BLUE WINDOWS OF PORTUGAL

Yet again more blue.

Today while I was doing some research work for my house renovation, I googled for the windows in Alentejo. To my surprise most of them are blue.

I can't stop sharing the beautiful windows here. Is it I like blue a lot or I blue crosses my road in purpose, he eh...

PORTUGAL LOVE FOR MY MOM !

Perhaps, it is for the first time I share here in my blog that I am renovating my parental house.

I did and still doing a lot of research on how to give a lift to my house which is easily 50 years old. 

I am trying my best to give a fresh look keeping the old intact. I kept the old furnitures and also bought some new. Demolished all unwanted shelves. The concept is vintage to relate to my mother's taste and also my choice of life ;)

Sooner or later towards the 70% completion I realised that my house has some looks from Portugal. A country which is close to my heart. I had two friends from Portugal, Jorge and Luis visiting my house and they could relate it to the looks of an old Portuguese houses. I heard it and immediately was on the 9th cloud. May be this house is the expression of my love for Portugal. All those good memories I carried from Portugal from the May-June of 2012 can be seen in my house.

Again the colour blue has dominance in the entire renovation. 

51 countries in Europe and its Capitals

The continent of Europe has always been my fascination.
There are total of 48 countries in Europe and I would love to go visit their capital cities.
I have visited some of them already in 2012 and would love to visit again.

Here is the grand list below :

Countries in Europe and its Capitals I want to visit. 

1. Iceland - Reykjavik
2. Norway - Oslo
3. Sweden - Stockholm
4. Finland - Helsinki
5. Denmark - Copenhagen
6. Latvia - Riga
7. Estonia - Talinn
8. Lithuania - Vilnius
9. Russian Federation - Moscow
10. Belarus - Minsk
11. Poland - Warsaw
12. Serbia - Belgrade
13. Ukraine - Kiev
14. Moldova - Chisinau
15. Hungary - Budapest
16. Slovakia - Bratislava
17. Czech Rep - Prague
18. Romania - Bucharest
19. Croatia - Zagreb
20. Bosnia & Herzegovina - Sarajevo
21. Bulgaria - Sofia
22. Macedonia - Skopja
23. Albania - Tirane
24. Greece - Athens
25. Turkey - Ankara
26. Cyprus - Nikosia
27. Armenia - Yerevan
28. Georgia - Tbilisi
29. Azerbaijan - Baku
30. Malta - Valletta
31. Italy - Rome
32. Vatican - Vatican city
33. San Marino - San Marino
34. Slovenia - Ljubljana
35. Austria - Vienna
36. Liechtenstein - Vaduz
37. Germany - Berlin
38. Luxembourg - Luxembourg
39. Belgium - Brussels
40. Netherlands - Amsterdam
41. Switzerland - Bern
42. Monaco - Monaco
43. France - Paris
44. Andorra - Andorra
45. Spain - Madrid
46. Portugal - Lisbon
47. United Kingdom - London
48. Ireland - Dublin
49. Montenegro - Podgorica
50. Kazakkstan - Astana
51. Kosovo - Pristina

Feel free to comment the cities you have been or your most favourite European city.

PORTUGAL DAY!

Its 10th of June is celebrated as the day of Portugal.

It is called Dia de Portugal i.e national day of Portugal. The date commemorates the death of national icon of Portugal, Luis de Camoes on 10th of June, 1580

So here are the two pictures which appealed me a lot while I was reading about this day. This post might not be very appealing as I don't know how much the readers would feel for the iconic poet of Portugal. But for me this is my love and respect for my favourite country Portugal.

LISBON = LISBOA

A city has many names. So does Lisbon.

Long long ago, very long time ago. In the beginning of times when I thought of Europe, it was more the eastern Europe which fascinated me. I had always dreamt of traveling in the east of Europe. But little I knew that I will start with the west. Not only the west, I went to the Southern european countries. I came across the beautiful landscapes of the Portugal and Spain.

