Sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Spain, although culturally quite different, Portugal is a country with a pleasant Mediterranean climate, a close affinity with the sea and a history of exploration and colonial conquests. Despite having much to offer visitors, the majority of its land has failed to attract holiday makers until fairly recently when it began to open itself up to those realising that there was much more to it than just the culturally diluted resorts of the Algarve and Madeira.
