Portugal, Lisbon 1

Lisbon is a huge open-air walking museum of history, culture, modern buildings, great monuments, beautiful harbor and exquisite food. It’s busy even in the shoulder seasons for good reason: prices are affordable. Renting a car is the only way to go to see the grand vistas, roadside flowers, the mountain snow, high altitude stone houses, historic ports, endless cafes, ancient castles, great universities and the unique castles in the town of Sintra. Lisbon has a population of about 552,000 and is one of the major economic areas on the continent, with a growing financial sector and one of the largest container ports on Europe’s Atlantic coast.