But I had some impressions in my mind of Madrid and Lisbon when I had seen them in a TV program called Supercities. Then much later when I started to work, I had seen a picture in Orkut; a group sitting in a line in a street of Lisbon. The caption was, "the western most european country".

Although that caption had thrilled me, I had never thought of including it in my Europe tour. I had thought of France for the cliche i.e Eiffel Tower. But never thought of Lisbon. Then one day while planning my Europe tour, my friend Jorge told me you must visit my country while you are in Europe.

And much after one fine day, I landed in Lisbon. I was full of emotions. I was thrilled, mesmerised, overwhelmed.

In my time there, I realised, Lisbon has many names. The western most european capital, the city with cobblestone streets, the vibrant pastel colour buildings and terracotta roofs. A city with very hospitable and welcoming people.

It is the a city on 7 hills with beautiful yellow trams running up and down on those hills. It is a city for street parties.

A city that invites with its narrow and steep ways of Alfama. A labyrinth full of beautiful houses, graffitis, restaurants and street food.

A city that sailed boats to far east, went around Africa and the Americas to make history.

A city that is thriving for its culture, its Fado music, the work of famous poet Fernando Pessoa etc.

A city of architects for the Patheon, Praca do Comercio, 25th April bridge, Belem Tower, the discovery monument, the Arc of Augusta, the Christo de rei, the Jerenimus Monastry.

A city of engineers for the Funicular trains of Santa Justa, the Vasco da Gama bridge, the aqueduct connecting the hills for water supply.

I was lucky as I met people, made friends for life, partied in the streets and clubs, ate the best food, went to chic cocktail party, went for rock shows, walked many streets, went around in a mini cooper.  Here friends turn into family.

The city has many names and this cornered city of Europe has so much to give.
I never wanted to leave and was planning how to live longer. But, I left. I left with a promise to go back again

I lived a local's life and that day Lisbon became Lisboa to me.

HAPPINESS ... HE EH

There is a popular saying: What are you waiting for? Christmas!!
It is a sarcastic way to say, Why are you delaying, don't delay and do it now.

But in this case, the proverb seems absolutely true. Christmas is around the corner and I am waiting for some happiness. I am waiting for some smiles.

My new expression debit card from Icici Bank is on its way. It would be an image card for which the Bank asked me for some pictures I would like to have on my card. I have sent them some of my pictures from one of my favourite countries, Portugal.

The below are the images I have sent as per my preference :

1. One of my most favourite light house spot in Cabo de Roca, Sintra, Portugal.

2. The heart shape installation from Cristo de Rei, Almada, Portugal

3. Statue of St Loginus, Bom Jesus do Monte, Braga, Portugal

4. The Bom Jesus do Monte, Braga, Portugal.

I wonder which image will be selected. 

So tell me is it not worth waiting for Christmas!!

MY TRAVEL MAP !!

Today my friend Laurent Floch shared his travel map in Facebook. I was very curious to see how my travel map looks like. So I immediately started ticking boxes against the countries to get my travel map.

Now I have a travel map and the count of countries I have been is 30.
Oh yes, it is beautiful.

SHARING IS CARING # 12

 It is always exciting to see little bit of India in another part of the world.
Why not, It is normal to see Indian restaurants, the incense sticks, the Indian cosmetics, or Indian motorbikes, the pashmina Shawls, the gems stones, the Indian jewellery etc. I saw myself around the world from flea market, to restaurants, to street shops, to supermarkets.

But sometimes the Indian thing is so much that there is no limit to the happiness. The heart beat raises, the ear releases hot air and the skin has goosebumps. It is the happiness to something of your country abroad. It is the little influence India has everywhere. A little bit of your country or a little bit of you.


This Sharing is Caring is probably very special as it is about India in Lisbon. It is about the changing Lisbon and the influence of Goa. This article is from www.cntraveller.in.

