Portugal is voted the Best Country in the World by Condé Nast Traveller

According to the Reader's Choice Awards 2021, Portugal is on the rise and has reason to celebrate across the country. For the 34th time, Traveller, the travel publication of media group Condé Nast, invited readers to express their choices about the best the world has to travel. More than 800,000 people responded to the challenge and the result is the Reader's Choice Awards 2021, released on the publication's website on October 5. Between destinations, ways of travel and accommodation, there is much to see and discover, but in the Portuguese distinctions we can count on the best country in the world, one of the best hotels in Europe, one of the best big cities in the world and some of the best islands in Europe.

Choosing the best country in the world is not easy, perhaps that is why the list of winners has 20 names, with Portugal being the first. Followed by New Zealand and Japan, our country leaves behind potential competitors such as Italy (in 6th position), Australia (in 16th position) and Switzerland (in 17th position).

In the category of best hotels in the world, the hotel São Lourenço do Barrocal, in Alentejo, wins by Portugal and Spain. Located in the heart of the Alentejo, between the Alqueva Dam, Monsaraz and the border with Spain, this project has already won numerous awards. One of the secrets of success is the encounter between luxury and nature and, in an article published in 2017 on the Traveler website, you can read the review of the journalist who visited the place. Last year, this award was given to the Almanac Hotel in Barcelona.

As for the best cities in the world, the category is divided into small and large cities, with a top 10 for each option. In the list of the best great metropolises in the world, the city of Porto occupies the 8th place on the list and is described by Traveler as a famous destination for wine connoisseurs, but this goes far beyond that. The publication also writes that "the modern and the traditional meet in the most creative city of Portugal, where chefs, artists and designers bring a new spirit to their old-world charm." Also noteworthy are the Church of São Francisco as an example of Gothic art, the Casa de Chá da Boa Hora for its "starry" food and also the building of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, awarded with a Pritzker Prize. In this category, the city of Tokyo occupies the first place, interestingly, followed by Osaka and Kyoto, in the 2nd and 3rd positions.

Portugal is again mentioned in the category that distinguishes the islands. This category is divided into eight lists, according to the region of the globe and with regard to Europe, Madeira occupies the 4th place and the Azores (it is the name of the archipelago that appears in the list) the 12th. It is noteworthy that the top 3 is occupied by the islands of Hvar (in Croatia), Mykonos and Zakynthos, (both in Greece), respectively the first, second and third place.)