Stand on a cliff where the Atlantic runs out to the horizon, then turn around and find a doorway framed in blue-and-white azulejo tiles. Portugal keeps the vast and the tiny side by side: an empty beach and a hand-painted house number, rolling farmland and a café with four tables.
The climate is Mediterranean, with warm dry summers, mild wet winters and a cooler, greener north shaped by the ocean. Spring and autumn suit long walks, while summer belongs to the coast. A Local Friend shares a favourite spot and the story behind it, perhaps a quiet lookout or a table up a hill.