Finding Goa in Europe

Midsummer in Lisbon couldn’t be more picturesque: elegant locals and delighted tourists criss-crossing plazas and parks dappled with the city’s characteristic white light, young families sitting in the sun outside one of the innumerable Moorish-style kiosks that have gone from selling tobacco and newspapers to artisanal limonadas and homemade snacks. It seems like much of the best of what the world has to offer is available at a price that can’t be beaten anywhere else in Europe. The greenest big city on this continent is also statistically the safest, and is quietly transforming into one of its most liveable. Its diverse blend of people from all over the world are enjoying an impressive city-wide renaissance that spills right down to the formerly grimy Tagus riverfront. The latter is now a series of wonderfully conceived esplanades and cycle tracks, boatyards, museums, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. There are even brightly coloured tuk-tuks that do the rounds.

Just a couple of decades ago, Lisbon had felt uncomfortably stuffy and conservative to me. Even postcard-perfect Alfama (the labyrinthine oldest neighbourhood in the city) was unwelcoming and more than a little seedy. But this was a newly young, unmistakably hipster, entirely different city. So why did I feel so instantly at home, like I belonged here?

Back to Top

The thought nagged me until one particularly glorious afternoon spent adrift in the Brooklynesque neighbourhood of Príncipe Real. Here, I found boutiques selling bespoke shirts, custom-roasted coffee beans and exquisite porcelain all nestled together in a crumbling old theatre. A rooftop lounge, Park, was perched atop a parking lot. Everywhere, acute-angled city streets threw up panoramic views of the city. In another terrace café, called LOSTIn—Esplanada Bar, I found at least half the clientele sporting kurtas and desi cotton shawls, mostly bought from the in-house store that sources entirely from North India. A weathered Rajasthani door faced the back wall, which was painted with a huge mural of Bal Krishna. The menu welcomed me with “Namaste! Sit back, relax and enjoy! Shanti. Shanti.” And it came to me in a flash, that the pinching sense of recognition I had been feeling for days was because this gorgeous, charming city is undeniably the Goa of Europe.

Irony abounds here, because even Goans born long after Nehru’s conquest of the Portuguese Estado da India, in 1961, have often heard the saying “Quem viu Goa excusa de ver Lisboa” (He who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon). It is a boast borne out of the longest colonial episodes in history: Vasco da Gama arrived in India before the Mughals and soon, what is now India’s smallest state became the glittering centrepiece of a maritime empire stretching from Mozambique to Malacca to Manaus. From 1510 on, Portugal’s self-image was inextricably linked with Goa’s grand architecture (including the largest church and convent in Asia) and pioneering institutions (the first public library, medical college and printing press in Asia).

Panjim native chef Jesus of the Jesus é Goês restaurant. Photo: Michel Figuet

Fast-forward to 2014, and it seems the opposite scenario is unfolding. Long-standing ties between Lisbon and Goa have profoundly redoubled and unexpectedly deepened in the post-colonial era. A new, self-confident generation of Goans in Portugal is steadily blazing a historic, unique track record for Indians abroad. The three-term mayor of Lisbon (and quite likely Portugal’s next prime minister) is António Luís dos Santos da Costa, son of ferociously anti-colonial Goan writer Orlando da Costa. The popular secretary of state for culture is Margao-born Jorge Barreto Xavier.

The country’s universally acclaimed contemporary architectural masterpiece is the moody, spectacular part-medical research facility, part-clinic, part-auditorium Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, located on the Tagus waterfront. It was designed by ace Indian architect, Goa’s very own Charles Correa.

Reading the headlines from afar, the overwhelming impression you get of Portugal is of an economic collapse. But very little of that is visible in Lisbon, which has led Portugal out of a recession, and where the streets are buoyantly crowded with young people enjoying themselves. “A lot of the credit for this city’s success is due to António Costa”, I was told by Rosa Maria Perez, one of Portugal’s foremost scholars on India (and a visiting professor at IIT Gandhinagar). She is an old friend and strong supporter of the charismatic politician who was first elected mayor in 2007. “Nobody can deny that Costa has changed Lisbon in many good ways,” she said.

