With Euro 2004 about to kick off, Dave Flett follows the sporting trail and also discovers Portugal has more to offer than football.

EURO 2004 will undoubtedly be the biggest attraction for the 500,000 extra tourists who are expected to converge on Portugal this month for the eagerly-anticipated football competition.

There will perhaps be no bigger thrill for the additional half-million visitors than watching Europe's greatest players do battle over four weeks, culminating in the July 4 final at the newly-built Luz Stadium.

But, for those who do not want to limit their sight-seeing to admiring the skills of Zidane, Raul and Beckham, Portugal has much to offer.

A recent visit to Lisbon confirmed that cultural and gastronomic tastes will also be satisfied by a stay in the country's capital city - the home to clubs Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, who share the impressive 65,000 Euro 2004 final venue.

The Luz Stadium has been built on the site of the Stadium of Light and great effort has been made to retain the style of the original ground, known by Benfica and Sporting fans as the cathedral.

As well as hosting the final and quarter-final matches, the competition's largest stadium will also be the scene for England's group games against France and Croatia and the Russia v Portugal clash.

Lisbon's second football ground - the 52,000 Jose Alvalade Stadium owned by Sporting Club de Portugal - will play host to Sweden, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Czech Republic in group games, as well as staging quarter-final and semi-final matches later in the competition.

So what can supporters of these ten footballing nations expect to greet them on their arrival in Lisbon?

The good news for England supporters is that there are plenty of the picturesque squares so often favoured by many Three Lions fans as the setting for a lunch-time drink or two - hopefully without the accompan-iment of water cannon this time.

Carlsberg is the official Euro 2004 beer but local tipple Super Bock provides a fresh, thirst-quenching alternative and is reasonably priced.

For football followers with a more refined palate, the Institute of Port Wine is a must.

The most expensive bottle costs £800 and vintages go back to the 1970s but, for those of us on more modest budgets, there are good cheaper versions which can be washed down with a delicious melted local cheese and an assortment of biscuits, nuts and other snacks.

Post-match celebrations will, no doubt, be memorable in any of the many lively bars of the Bairro Alto district, but clubbers beware.

The array of night spots along the riverside Docas region would appear to cater for every taste but our English party was turned away from two doors and informed that admission was invite only before a third attempt at another venue saw a staggering demand of 150 Euros per person.

Fans who would rather toast victory with a memorable meal should take a mini-cruise along the River Tagus on the restaurant boat Lisboa Vista de Tejo where excellent food, including crab, steak and a contender for the world's best chocolate cake, is supplemented by a singer who turns his hand to anything from Robbie Williams to Shakira.

A rendition of Vindaloo is bound to form part of his repertoire during the next four weeks.

Another alternative is to visit a fado restaurant although the melancholic music provided by love-struck Portuguese female singers and guitarists between courses might take the shine off any party provoked by Sven Goran Eriksson's men wiping the floor with Thierry Henry and his French team-mates.

In terms of pre-match entertainment to fill the hours before kick-off, a visit to the site of Expo '98 and, in particular, Europe's largest oceanarium, is worth considering.

More than 10,000 creatures are on show with a vast central tank, representing the open ocean and including sharks and stingrays, the main attraction.

The antics of the centre's two sea-otters, one of which is named Eusebio, also prove popular.

Of the several monasteries, palaces and castles on view, Mafra's National Palace is the pick with its amazing library (kept clean by bats!) and its monks' hospital.

Visitors wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon should also check out the beaches, national park, golf courses and water-sports activities available in the attractive neighbouring towns of Estoril, Cascais and Sintra.

Finally, the beautiful Belem Tower, a fortress built to protect against invasion from the Atlantic Ocean, is worth a visit if only for the nearby original shop where Portugal's famous custard tarts of Pasteis de Nata first became popular.

For more information on Portugal please contact the Portuguese Tourist Office on tel: 0845 3551212 (calls charged at local rate), or visit www.portugalinsite.com and for more information on Lisbon visit www.visitlisboa.com and Air Luxor www.airluxor.com, tel: 020 7589 8171.

Tour operators for Lisbon include Bridge Travel Group, www.bridge-travel.co.uk, tel: 01992 456616, Caravela Tours Ltd, www.carvela.co.uk, tel: 0870 4438181, and Cresta Holidays, www.crestaonline.co.uk, tel: 0870 161 0950.

GNER also run trains from York to King's Cross, where connecting trains are available to Gatwick Airport. Dave Flett stayed at the five-star Corinthia Alfa hotel, which will include two of Euro 2004's football teams as guests during the competition.

Updated: 10:38 Saturday, June 05, 2004