Portugal: Forget The Football.

Byline: Emily Flynn

More than 1 million sports fans are expected for this month's European football championships in Portugal, which kicked off on Saturday. Don't fret if you haven't booked your tickets yet: six matches--including two featuring the dark horse Czech Republic--are still selling seats on Euro2004.com for as little as 35euro apiece. For scalper rates, soldouteventtickets.com can land you seats for the championship final. Flights direct to Lisbon from all over Europe are going for [pounds sterling]150-[pounds sterling]250 round trip on lastminute.com. And euro-2004-guide.home.ro/hotels.htm lists all hotel vacancies near each stadium.

But if you still can't get in to see your team, there's no need to bag the trip. With Portugal's enticing mix of hip hot spots and Moorish history, you'll have just as much fun off the pitch. A Tip Sheet "cleat sheet":

The capital: Cruise Lisbon's Bairro Alto for an eclectic mix of hippie bars and Portuguese home cooking. Try acorda , a garlicky stuffing, at Pap' Acorda (Rua da Atalaia 57). Check out the live fado-- Portugal's soulful folk music--in the winding, old Alfama district. At the end of a dark stone street, the Alfama Grill (Rua de Regueira, 26 Alfama) serves up talented acoustic guitarists alongside mouthwatering octopus and faultless house wine. Or head east to ...