Sitting in his very grand office in the ornate, neo-classical Sitio de Camara (City Hall), with portraits of his predecessors dating back to the 17th century grandly looking down their noses at us, the mayor charmed me by first asking the appropriate Goan question about which village my family comes from. Then, gesturing emphatically with his hands, he explained his roadmap for Lisbon to weather the ongoing economic storm. “Precisely because we are in a severe crisis, we focused on increasing the visibility of the city,” said Costa, “so we invested in public spaces and culture.” Lisbon has become a major hub for travellers from Brazil and South America, and the regional base for budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair. Simultaneously, the city government dramatically expanded its higher-education programmes to draw thousands of new students from around the world, and is now working to improving the quality of life here to get graduates to stay.

Costa is particularly keen on fostering what he hails as “a new generation of entrepreneurs behind a new generation of tourist products”. So Lisbon actively supports low-risk business ventures, such as those kiosk-turned-cafés and zippy tuk-tuks, as well as flexible, innovative public-private partnerships that continue to renovate old buildings across the city into new cultural spaces. This is an unusually open-minded mayor who even encourages graffiti. I was impressed to see him tour an exhibition by New York-based ‘tagger’, André Saraiva, at the Museu do Design e da Moda (MUDE), without raising an eyebrow at an installation of Mickey Mouse showing off a huge erection.

Like almost everywhere in Lisbon, the new industrial-chic MUDE features a web of connections to Goa and India’s long-shared history with Portugal. Its light-filled galleries occupy the former headquarters of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU), once the sole official bank for all Portuguese overseas territories. Generations of my—and every other Goan—family deposited their savings and valuables with BNU. That original hoard is the source of one of Portugal’s most-visited museum’s highlights of 2014. ‘Esplendores do Oriente’ (‘Splendours of the Orient’) at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is a magnificent display of gold- and gem-encrusted precious jewellery, all shipped to Lisbon from the bank’s vaults in Goa, a few days before Indian troops stormed the Estado da India. While half a ton of these treasures were returned to its rightful owners as per a bilateral treaty signed in 1991, the items that remain unclaimed are showcased in Lisbon.

The intricately worked necklaces, anklets, combs, brooches and pendants displayed at Arte Antiga are three-dimensional examples of the creative dialogue between Eastern and Western tastes and traditions that centred in Goa over 450 years, and continues today. In the exhibition catalogue, Nuno Vassallo e Silva, chief executive of Patrimonio Cultural, the government agency with broad overreach over all cultural institutions, proudly notes these beautiful pieces of jewellery “display unique characteristics in the history of civilisation”, which had “important repercussions” not just for India and Europe, but all of global cultural history.

Vassallo e Silva himself has indelible ties to India. His grandfather, Manuel António Vassalo e Silva (the last Governor-General of Portuguese India) defied orders from dictator Salazar to destroy Goa’s infrastructure and fight to the last man, rather than surrender to Indian troops.

While his grandfather left India in disgrace—only to be rehabilitated after Salazar’s death, when he returned to be honoured in Panjim—Vassalo e Silva is one of the leading scholars of the Estado da India’s art history and retains considerable affection for Goa. “Of course, I am not surprised you feel so comfortable and at home in Lisbon,” he told me, giving me a warm welcome at his office in the former royal residence, the neo-classical Palácio Nacional da Ajuda. “This city was completely shaped by overseas adventures, especially those in India.” He pointed out that every family in Portugal cooks Lusitanian versions of classic Goan curries, and that textiles, furniture and decorative objects from India can be found in almost every household. He helped me understand that Goa and India are not just another example of European multiculturalism; instead, they still lie at the heart of Lisbon and Portugal’s contemporary identity.

