Baixo Alentejo
At the southern end of the aqueduct is a huge 17th-century wheel pump (aka noria), once used for pumping water to the nearby Palácio dos Condes de Ficalho.
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Museu Etnográfico de Vila Real
Trás-os-Montes
This small but colourful museum documents the traditional culture of the surrounding highlands, with exhibits on linen-making, ceramics, farming…
Marquês de Pombal & Around
This tiny pocket of pond-dotted greenery, named after the famous fadista (fado singer), is home to Fernando Botero's voluptuous bronze sculpture…
Viseu
The grandest route into the old town is through the Porta do Soar, a 15th-century gate set into a section of Afonso V’s town walls. Look for the shield…
Braga
With its toothy crenellated walls forming a dramatic counterpoint to the greenery of the neighbouring Jardim de Santa Bárbara, this former Archbishop’s…
Trás-os-Montes
In front of the Torre de Menagem is an extraordinary primitive pelourinho (stone pillory) atop a granite boar similar to the berrões found elsewhere…
Statue of Prince Henry the Navigator
Lagos
This statue commemorates the prince of Portugal who used Lagos as a launch pad for many of the expeditions he commissioned. It was inaugurated in 1960 on…
Ribeira
Rotating exhibitions of mixed media, sculpture, photography and video art are curated by the cultural ministry and are shown in the remains of the 13th…
Braga
In a beautifully minimalist medieval stone tower, outfitted tastefully with steel and wood stairs, this museum shows off impeccably lit, international…
Guimarães
Guimarães’ 14th-century former town hall sits above an arcaded portico providing a most graceful communication between cosy Largo da Oliveira and the more…
Mértola
Next to the turismo, this small two-room house shows what living conditions were like for Mértolans up until fairly recent times (the 1970s).
The Algarve
Praia da Rocha's petite fortress was built in 1621 to stop pirates and invaders from sailing up the Rio Arade to Portimão. Panoramic views extend along…
Trás-os-Montes
The Torre de Menagem now houses a motley collection of military gear in the Museu Militar. There are lovely views from the rooftop terrace, reached by a …
Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre
Alto Alentejo
Strikingly vibrant tapestries are still made at this factory (its walls are also adorned with fabulous examples). Photography is prohibited and advance…
Casa da Cultura Islâmica e Mediterrânica
Silves
Built with an art nouveau flourish in 1914, this wonderfully restored neo-Moorish cultural centre 600m west of the centre hosts occasional exhibitions,…
The Beiras
Adjacent to the Museu da Guarda, the Paço da Cultura stages temporary exhibitions in a suite of rooms off an 18th-century courtyard.
Alto Alentejo
Just north of the square Rossio Marquês de Pombal, you’ll find a few monastic buildings that were converted into cavalry barracks and today house a modest…
Trás-os-Montes
Bragança’s most attractive church has a Renaissance stone portal, a wonderful trompe l’œil ceiling over the nave and an Arabic-style inlaid ceiling above…
Braga
The square-shaped, crenellated tower behind the cafes on Praça da República is the walled-up Torre de Menagem, which is all that survives of a fortified…
Igreja de Santa Maria dos Anjos
The Minho
Dating from 1276, this now-decrepit Romanesque parish church inside the fortaleza has a tiny chapel at the back with Romano-Gothic inscriptions on the…
Trás-os-Montes
Once part of a Dominican monastery, the Gothic sé has been given a lengthy facelift that has restored the 15th-century grandeur of its rather spare…
The Minho
Opposite the post office, the Casa da Eira has a handsome Manueline window somewhat marred by a horrendous corrugated tin room that peeks above the…
Miragaia
Set in the 19th-century riverside customs house, this museum traces the motorcar from its inception to the future. It does the same for radio and…
The Minho
Fragments of the town walls survive behind and between the Torre da Cadeia Velha and the Torre de São Paulo (part of the fortifications made in the 14th…
Alto Alentejo
This church was once part of a 13th-century Dominican monastery, though much of its construction dates from the 18th century. It opens only on rare…
Mértola
Tucked away on one of the narrow streets of São Domingos village, this small museum set among still-inhabited houses re-creates a typical miner’s cottage.
The Algarve
Below what was once a bishop's palace, this pretty garden has an 18th-century covered water fountain with eight spouts, and is a shady place for a picnic.
Évora
The extraordinary knotted Manueline stone doorway of the Igreja do Carmo lies south of Largo da Porta de Moura.
Faro
At the southwestern end of the Largo da Sé is this small 15th-century town gate connecting the old town with the waterfront, where some boats depart.
The Douro
Rising beside São Gonçalo are several impressively steep switchbacks topped by this round, 18th-century church. The views from up top are stunning.
Miradouro Cascata de Pitões das Júnias
Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês
A 217-step wooden staircase descends to this viewpoint looking across to the Cascata de Pitões das Júnias.
Braga
Framing the western entrance to Braga's historic centre, this baroque and neoclassical arch was designed by André Soares in the late 18th century.
Miradouro de Trás-do-Cemitério
Trás-os-Montes
For a fine view across the gorge of the Rio Corgo and Rio Cabril, walk south to this panoramic viewpoint, just beyond a small cemetery and chapel.
Viseu
One of Viseu's seven medieval gates, this has a niche containing the image of São João Baptista and an 18th-century sculpture of São Francisco.
Lagos
In the centre of town, this silvery sculpture by João Cutileiro, commemorating the ill-fated founder of the city in armour, was inaugurated 1973.
Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Alegria
Alto Alentejo
This 17th-century church was built in a simple style, and seems largely forgotten by the village surrounding it.
Braga
Built in 1525, this pretty church in Braga's historic centre has an azulejo (tile)-clad facade flanked by a striking crenellated tower.
The Algarve
At the far southern end of the Ilha de Tavira, this nudist beach is one of the few recognised strips of sand for naturists in the Algarve.
Trás-os-Montes
Built on the site of an earlier Visigothic church, Chaves' Igreja Matriz sports a medieval bell tower and a Renaissance-style main portal.
Tomar
This modern museum showcases the work of 20th-century modernists and surrealists as well as contemporary artists from all over Portugal.
