Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória
Estremadura & Ribatejo
The extraordinary monastery of Batalha was built to commemorate the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota (fought just south of here). Most of the monument was…
Must-see attractions in Estremadura & Ribatejo
Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça
Estremadura & Ribatejo
One of Iberia's great monasteries utterly dominates the town of Alcobaça. Hiding behind the imposing baroque facade lies a high, austere, monkish church …
Tomar
Wrapped in splendour and mystery, the Knights Templar held enormous power in Portugal from the 12th to 16th centuries, and largely bankrolled the Age of…
Nazaré
As you exit the funicular at the top of Promontório do Sítio, make a quick left and walk 50m to the Sitío viewpoint – an outstanding aerial view of Nazaré…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
It's difficult to believe that a century ago, this was rocky pastureland outside an insignificant village. This vast complex is now one of Catholicism's…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
What have the Taliban got to do with a rural winery 12km south of Óbidos? Well, when they blew up the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001, the…
Ribatejo
Right by the Portas do Sol and sharing some of the same privileged views, this is a unique place to visit for lovers of art and beauty. The historic house…
Óbidos
Óbidos' dramatic, fully intact Moorish wall imposingly surrounds the historical centre of town and stretches in a completed loop of 1560m, all of which…
Tomar
This astonishing aqueduct, striding towards the monastery from the northwest, was built between 1593 and 1613 to supply water to thirsty monks. Its 180…
Peniche
About 5km to the northeast of Peniche is this scenic island-village, connected to the mainland village of Casais do Baleal by a narrow causeway (note: it…
Ribatejo
Occupying the site of the Moorish citadel, the Portas do Sol garden offers utterly majestic views over the Rio Tejo and the great spread of plains…
Peniche
While in Peniche, make sure you do the 8km circuit of the whole headland (walking is hot going, however, as much of it is on the road). At Cabo Carvoeiro,…
Monumento Natural das Pegadas dos Dinossáurios
Estremadura & Ribatejo
On the N357 10km south of Fátima in the village of Bairro, this extraordinary quarry is one of the most important locations for sauropod prints in the…
Óbidos
You can walk around the unprotected muro (wall) for uplifting views over the town and surrounding countryside. The walls date from Moorish times (later…
Nazaré
This picturesque lighthouse (famous for its backdrop when surfers hit the high seas) sits at Sāo Miguel Arcanjo fort and is a lovely place to visit,…
Óbidos
The town’s elegant main church, near the northern end of Rua Direita, stands out for its interior, with a wonderful painted ceiling and walls done up in…
Óbidos
The main gate of Óbidos' historic centre bears the King João IV-ordered inscription, 'A Virgem Nossa Senhora foi concebida sem pecado original' ('The…
Ribatejo
Dating from the 12th century but with 16th-century additions, this endearing little church has a fine, twisted Manueline doorway, while the interior is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Ribatejo
Like the stuff of legend, 10-towered Castelo de Almourol stands tantalisingly close to shore but just out of reach in the Rio Tejo. The castle is 5km from…
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…
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…
Tomar
These bucolic 39-hectare gardens – linked to the Convento de Cristo – were founded by the Order of Christ and once served as a contemplative space and…
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…
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…
Ribatejo
This early-15th-century church, with its delicately carved facade of multilayered arches, is a Santarém jewel. Inside, a rose window spills light across…
Ribatejo
This small but excellent museum, in a former Jesuit college adjoining the cathedral, holds a lovely collection of restored religious artworks from its…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Ribatejo
This baroque, 17th-century Jesuit church, built on the site of the former royal palace, looms over the town’s most impressive square, Praça Sá da Bandeira…
Tomar
This museum, reached via the lovely courtyard of the Convento de São Francisco, contains Europe’s largest collection of matchboxes. Amassed by local …
Óbidos
Located in an 18th-century manor house just next to Igreja de Santa Maria, the town’s museum houses a small collection of paintings spanning several…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
This modern, award-winning municipal museum in the centre of town is well worth the visit, taking you through the prehistory and history of the region,…
Óbidos
Below town this imposing, if a little ramshackle, church is an 18th-century baroque gem in need of some tender loving care. It's worth the stroll down…
Museu de Arte Sacra e Etnologia
Estremadura & Ribatejo
The most interesting of Fátima's several religious exhibitions and museums, this has a wide display of religious art and artefacts from around the world,…
Ribatejo
This restored 13th-century Franciscan monastery is a fine example of Portuguese Gothic. Especially lovely is the cloister, with graceful twinned columns…
