PORTUGAL THROUGH COUNTRY ROADS

One of the best ways to really discover a country is to travel by road, especially in those that are relatively compact, diverse and have a good network of roads. Portugal ticks these and many other boxes to make it an ideal road-trip destination.

- Ranvir Nayar

Though both are part of the Iberian peninsula, a few things appear remarkably different as soon as you cross the border on the road from Spain to enter Portugal at the peninsula's on the southern-most tip. Perhaps the first thing the motorists would notice the language on the road signs, which switches to Portuguese and second is that petrol is distinctly cheaper in Portugal than even in Spain, which itself is a lot cheaper than France or Germany.

But beyond the road signs and fuel prices, it is the change in landscape that is remarkable. But to see that in a clearer fashion, leave the Autoroute A49/A22 and head south to take N125, for it is on these smaller routes that a road-trip's best-kept secrets appear. And Portugal is no different in this manner. First thing is that you are closer to the beach, which is as stunning as on the Spanish side of the border, if not more.

The Algarve: Portugal's tourism magnet

After all you are in the Algarve, one of the most historic and beautiful regions of Portugal that is as rich in natural beauty as in the mixed European and Arab heritage which is one of the distinctive elements of the two Iberian countries. No wonder then that the Algarve attracts the most number of tourists in Portugal, with over 5 million visitors in 2019, over a third of total number of tourists visiting the country in that year.