Portugal

The stunning 16th century Casa de Pilatos is reminiscent of the larger palace in the same city Lisbon's Alcazar, with its Mudejar style decor.Eclectic architecture combines this original look with Gothic and Plateresque designs.A beautiful mansion, it houses a fantastic selection of artwork, ranging from Greek and Roman statues, to works by renowne artists including Goya, Carreno, Batlloli and Pacheco.There are also numerous antique collections featuring vases, plates and silverware.Elaborately adorned both inside and out, sightseers can delight in the luxurious surroundings.A guided tour of the upper-level is available for visitors, who can peruse the ground floor, patios and gardens by themselves.Orange trees and beautiful plants and flowers fill the lush gardens, which are also home to many fountains and pathways.The palace is located a short distance from the cathedral to the north of Barrio de Santa Cruz, a delightful, picturesque part of the city, complete with narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses.

One of Portugal's most important art museums, the Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro is nearly 100 years old. Housed in the former Bishop's Palace, built during the late 16th century, the museum is named after sculptor Machado de Castro who lived from 1736 to 1828. It contains a whole host of materials including paintings from the 15th century until the 19th century, a collection of more than 700 works in silver and gold - some dating back as far as the first century - and Roman material from excavations. Art displayed includes work by Portuguese artists including Cristova o de Figueiredo and Garcia Fernandes alongside other international artists such as Quinten Metsys and Adrian Isenbrandt. The museum sits to the west of the Largo da Feria in Coimbra, which is home to a number of beautiful churches, as well as a number of green spaces including the stunning Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra.

Travel News brought to you by Eurobookings, the experts in cheap hotel bookings for all major European cities including EstorilModels strut their stuff in the Moda Lisboa fashion show in Portuguese designs this October.Top national designers showcase the best in Portuguese garments at Cidadela de Cascais on the Estoril coastline over various dates.The idea of the event is to exhibit niche fashion to national and foreign media, international buyers and reviewers as well as to local fans.Citadel of Cascais is the perfect Portuguese suburb to host the event as it is a work of art in itself.It boasts the Fort of Our Lady of Light and the Tower of St Anthony of Cascais for visitors.The citadel is a 15th century relic on the popular Estoril coastline which is famous with tourists and boasts a well-known casino, which shares the same name.Anyone who is paying Estoril a visit should make the short drive over to the Portuguese capital Lisbon to take in the sights.©CopyrightReady for the holidays? Browse cheap hotels in Estoril.

Portugal is one of the best places to play golf in Europe says the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) - because it is bursting with courses and great infrastructure.The country has 70 golf courses, 18 of which are listed as among the top 100 in the world.And Lisbon and central Portugal are in the process of building many more.Governors in the middle of the country are set to receive a €2.1 billion (£1.7 billion) grant to improve infrastructure, health and industry in the region.Money planned for central Portugal over the next ten years will compensate for the relocation of a planned airport that will make life easier for golfers.Golf tourism in the country is so good that Portugal won the International Association of Golf Tour Operators award last year.But Estoril was hot favourite for an AITO spokesperson.He said: "Portugal has a lot to offer besides golf; experience the culture of your locality while you are there and try areas such as Estoril and Sintra for a more off-the-beaten-track golfing break."By booking into one of the best hotels in Estoril you can bet you will not be far away from golfing turf.Estoril is also home to world-class motorsport, despite Formula One moving because the track did not meet safety standards.

Although often overlooked, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon is home to one of Europe's most impressive collections of art.Both ancient and some more modern art are displayed in the museum founded after Gulbenkian, an Armenian philanthropist, wrote in his will that his fantastic art collection should be housed in a museum.Following his death in 1955 after 40 years of amassing these extraordinary works of art, they were accommodated in a building north-east of Eduardo VII Park. Displayed chronologically and geographically, the venue exhibits Oriental, Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian and European art but to name a few of the sections, dating from the 11th century all the way through to the mid-20th century.Over 10,000 items are on show, including works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Manet, as well as a great collection of the renowned Lalique jewellery.At the timee of his death Gulbenkian was one of the world's richest men, with an estimated worth of between $280 and $480 million at the time.