The Portuguese city of Porto

In terms of coming up with original holiday destinations, UK tourists are the worst. A bit of sun seems to be the only criteria worth considering, and when we see that Spain is just over the channel, everyone else goes there and its cheap, its what we always end up doing.

There are simply so many other alternative choices to Spain in the world that it beggars belief that people still choose that as the default. Even if you want to stay just in Europe, you are still spoiled. Moreover, if you are willing to be flexible as to the exact form of the holiday you take then you quite literally have the run of the place. Everything is available.

Look at Portugal. Right next to Spain and taking up a good chunk of the Iberian peninsula, it has nowhere near the levels of UK tourists visiting it as does it neighbour to the East. And why is this? For every Spanish resort, Portugal has one equally fantastic; Lisbon, Madeira, Porto? There are plenty of places to choose from

Could it be that people think Portugal is an overpriced alternative? If so, then this is a dumb theory. Check the internet sites; Octopus Travel for one have plenty decent Porto Hotels on offer for much cheaper than equivalent hotels in Spain

And Porto is just the kind of place to show why you should be going to Portugal in the first place. Located by the Douro River just a few kilometres inland from where the river runs into the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest of Portugal. It is the second largest city in Portugal. It is surrounded by a number of smaller cities, and as a whole, this conurbation is the largest in Portugal, with some 1.9 million inhabitants.

Porto''s history goes back to Celtic times, and it was during the Middle Ages that it developed into one of Portugal''s most important trading cities. It was in the 18th century that Porto became an important link between the Douro Valley wine producers and wine importing countries like England.

The historic centre of the city was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. A favourite area for tourists is the area down by the Douro River, with the wine cellars by the riverfront on the southern side, plenty of restaurants, bars and hotels on the north side and the iron bridge to keep people busy..

All in all, Porto is one of those rare places in the world that is both magical and easily done on a proper budget. Just don''t go to Spain for the seventh time in a row. There are other places.

Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com

Caron Kristan is a freelance travel writer who was inspired to write this article by Octopustravel.com where you can book many interesting Porto hotels.

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