Vila Nova de Gaia
Don't miss a ride on this aerial gondola that provides fine views over the Douro and Porto on its short, five-minute jaunt. It runs between the southern…
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Belém
The salmon-slabbed 16th-century Belém Palace is Portugal's official presidential residence and office (though the country's previous president, Cavaco…
Viana do Castelo
There are two good reasons to visit Viana’s 228m eucalyptus-clad hill. One is the wondrous view down the coast and up the Lima valley. The other is the…
Nazaré
Until the 18th century the sea covered the present-day site of Nazaré; locals lived at this clifftop area 110m above the beach. Today this tourist-filled…
The Beiras
A handsome quarter of cobblestone lanes and huddled houses, Guarda's hilltop centre fans out from Praça Luís de Camões. This sloping square is flanked by…
Centro de Diálogo Intercultural de Leiria
Estremadura & Ribatejo
The gorgeously restored 18th century Igreja da Misericórdia was built in late-Mannerist style on the plot of land where an even older cathedral dating to…
Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão
The Douro
This mysterious little chapel was probably built by Visigoths as early as the 6th century. With Corinthian columns, round arches and intriguing symbols…
Guimarães
Some 7km southeast up a twisting, cobbled road – or a short ride on an ageing cable car – is the wooded summit of Penha (617m) overlooking Guimarães, the…
Évora
The small, fabulous Igreja de São João, which faces the Templo Romano, was founded in 1485 by one Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, count of Olivença and the first…
The Douro
Founded in 1543 by João III, the Mosteiro de São Gonçalo and Igreja de São Gonçalo weren’t completed until 1620. Above the church’s photogenic, Italian…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Inside the castle walls is a peaceful garden, overgrown with tall trees, and the ruined but lovely Gothic Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha, originally…
Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraham Zacuto
Tomar
On a charming cobbled lane in the old town, you’ll find the country’s best-preserved medieval synagogue. Built between 1430 and 1460, it was used for only…
Mértola
Mértola’s striking parish church – square, flat-faced and topped with whimsical little conical decorations – is known because in a former incarnation it…
Mosteiro de São João de Tarouca
The Douro
The stunning, massive yet skeletal remains of Portugal’s first Cistercian monastery, founded in 1124, stand eerily in the wooded Barosa valley below the…
Évora
Jutting into the town from the northwest is the beguilingly named Aqueduto da Água de Prata, designed by Francisco de Arruda (better known for Lisbon’s…
Batalha de Aljubarrota Centro de Interpretação
Estremadura & Ribatejo
For Portuguese people Aljubarrota conjures up a fierce sense of national pride, a 1385 battle where they defied the odds to defeat the Castilian force and…
The Minho
The best part of Monção’s old town is the utter lack of tourism. It’s almost exclusively a local scene in chestnut-shaded Praça Deu-la-Deu, where a hand…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
The burel factory originally opened in 1960 and employed 1000 people at its height (burel is a wool fabric similar to felt). After a decline in the…
Mértola
Above the parish church looms Mértola’s fortified castle, most of which dates from the 13th century. It was built upon Moorish foundations next to an…
The Algarve
Alcoutim's flower-ringed, 13th-century castelo has sweeping views over the village rooftops and river. Inside the grounds is the Núcleo Museológico de…
Palácio da Assembleia da República
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The columned, temple-like Palácio da Assembleia da República (Palácio de São Bento) is where Portugal’s parliament, the Assembleia da República, makes its…
The Minho
On the N101, 5km south of Monção, this grand early 19th-century neoclassical palace has been open to the public since 2010. Visits are by guided tour only…
The Beiras
This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…
Casa da Luz – Museu de Electricidade
Funchal
Decommissioned in 1989, Funchal's old power station, still the headquarters of EEM (Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira – Madeira Electric Company), has…
Funchal
This interactive museum tells Madeira's story in an easily digestible way, from the moment the first volcanic rock seethed through the Atlantic's waves to…
Lisbon
The 109 arches of the Aqueduto das Águas Livres lope across the hills into Lisbon from Caneças, more than 18km away; they are most spectacular at…
Mértola
This site contains the ruins of what was once a thriving Islamic neighbourhood. Some 20 dwellings were here, each with a classic Mediterranean layout – a…
Museu Municipal de Arqueologia
Silves
Built tight against the defensive walls, this archaeological museum has a mix of interesting finds from the town and around. The modern building was…
Coimbra
Housed in a former royal palace, this is the historic heart of the university, where traditional academic ceremonies are still held. The main ceremonial…
Évora
The city’s main square has seen some potent moments in Portuguese history, including the 1483 execution of Fernando, Duke of Bragança; the public burning…
Funchal
If after a few days in Funchal, the fact has escaped your attention, now you know: the world's greatest footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo was born and grew up…
The Beiras
This delightful retreat is the garden of the former bishop's palace, an 18th-century baroque whimsy of clipped box hedges, pools and grand staircases…
Coimbra
Overlooking the graceful Praça 8 de Maio, this is one of Coimbra's oldest churches, dating to the 12th century. Little remains of the original Romanesque…
The Douro
With picturesque pink stone arches, the Cistercian Mosteiro de Salzedas is located 3km up the Barosa valley from Ucanha in Salzedas. This was one of the…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
Covilhã used to be the centre of one of Europe’s biggest wool-producing regions, but stray outside the centre and you’ll see the town’s ghostly mills…
Peniche
Dominating the south of the peninsula, Peniche’s imposing 16th-century fortress was used in the 20th century as one of dictator Salazar’s infamous jails…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré
Nazaré
The 17th-century, baroque Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, decorated with attractive Dutch azulejos, is on the Promontório do Sítio and holds the much…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
If the lanky, wrought-iron Elevador de Santa Justa seems uncannily familiar, it’s probably because the neo-Gothic marvel is the handiwork of Raul Mésnier,…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
The ultramodern Museu do Teatro Romano, reopened in 2015 after a two-year renovation and further excavation, catapults you back to Emperor Augustus’ rule…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Opened in November 2015, this lovely museum celebrates Leiria and its region. Housed in the former Santo Agostinho Convent, the exhibits span everything…
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