Why Should You Visit Portugal for Your Jewish Trips?

Many of us are longing for a chance to travel once again. Jewish trips across Europe are a great way for kosher-keeping explorers to journey across the world while keeping kosher, with the added benefit of enjoying particular travel accommodations for Jewish travelers (such as heritage tours and visits to local Jewish communities.) When deciding where to visit on a future kosher vacation, Portugal is a great travel option. Here are a few reasons why. 

If you’re a history buff, the architecture of Portugal is something to behold. Whether you’re particularly passionate about Sephardic Jewish synagogues, the structure of old quarters, or the castles of the ancient kingdoms, you’ll have plenty of architectural locales to feast your eyes on. From the buildings of Guimarães to the Kadoorie Mekor Haim of Porto, from the Castelo de Marvão to the Castle of Silves, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover for your architectural field trip. 

Jewish heritage tours are never complete without a chance to explore the history and culture of Jews who lived in a certain area. The Iberian Peninsula is absolutely brimming with Jewish heritage, owing to the many contributions of the Sephardic Jews to the arts and scholarly development of Portugal, Spain, and the rest of the Jewish world during antiquity. You’ve got preserved synagogues, locales of cultural significance, figures in history to read about, and so much more to discover. 

Of course, a Jewish travel tour through a place like Portugal, a place in Iberia (a peninsula known for its historic tri-cultural influences) with plenty of culinary contributions to the world stage, wouldn’t be complete without great food. You’ve got plenty of traditional Sephardic recipes, such as the alheira sausage and shakshuka. While there is some overlap with Spanish cuisine, you’ll surely savor some uniquely Portuguese kosher cuisine on a trip through Portugal. 

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