and sunbathing. In the centre and north this gives way to beautiful landscapes, with excellent walking. Lisbon is a cosmopolitan modern city built on a historic foundation. And finally Porto is as good a city as any in the world for a conossieur of fine alcohol to wonder round looking at barrels of the stuff ageing and improving, and pretending to be interested in anything more than the tasting.