Featured Country: Portugal Euro 2004 is upon us: three weeks, 31 matches and people the world over getting up at indecent hours to watch football games taking place in cities across Portugal. One of the premier football (soccer) tournaments, the Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA) puts on the event every four years. Each time, the host country swells with touring football-crazed fans. This year, Portugal is theirs to conquer. Already the tournament is producing some upsets and the remaining games should be interesting. According to the Euro 2004 website, there are still some tickets available for online purchase to a few group games and no doubt there are "other options" should you just turn up on match day in search of a ticket. Even if you're not a huge fan of the Beautiful Game, the colour and atmosphere generated by the travelling fans of 16 European countries make this a great time to travel to Portugal! One of the the most affordable countries in Western Europe, Portugal is often skipped by European backpackers because of its location to the west of Spain on the Iberian Peninsula. Those who venture to Portugal are rewarded with less tourists than in other parts of Europe (usually), fantastic ports and beautiful beaches. Portugal is part of the E.U. The Euro is the currency. The standard greeting in the Portugal is "Bom dia" (Good Day). Portuguese is the official language, although Spanish is widely understood. Well, those are a few nuts and bolts. Keep reading for more info on Portugal, as well as other travelers' experiences in the country. What's in this issue? Featured Content What our Insiders Say Airfare Deals Accommodation Info From the Bookshelf Links & Resources Write an Article and Tell a Friend The Portugal's Top Attractions What makes the Portugal interesting? Why do thousands of travelers head to the Portugal every year? Check out our list of the top three "must do" attractions! Lisbon Portugal's capital and the largest city in the country. Listen to fado, a type of haunting music famous in this area, while taking in the city's rich cultural heritage. Museums, a 1000 hectacre park (5 square miles), and the site of the 1998 World's Fair are popular attractions. Porto Home of the sickly sweet after-dinner liquor, port. Drink free and cheap samples to your heart's content at a number of cellars that line the river. Afterwards, you can walk it off along the waterfront and dine at a number of restaurants. Slightly seedier than Lisbon, but beautiful in its own right. Lagos Where backpackers go to lose days. On the water in the Algarve (Portugal's southern province), Lagos is continually swathed in sun. Lay out at the famous Meia Praia beach during the day and party all night with backpacker drink specials. Despite its reputation of being a backpacker meat market, Lagos remains on of the most popular destinations in Portugal. Back to top FEATURED CONTENT Gothic Tales From Portugal - Murder, burnings at the stake, churches built out of bones – a glimpse at the darker side of Portugal's history. Perils of Parking in Porto - Parking in New York or London? Easy. It's hell in Porto, says Kristina Johnson, unless you're in with the pensão manager's wife. Introduction to Portugal - Fred Perry has visited and loved Portugal since 1986. Here's his overview of the country and its saudade. If you would like to submit an article on your travel experiences, check out our Writer's Guidelines, then send it along. Back to top WHAT OUR INSIDERS SAY Check out our Europe Forum for inside tips on the Portugal and to post your own questions. Back to top AIRFARE DEALS The BootsnAll TripPlanner can book your around-the-world flights. Plan and book your international trip here! When searching for multi-destination air tickets, the BootsnAll TripPlanner is tops. After using the TripPlanner to get an idea of the itinerary you want, be sure to submit it to us and talk to our counselors about fine-tuning your trip. We found some good R-T-W deals that stopped in Portugal: $3425 US Sydney - Singapore - Lisbon - Madrid - Delhi - Singapore - Tokyo - Bali (Denpasar) - Sydney $4433 US Boston - New York - Lisbon - Madrid - Rome - Bangkok - Shanghai - Xiamen - Bangkok - Singapore - Bali (Denpasar) - Melbourne - Auckland - Cook Is. (Rarotonga) - Tahiti (Papeete) - Los Angeles - Rio de Janeiro - Boston If you are looking for single destination tickets, head to the International Airfare Center. You can search via destination or departure city. Here are some examples of what we found: $764 US New York City - Lisbon $926 US Chicago - Lisbon Now, log on to the RTW TripPlanner or International Airfares and put together an itinerary! More Specials & Deals The only thing better than flying to Portugal is getting a bloody good deal on the ticket. We work with other companies to bring you low, hard-to-beat round-trip fares, to help you fly not only to Portugal, but to wherever you want to go: Cheap Ticket Links Back to top Portugal Hostels Hostels are a great way to stay when you're traveling in Portugal. Staying in hostels when you travel not only helps your budget, it is a unique way to enhance your trip. Meet new people, have new experiences; with our Hostels section you can learn about hostels and book your bed online. Portugal Hostels Lisbon Hostels Visit the Hostel Section Back to top FROM THE BOOKSHELF | Portugal Read up before you go! Here is a list of the most popular guidebooks and literature/non-traditional guidebooks. For your convenience, these books are available at the BootsnAll Travel Bookstore. Traditional Guidebooks: Fodor's Portugal: The Guide for All Budgets, Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore on and Off the Beaten Path, by Fodors Portugal (Eyewitness Travel Guides), by Martin Symington Lonely Planet Portugal, by Julia Wilkinson and John King Travel Literature/Non-Traditional Guidebooks: Walking in Portugal, by Bethan Davies and Ben Cole Food of Portugal, by Jean Anderson The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal, by Richard Mayson Back to top LINKS & RESOURCES Use the following sites to learn more about Portugal, what it offers to travelers, and how to plan your trip. Portugal Government Web Portal Not a fantastic site, but it has links to a number of other Portuguese resources. Portugal Tourism The tourism board gets their say. Look at pictures, check out maps and figure out where you want to go. Portugal.org A resource aimed toward English-speaking tourists. Portugal Travel Guide A comprehensive online travel guide with recommendations, news and other traveller related information. Euro 2004 Everything you wanted to know about Euro 2004 and the history of the European championship series. Back to top WRITE AN ARTICLE If you have a story of your own that you would like to submit on the Portugal, have a look at BootsnAll's Writer's Guidelines: http://writers.BootsnAll.com And then send it along. We're always looking for new content and new perspectives, and we hope to get yours soon. TELL A FRIEND If you feel that BootsnAll.com is a valuable resource, or that others might think so, please tell your friends about us. As many of you know, we respond personally to every email we receive in an ongoing effort to build a true traveller's community. Many have responded positively. If you have comments both positive and constructive, we would love to hear them. Tell us what we have done well and how we can improve. We would appreciate it greatly. 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