Likened sometimes to Tuscany or Provence, Portugal’s Alentejo is actually a little more rustic and a lot less visited than France or Italy’s celebrated regions. Unspoiled by the development seen along the Algarve coast and deeply rural, life moves at a treacly pace here, but the scenery is ever changing. Beautiful, often deserted beaches give way to hills cloaked in cork and eucalyptus, river valleys where wild asparagus thrives, wheat fields and remote villages. Atlantic rollers draw surfers to the coast, while walking and cycling are low-impact ways to explore. Chance upon vignettes of rural life as you go – old ladies swapping gossip over milky coffee, a farmer dozing among his grazing goats – but beyond the locals, you’re more likely to bump into a wild boar than a tourist. Weird, really, since Alentejo also boasts a lovely climate and inexpensive local food – fresh olives and fish, smooth local wine and not a full English in sight.

Find out more in our Alentejo travel guide.

The warm and lovely Alentejo spreads from Lisbon to the Algarve, a little-changed landscape of fertile fields and shepherd’s trails, dotted with medieval villages. It’s a couple of hours’ drive from Faro or Lisbon – far enough to keep the stop-and-flop vacationmakers away – and once here, pick the beach for surfing and sunning, or choose a walking or cycling vacation. These typically focus on the Rota Vicentina trails, which stretch from Santiago do Cacém to Cabo De São Vicente in the Algarve. Trips tend to be self-guided, traveling point-to-point with luggage transferred, and provide a great overview of the region.