Luís Vaz de Camões is Portugal’s most celebrated writer. His writing is often compared to the works of Shakespeare, Dante and Virgil, and he wrote most of his epic masterpiece, Os Lusíadas, in 1572, while in Goa. As I ambled down the gorgeous Gothic carved-stone corridors of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos with Landeg White, who is responsible for translating Camões’s iconic works, White tells me:  “If India can embrace Kipling, Camões should pose no problems.” He continues that “it was the experience of being in India that changed him into one of the most original poets of the period.”

Even Jerónimos, where the Portugese royal family lies buried, has indications of how integral India was to the kingdom—starting with the fact that the building was funded by taxes on the pepper trade along the Malabar and Konkan coasts. The entranceway is dominated by massive marble sarcophagi of the twin Portuguese icons—Vasco da Gama and Camões—both of whom made their names in India. And the caskets of the royal family, arrayed behind the altar, are ceremoniously borne by stone elephants with real ivory tusks.

On another evening of impossibly pleasant weather, I met my friend Constantino Xavier—a bright, young Goan-Portuguese academic—and headed into the streets of the trendy Chiado district to have dinner with Barreto Xavier. Here, Hermès and Hugo Boss, as well as some of Portugal’s most beloved traditional shops, were selling delicate porcelain, hand-made gloves and butter cookies. Tucked around the corner are both the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado. 

This district also boasts outstanding restaurants and cafés, marked by five separate concepts from Portugal’s most celebrated chef, José Avillez. He serves Michelin-starred haute cuisine at Belcanto and rather spiffed-up versions of Portuguese home-cooking at the intimate Cantinho do Avillez, which is where we joined the youthful (he showed up in a leather jacket) minister of culture for a superb Asian-inflected meal—tuna wraps with a kimchi emulsion and meatballs in green curry.

Barreto Xavier told me Portugal is now home to the fourth-largest Indian community in Europe, and catalogued the affordable luxury that makes the country a tremendous opportunity for businessmen and travellers from the subcontinent. He seemed perplexed that the vast majority of Indian tourists to Europe bypass Portugal, despite our long and complex shared history, and Lisbon’s world-class offerings. I confess I hadn’t an answer for him. Why would you skip the Goa of Europe?

On one of my last evenings in Lisbon, I ascended to the very highest point in the city, Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte, and spent half an hour contemplating its phenomenal vantage above the 11th-century fort, Castelo de São Jorge and the oldest parts of the city. Suddenly inspired, I did a very Goan thing and took a sunset cruise along the Tagus. On board the curvaceous skiff, Whatever, I headed upriver towards the city centre. High, cloudless skies tapered to amber, the city’s cascading tiled roofs glowed in the setting rays of the sun. The captain gestured towards new promenades built by António Costa, with fishermen lined up just like at the Mandovi riverfront near my home in Goa’s Miramar. He told me how (unlike in Goa) Lisbon’s clean-up has included the river, which has even caused dolphins to return.

Then we turned back towards the unworldly, ethereal Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown. Viewed from the Tagus, as a steely dusk fell over the city, the centre throbbed and shone from within, almost like an extra-terrestrial installation. I realised with a start that Charles Correa’s design incorporates elements of an ancient architectural vocabulary—cut-out windows, stand-alone pillars—directly quoting Indian traditions that have evolved over millennia. Then I looked over to the Torre de Belém, one of the most potent symbols of the Age of Discovery, the time when Europe first came into prolonged contact with India. From that exact spot, caravelas and crusaders had once set off downriver, to sail around Africa, brave the Capes and cross the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, only to cruise up the river that flows in sight of my balcony back home. The Tagus and the Mandovi, Lisbon and Goa, are twin points on the compass that remain inextricably, irresistibly linked. Perhaps it’s time to say, “Quem viu Lisboa, excusa de ver Goa!” (He who has seen Lisbon need not see Goa.)

