Day of St Giles of Santarém
🏪 What's open
- Banks Closed
- Government offices Closed
- Schools Closed
- Shops Mostly closed
- Restaurants Reduced
- Public transit Reduced
- Stock market Closed
- Post office Closed
🛋️ Long weekend potential
4-Day Block4-day weekend with a bridge day on May 15
📣 Traveler notes
Portugal is an acclaimed international destination known for its beautiful beaches, long warm summers, rich gastronomy, and historical heritage. Popular attractions include golf courses, surfing at Nazaré, and religious pilgrimages to Fátima. The country is generally considered friendly and hospitable. Some winter sports resorts are also open in the Serra da Estrela region.
- The annual calendar features numerous fairs, music festivals (such as those in Paredes de Coura and Vilar de Mouros), and regional events, particularly after summer.
- Large cities host specific traditional parades (e.g., Lisbon and Porto's 'Marchas Populares').
- The southwest coast features the renowned Festival do Sudoeste during the summer.
- Villages and towns celebrate traditional and religious parish festivals with processions, historical reenactments, and fireworks.
- Major regional markets and fairs (like Golegã's horse trading fair) are major draws, showcasing local crafts, food, and agricultural products.
- Official tourist websites provide comprehensive listings of major yearly events.
About this holiday
A theory suggests early Portuguese navigators sighted Australia between 1521 and 1524, predating the generally accepted arrival of the Dutch navigator in 1606. This hypothesis draws upon the Dieppe maps, 16th-century French world maps, which depict a large landmass labeled 'Java la Grande' carrying mixed Portuguese and French placenames, interpreted by some as corresponding to Australia's eastern and northwestern coasts.