Estremadura & Ribatejo
These underground caves, 2km northwest of Fátima, are part of the surrounding limestone massif. They were discovered in 1971 when two hunters chased a fox…
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Coimbra
The university's main entrance is the Iron Gate, a 17th-century confection designed by architect António Tavares in 1634 on the orders of Rector D Álvaro…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Most folks walk right past one of Lisbon's only surviving public laundromats – there's no sign other than 'CML' inscripted across the doorframe – and this…
Lisbon
Most people experience visual déjà vu the first time they clap eyes on the bombastic suspension bridge Ponte 25 de Abril. It’s hardly surprising given…
Sintra
Set in a former watermill, this small museum displays works by the father-and-son duo of Anjos Teixeira – two of Portugal’s greatest sculptors. Most of…
Coimbra
This heavy-duty Moorish gateway, just off the main shopping drag, leads through to Coimbra's upper town. Follow through the arch and head up the steep…
Nucleo Museológico de Campo do Gerês
Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês
At the main crossroads 1.5km south of Campo do Gerês village, this museum has exhibits on local flora and fauna – but its highlight is the section…
Monchique
Dating from the 15th century and extensively restored after the 1755 earthquake, Monchique's church has an extraordinary, star-shaped Manueline porch…
Viana do Castelo
This fine hub of seven narrow laneways is at the heart of the old town’s zone of mansions and monuments. An especially elegant example is the Chafariz, a…
Guimarães
Looming over the medieval city on Guimarães’ hilltop, with its crenellated towers and cylindrical brick chimneys, Paço dos Duques was first built in 1401…
Museu Arqueológico Martins Sarmento
Guimarães
This fantastic collection of mostly Celtiberian artefacts is housed in a former convent and named after the archaeologist who excavated Citânia de…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Located by the river and near the new Museu de Leiria (and part of the admission price), the Moinho do Papel was Portugal's first paper mill to be moved…
Alfândega Regia Museu da Construção Naval
The Douro
Shipbuilding has been in Vila do Conde’s bones since at least the 13th century. This museum on the Rio Ave's banks, just west of Praça da República, has…
Funchal
This toy museum occupies seven rooms at the Armazém do Mercado and is essentially made up of the 20,000-piece private collection of one José Manuel Borges…
Braga
Tucked away below street level and concealed by a modern lobby is this evocative ancient spring, one of Braga's unexpected treasures. An essential…
Centro Histórico Judaico de Faro
Faro
The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at this small Jewish cemetery. In use between 1838 and 1932, and…
Tomar
The old town’s most striking church faces Praça da República, itself an eye-catching ensemble of 17th-century buildings alive with the echo of cooing…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
History buffs shouldn’t miss the less-visited Gothic cloister inside Sé de Lisboa, which opens onto a deep pit full of archaeological excavations going…
Funchal
This old-fashioned museum, housed (in classic Funchal fashion) in a surplus palace, has an ageing aquarium on the ground floor, and stuffed local fauna,…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Portugal’s largest cave system, 14km southeast of Porto de Mós, is very commercial and old-fashioned, although the caves themselves are impressive. The 45…
Braga
The archaeological museum houses a nicely displayed collection of fragments from Braga’s earliest days. The four rooms feature pieces from Palaeolithic…
Museu do Trabalho Michel Giacometti
Setúbal
How does the sardine get in the tin and 1001 other fishy mysteries are solved at this quirky, rarely visited museum, set in a former sardine-canning…
Igreja Santa Maria de Almacave
The Douro
This unassuming little church is Lamego’s oldest surviving building, much of it dating back to the 12th century. It’s thought that after winning…
Lagos
Built by the Moors, Lagos' castle was conquered by Christian forces in the 13th century. It's said that the ill-fated, evangelical Dom Sebastião attended…
Lagos
Set in the building believed to be Europe's first slave market, when slaves from the west coast of Africa were brought here in 1444, this small museum…
Tavira
The fishing village of Santa Luzia is effectively a district of Tavira these days, and it's a great place to wander to get a feel for typical Algarve life…
The Algarve
Built in 1587 and renovated several times after the 1755 earthquake, this church has three naves separated by Tuscan columns, 17th-century paintings and…
Coimbra
The early-16th-century Palácio de Sub Ripas, now home to the university's Instituto de Arqueologia, is a striking example of 16th-century architecture. It…
Madeira
The Casa Museu Colombo, just off Largo do Pelhourinho in Vila Baleira, was once, it is claimed, the home of Christopher Columbus in the late 1470s…
Aljezur
Built in the 16th century and damaged in the 1755 earthquake, the modest Igreja da Misericórdia church was reconstructed in the 18th century. Its small…
Núcleo da Cidade Muralhada/Torre de Almedina
Coimbra
Housed in the medieval tower over the Arco de Almedina, this small museum has a plaster cast of the city's early layout, complete with castle and…
Braga
The cafes and restaurants on this broad plaza are a pleasant place to start or finish your day. An especially mellow atmosphere descends in the evening,…
Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha
Coimbra
This Gothic convent was founded in 1330 by the saintly Queen Isabel, Dom Dinis’ wife; it served as her final resting place until flooding forced her to be…
The Minho
Along with the Torre da Cadeia Velha, this tower constitutes the only standing remains of Ponte de Lima's medieval walls. Note the somewhat bizarre…
The Beiras
There’s little left of Castelo Branco's hilltop castle, which was built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century and subsequently extended by Dom Afonso…
Évora
Inside the entrance hall of the câmara municipal (town hall) are more Roman vestiges, only discovered in 1987. These impressive Roman baths, which include…
Aveiro
Set in Aveiro's most eye-catching art nouveau building, this small museum above a cafe has a modest one-room exhibition on art nouveau design and…
Faro
Enter the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, built in 1812 by order of Bishop Francisco Gomes do Avelar, who oversaw the city…
The Douro
It’s no accident that seafaring fingers, so deft at making nets, should also be good at lacemaking. Vila do Conde is one of the few places in Portugal…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Nurtured by green-fingered students, the Jardim Botânico is a quiet, 1500-species pocket of lushness fresh off a €500,000 renovation that mostly improved…
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