GETTING THERE

Fly to Lisbon with Air France (stopover in Paris) or Lufthansa (stopover in Munich) from Mumbai or New Delhi. Indian passport-holders can apply for a Schengen visa through VFS Global. It takes up to 10 working days to process and costs €60 or Rs4,830.

SHARING IS CARING # 10

It is almost december. It is the end of the year. It is time to think ahead. It is time to think of 2015.

Where to go in 2015. Like every year, all travel journals, magazines etc come up with a list of countries to visit. While some focus on the popular destinations, some are about budget travels. 

This Sharing is Caring is about Best Value destinations in 2015 from www.lonelyplanet.com. The best part is Portugal hits this list of Lonely planet every year. Why not it is one country I have been once and always want to go back every year. 

I have been to Portugal, Bali, Uruguay and South Africa out of the list of 9 countries. 

Best value destinations for 2015

1. Tunisia

Pin this imageDon your sunglasses and prepare to be dazzled by the multicoloured Al-Zaytuna mosque, one of Tunisia's architectural gems. Image by Yoshio Tomii / The Image Bank / Getty Images

When it comes to Tunisia, the conversation has moved on from safety to recovery for tourism, and a renewed appreciation of why the country is such a compelling destination. Most travel warnings have been dropped and travellers are once again tuning in to North Africa’s most compact package. This year prices will remain tempting to lure travellers back, and lower crowds will mean that those who do come will get a more rewarding experience whether they stay in cosmopolitan Tunis, head for Star Wars sets or explore the Roman remains that dot the north of the country.

Seasonal charters from European airports to Djerba can be an excellent-value gateway into Tunisia.

2. South Africa

Pin this imageCape Town under the dramatic outline of Table Mountain. Image by Mlenny Photography / E+ / Getty Images

Currency fluctuations mean that for certain travellers South Africa is more affordable than it has been for many years. Instead of just rejoicing in the undercooked rand, consider what South Africa offers value-seeking travellers at any time. How about fantastically accessible wildlife watching for all budgets, bargain public (and traveller-friendly) transport and free entry to many of the country’s museums? Most visitors will find something to please their budget, whether it’s a cheap-and cheerful Cape Town seaside cafe or an affordable safari campsite. Come in South Africa’s shoulder seasons (March to May, September and October) for the best combination of low crowds and comfortable weather.

3. Shanghai

Pin this imageThrow yourself into the throng of Shanghai's markets for a taste of local life. Image by DAJ / Getty Images

For all the upscale new openings in China’s most famous coastal city, Shanghai remains reassuringly affordable for budget travellers. No-nonsense dorms start at less than US$10, and the pleasing pricing continues through budget and midrange hotels until you hit the less-than-friendly international big names and trendy boutique accommodation. It’s a similar story when eating out: characterful street-treats for a dollar, and big portions in popular restaurants for little more. Best of all, walking the city’s safe and buzzing streets is the best way to take the pulse of this fast-changing metropolis. SmartShanghai (smartshanghai.com) is a great place to keep pace with new happenings in this ever-changing city.

4. Samoa

Pin this imageCrystal-clear waters, empty beaches, what more could a traveller ask for? Image by Michael Runkel / Robert Harding World Imagery / Getty Images

It feels like we’ve heard this one before: ‘Beautiful, undeveloped tropical paradise seeks underfunded travellers for discreet liaison. Applicants must enjoy no-nonsense budget buses and simple, idyllic beach hut accommodation (fales), owned by local families, who tend to throw in dinner.' So as with so many places before it, we’d say get to Samoa soon. Best visited by jumping off from New Zealand or Australia, these islands are one of the best travel deals in the Pacific.

The markets of Apia, Samoa’s capital and largest town, offer a great introduction to everyday life. Maketi Fou, the biggest, is the place to come for souvenir hunting and Samoan street food.

