Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo
Tavira
Built in Gothic style over a mosque, then rebuilt by an Italian neoclassicist following earthquake damage 500 years later, this church by the castle…
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Setúbal
This former tide mill built in 1601, which also houses a gallery and cafe, is a worthwhile nature-tourism interpretive centre amid prime birdwatching…
Tavira
Built between 1541 and 1551, this church is the Algarve's most important Renaissance monument, with a magnificent carved, arched doorway. Inside, the…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira
Guimarães
Founded by Countess Mumadona in the 12th century and rebuilt four centuries later, the beautiful Largo da Oliveira is dominated by this convent church.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Cascais
Weave through the back alleys west of the câmara municipal to the palm-fringed square that is home to the whitewashed Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção,…
Lagos
Young adventurers will especially love this science museum devoted to Portuguese seafaring in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its main exhibit covers the age…
Convento de Santa Clara-a-Nova
Coimbra
On the west side of the river, this imposing convent was built in the 17th century to replace the original Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha, which often…
The Minho
In a gorgeous red mansion right after the Roman bridge in Arcozelo is this museum dedicated to Portuguese toys. The focus is on toys made from the late…
Funchal
Set up by Vicente Gomes da Silva in 1865, this exquisitely preserved photographic studio, above a shady cobbled courtyard, was in use until 1982. The…
Madeira
Originally dating from the 15th century, one of the most attractive churches on Madeira occupies a pebble square in the very centre of Ribeira Brava…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
In the heart of Covilhã's gritty historic centre, the 16th-century Igreja de Santa Maria is a startling sight. Its facade is entirely clad in blue and…
Olhão
Situated 2.5km east of Olhão is the beautiful 60-hectare Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim (commonly known as Quinta de Marim). A 3km trail takes you…
Tavira
Built around the remains of an Islamic-era structure, this small 21st-century museum exhibits impressive Islamic pieces discovered in various excavations…
Museu do Mar e da Terra da Carrapateira
Carrapateira
The Carrapateira Land & Sea Museum is a must for visitors – surfers or otherwise. Up a steep hill 200m east of the town square, its contemporary design…
Funchal
Easy to spot, but taxing to reach, it's worth the slog up to this rock-top fortress northwest of the city centre for the stupendous views, possibly the…
The Minho
For panoramic views up and down the Lima valley, climb 6km into the hills northwest of Ponte de Lima to this tiny, bizarre chapel dedicated to Santo…
The Beiras
Figueira da Foz's main beach is one of Portugal's largest, a vast expanse of yellow sand. It gets packed to the gills in summer, but has all the services,…
Porto
Washing machines are installed in every house, but local donas (ladies) still swear by the daily ritual of stone washtubs and good old-fashioned elbow…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Don't miss stunning Fórnea, Europe's largest natural amphitheatre (around 1km in diameter) in the middle of the limestone park. You can enter from two…
Plataforma das Artes e Criatividade
Guimarães
For the 2012 European Capital of Culture, the old market square was revamped into a multipurpose cultural centre inside a shimmering three-floor metallic…
Belém
Far from the madding crowd, these botanical gardens bristle with hundreds of species, from date palms to monkey-puzzle trees. Spread across 7 hectares, it…
Peniche
For those interested in the Peniche tradition of bobbin lace, this museum, inaugurated in 2016, offers an interesting glimpse into this traditional…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
The green-towered castle was originally a Moorish stronghold. Conquered definitively in 1148 by Dom Afonso Henriques, it was largely rebuilt in 1450 and…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This waterfall, which descends the steep gorge of Ribeira de Lenadres, is a magnificent spectacle, particularly in spring. To get there from Manteigas,…
Madeira
One of Madeira's most interesting museums, the collections here look at every aspect of the island's traditional life, from espada (scabbardfish) fishing…
The Beiras
In the wetlands south of the city, this small museum charts the centuries-old history of salt production in the area. Old photos and models illustrate…
Belém
The Museu de Marinha is a nautical flashback to the Age of Discoveries, with its armadas of model ships, cannonballs and shipwreck booty. Dig for buried…
The Beiras
This extraordinary museum is spread over two buildings, a mid-18th-century house in Rua dos Cavaleiros (Knights Street) and a clashing contemporary…
Évora
Just outside the walls to the northeast is the university’s main building (Colégio do Espírito Santo), a descendent (reopened in 1973) of the original…
Museu Municipal de Arte Moderna Abel Manta
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This fascinating modern-art museum pays homage to Abel Manta, a (controversial) Portuguese modernist painter, who was born in Gouveia in 1888. Around 23…
Universo de Memórias João Carlos Abreu
Funchal
Housed in an elegant 19th-century mansion, this museum–arts centre is another repository of knick-knacks donated to the city by an avid collector, this…
The Beiras
The only remaining vestige of the defences the Knights Templar built in the 13th century is the Torre de Menagem. Also known as the Torre dos Templários,…
The Beiras
Housed in the severe 17th-century Episcopal Seminary, Guarda's main museum showcases an eclectic collection of archaeological finds, artworks and early…
Calçadinha de São Brás de Alportel
The Algarve
Constructed during Roman times, this ancient road is thought to have linked Faro (Ossonoba) with Beja (Pax Julia). It was used by mules and shepherds…
Faro
The foundations of this monastery's church were laid in 1679 and it was enlarged during the 18th and 19th centuries. Behind its blinding white facade are…
Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória
Miragaia
Note the sign in front of this former monastery apologising for the expulsion of the Jews in 1496 under the Portuguese Inquisition and the iron fist of…
Casa Museu de Amália Rodrigues
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
A pilgrimage site for fado fans, this is where the Rainha do Fado (Queen of Fado) Amália Rodrigues (1920-99) lived; note the calçada portuguesa …
Museu de Cera dos Descobrimentos
Lagos
Unlike typical celebrity-filled wax museums, this one has 22 historic wax figures representing 16 different points in time during Portugal's Age of…
Tavira
Tavira's ruined castle rises high and mighty above the town. Possibly dating back to Neolithic times, the structure was rebuilt by Phoenicians and later…
Monsaraz
When you need a break from the heat, head down to this beach on the edge of Alqueva Lake. You can go for a swim (there are lifeguards in summer), hire…
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