Porto
Ponte Dom Luís I might hog the limelight, but it is this railway bridge, slightly further east, that bears the hallmark of Gustave Eiffel. Built when the…
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Braga
The cathedral's modern treasury museum houses a goldmine of ecclesiastical booty, including the lovely Nossa Senhora do Leite of the Virgin suckling…
Viana do Castelo
The 18th-century Palacete Barbosa Maciel bears witness to Viana’s affluent past. It houses this impressive collection of 17th- and 18th-century ceramics …
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…
The Beiras
Across the road from the Portas do Prado by the courthouse car park, you'll find an untended mass of grey rocks, many of which have been shaped into eerie…
Aljezur
This quaint house belonged to Portuguese painter José Cercas (1914–92) who left his home and belongings – a collection of furniture, artworks and personal…
Madeira
The Encumeada Pass sits between the two deep-cleft valleys that almost slice Madeira in two. From this dramatic point 1083m up, you can see both the north…
The Douro
A symbol of the town’s heroic defence against the French (marked by a plaque at the southeastern end), the granite Ponte de São Gonçalo is Amarante’s…
Tavira
Rising 100m high, the Torre da Tavira was formerly the town’s water tower and now houses a camera obscura at the top, reached by a lift. A simple but…
Foz do Douro
A joy for the aimless ambler, this 19th-century garden is flanked by graceful old buildings and dotted with willowy palms, sculptures, fountains and a…
Foz do Douro
Arriving in Matosinhos, you can’t help but stop dead in your tracks as your gaze is drawn upward to this 50m-high sculpture by North American artist Janet…
Aljezur
Housed in a former chapel built in the 17th century (which was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake), this museum devoted to St Anthony displays paintings,…
Museu Histórico Militar de Almeida
The Beiras
Dedicated to Almeida's military history, this interesting little museum occupies the casamatas, a series of underground rooms originally used for storage…
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…
Madeira
You can drive to the top of Pico do Arieiro, Madeira's third highest mountain. At the top you'll find a cafe, a Portuguese Air Force radar station and…
Aljezur
On the northern side of the river mouth, backed by wild dunes, this sweeping beach is 9km northwest of Aljezur. You can also access the beach from the…
Miragaia
A much-loved picnic spot of tripeiros, these tucked-away gardens stagger down the hillside in a series of lawn terraces. Find a shady spot under the trees…
Lagos
The symmetrical Igreja de Santa Maria was built during the 15th and 16th centuries and retains a 16th-century entrance; the rest of the remaining…
Funchal
The highlight of this 15th-century convent, once the island's richest, is one of the island's most attractive churches, with floor to ceiling azulejos…
Guimarães
Built in the 11th century and still in fine form, the seven-towered castle is thought to be the birthplace of the great man himself, Afonso Henriques…
Faro
You can leave the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the medieval Arco de Repouso (Gate of Rest). Apparently Afonso III, after taking Faro from the Moors,…
Viana do Castelo
This is one of the Minho’s best beaches: a 1km-long arc of blonde, powdery sand that folds into grassy dunes backed by a grove of wind-blown pines. It’s…
Cascais
This museum showcases the disturbing, highly evocative paintings of Portugal’s finest postwar artists. Biannually changing exhibits span Rego’s career,…
Funchal
High above west Funchal rises the highly visable, whitewashed spire of the Igreja de São Martinho, a big early-20th-century creation. The interior is…
Miragaia
A guaranteed kid-pleaser – if slightly overpriced – this interactive museum catapults you back to the 14th to 16th centuries, when the Portuguese ruled…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
This tiny place celebrates Raúl da Bernarda, the oldest ceramics factory in Alcobaça and one which had particular influence on Portuguese tableware design…
Portimão
The town’s parish church stands on high ground to the north of the centre. A 15th-century Gothic portal and a gargoyle are all that remain of the original…
Madeira
The furthest point heading eastwards you can reach on the north coast before mammoth cliffs persuade the road to head inland, Porta da Cruz is a…
Viana do Castelo
This small five-room museum devoted to chocolate is fun and interactive, treating you to tidbits of facts and curiosities, but it's also often packed with…
Coimbra
Lording it over the main university square, King João III turns his back to the sweeping city views behind him and faces his great centre of learning. It…
Tavira
You can walk 2km east along the river, past the fascinating, snowlike salt pans to Quatro Águas. The salt pans produce tip-top table salt and attract…
Biblioteca Municipal Álvaro de Campos
Tavira
Architecture buffs should pay a visit to Tavira’s municipal library, which was originally the town prison. Architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça…
Albufeira
Fiesa is the world's biggest sand-sculpture contest. Artists are given 45,000 tonnes of sand to sculpt, and their truly amazing creations (up to 12m high…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
It's not exactly Madame Tussauds, but this private museum gives a blow-by-blow, starry-eyed and rather static account of the story of Fátima and the…
Lagoas de Bertiandos e São Pedro de Arcos
The Minho
This 350-hectare nature reserve is set in a wildlife-rich humid zone just north of the Rio Lima. There’s a wildlife interpretative centre and eight hiking…
Viana do Castelo
You can still scoot around the ramparts of this squat castle, a short walk west of the centre, which began in the 15th century as a smallish fort. It was…
Coimbra
The brainchild of local collector Bissaya Barreto, this is a cute theme park where kids clamber over, into and around micro versions of Portugal’s most…
Viana do Castelo
This attractive museum houses the traditional wear used for farming, fishing and seaweed harvesting in centuries past. You’ll see costumes worn during the…
Mosteiro de Santa Maria das Júnias
Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês
Built on the site of a 9th-century pre-Romanesque hermitage, this lovely 12th-century Benedictine monastery in a remote river valley fell under the sway…
Coimbra
At the base of the old town, this park extends from Parque Dr Manuel Braga along the riverfront. It has wooden walkways as well as a giant green bear and…