5. Bali

Pin this imagePalm trees, misty rice paddies and looming volcanoes - all part of Bali's exotic (and budget-friendly) blend. Image by Michele Falzone / Digital Vision / Getty Images

While many budget-traveller favourites have grown up and got proper jobs running overpriced resorts, Bali never stopped delivering the goods. In fact, while backpacker-friendly beachside bungalows and other affordable digs still abound, with reasonable costs for food and transport thrown in. Bali is also pretty stonking value for mid-range adventurers who delight in air conditioning, distinctive Balinese style and a large range of quality places to stay. And of course, Balinese spa treatments are rightly famous, and cheaper than in many other places.

Bali’s international popularity is evidenced by the large number of winter flights from Russian cities, offering the unlikely combination of a snowy Trans-Siberian journey and a week on a Balinese beach.

6. Uruguay

Pin this imageA beacon blinking out to budget travellers... or a lighthouse in Cabo Polonio, Uruguay. Image by Grambo Photography / All Canada Photos / Getty Images

While Brazil’s travel scene burgeoned as the World Cup rolled into town, Uruguay looks a better-value choice for a short excursion into South America. This proud buffer state has much to enjoy: sizzling steaks, laid-back Montevideo and a hip beach scene that tempts travellers further round the sandy coast each year. While you should watch out for peak-time costs on the coast, this remains an underrated, affordable corner of South America.

The sleepy riverside town of Fray Bentos is home to a memorable museum: the former factory of the world-famous beef processor of the same name.

7. Portugal

Pin this imageThe Dom Luis I bridge crossing the Douro River in Porto, Portugal. Image by Ken Welsh / The Image Bank / Getty Images

That Portugal’s Algarve region trumps prices at other European resort areas isn’t a surprise to regular visitors. This surf and family-friendly region remains the destination of choice for a more-than-sun seaside holiday, and it’s not all that great-value Portugal has to offer. Lisbon, as happening as Barcelona with fewer crowds, and cheaper, is set to get a whole lot more accessible as low-cost airline Ryanair opens a base in the Portuguese capital. Head anywhere in the country off the tourist trail, and costs come down further.

For a great-value tour of Lisbon hop on tram 28, which rattles around taking in many of the city’s highlights, including the Alfama district and the views from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia for €2.85.

8. Taiwan

Pin this imageThe roof of Fushan Temple in Jiufen, one of Taiwan's colourful temples. Image by Gillian Tso / Moment Open / Getty Images

Taiwan delivers great all-round value. Taipei is significantly cheaper than Hong Kong, Seoul or Tokyo, and while hotels are a bit expense, dorm beds and homestays abound in Taiwan and camping is common in a lot of the island’s national parks and forests. Rail passes are standardised and cheap on fast and modern lines. Admission to many attractions and temples is cheap, and even major museums are affordable. Eating, perhaps the main attraction in Taiwan, is accessible to all whether tucking into dumplings at a street stall or enjoying high-end fare at lower prices than comparable cities.

A large bottle of Taiwanese beer will set you back around NT$120 (US$4), or much less if you get one from a grocery shop.

9. Romania

Pin this imageThe splendid skyline of Brasov in Transylvania - within grasp of lighter pockets. Image by Doug Pearson / AWL Images / Getty Images

Eastern European nations frequently appear in best-value lists, but in Romania’s case the entry is entirely warranted. Now vigorously connected to the rest of Europe by budget airlines, accommodation compares well in all price brackets to bigger-name destinations in the region. Bucharest is a case in point, where hotel beds largely welcome business travellers, so holiday season is, unusually, low season. Away from here there are budget-friendly homestays in medieval villages, spectacular castles and the unique Danube Delta, best explored by inexpensive, if slow, ferries.

Private vans known as ‘maxitaxis’, together with buses and minivans, form the cheapest way to get routes, times, fares and departure points.