Lisbon
The beautifully designed Museu do Oriente highlights Portugal’s ties with Asia, from colonial baby steps in Macau to ancestor worship. The cavernous…
Must-see attractions in Portugal
Alto Alentejo
The formidable castle, built into the rock at the western end of the village, dates from the end of the 13th century, but most of what you see today was…
Évora
The Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro, 13km southwest of Évora, is Europe’s largest dolmen. Under a huge sheet-metal protective shelter in a field of wildflowers…
Évora
Guarded by a pair of rose granite towers, Évora’s fortress-like medieval cathedral has fabulous cloisters and a museum jam-packed with ecclesiastical…
The Beiras
Trancoso's walled centre is a charming maze of picturesque squares, attractive churches and narrow cobbled lanes. Several medieval gates puncture the…
Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães
Cascais
This whimsical early-19th-century mansion, complete with castle turrets and Arabic cloister, sits in the grounds of the Parque Marechal Carmona.
Foz do Douro
The hum of traffic on the Avenida da Boavista soon fades as you enter the serene, green Parque da Cidade, Portugal's largest urban park. Laced with 10km…
Ribeira
In this handsomely renovated medieval town house, according to legend, Henry the Navigator was born in 1394. The building later served as Porto’s first…
Aliados & Bolhão
Lined with bulging, beaux arts facades and capped by the stately câmara municipal (municipal council), this avenida recalls grand Parisian imitators such…
Miragaia
Blink and you might miss that this is a church in its own right, snuggled as close as it is to the Igreja do Carmo. The twin churches are separated only…
Ribeira
Down by the Rio Douro, narrow streets open out onto a plaza framed by austerely grand, tiled town houses overlooking a picturesque stretch of the river…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Lisbon spreads out before you at Graça’s highest of the high, Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. Come for the relaxed vibe and the best views of the castle on…
The Algarve
This huge white-sand beach at the island's eastern end, opposite Tavira, has operators for water sports (such as windsurfing and kitesurfing), beach bars…
Museu da Tapeçaria de Portalegre Guy Fino
Alto Alentejo
If there’s one thing you must visit in Portalegre, it’s this splendid museum. Opened in 2001, it contains brilliant contemporary creations from Portalegre…
Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Graça’s Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was founded in 1147 and revamped by Italian architect Felipe Terzi in the late 16th century. Since the adjacent…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.
Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia
Belém
Lisbon's latest riverfront star is this low-rise, glazed-tiled structure that intriguingly hips and sways into ground-level exhibition halls. Visitors can…
Madeira
Once a minor exhibition housed in small seafront building, Caniçal's Whale Museum was moved to a large multi-million-euro, ultra-modern complex in 2012,…
The Beiras
Perched atop a rugged hilltop, this medieval castle dominates the surrounding landscape. Originally dating to the 10th century, it was the scene of much…
The Beiras
From its striking hilltop position, Marialva's castle is visible from miles around. The 12th-century castelo is far from intact but it's still an…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
The Douro
One of the country’s most important pilgrimage sites, this twin-towered, 18th-century church has a trim blue-and-white stucco interior with a sky-blue…
Sintra
Nearly topped by King Ferdinand II's whimsical Palácio Nacional da Pena (only Cruz Alta, at 529m, is higher), these romantic gardens are filled with…
Centro de Recuperação do Lobo Ibérico
Portugal
There’s no need to be afraid of the wolves at this sanctuary near Malveira, 10km east of Mafra. The centre is home to around 13 wolves that can no longer…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Both poignant and haunting, this new and highly important museum has turned the former Portuguese dictatorship's political prison of choice into a museum…
Madeira
Around 3km west of Câmara de Lobos, Madeira's highest sea cliffs rise 580m to loom high over the village and the Atlantic's sapphire expanse. The panorama…
The Beiras
Originally a royal summer retreat, this lavish palace, now home to the Palace Hotel do Buçaco, was built in 1907 on the site of a 17th-century Carmelite…
Aveiro
This fine museum, housed in the 15th-century Mosteiro de Jesus, owes its finest treasures to Princesa Joana (later canonised), daughter of Afonso V. In…
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…
Palácio & Parque de Monserrate
Sintra
At the centre of a lush, 30-hectare park, a manicured lawn sweeps up to this whimsical, Moorish-Gothic-Indian palácio, the 19th-century romantic folly of…
Palácio da Cidadela de Cascais
Cascais
Commissioned as a summer palace in 1870 by King Dom Luís I, this captivating museum remains the official residence of visiting heads of state in Portugal…
Museu da Presidência da República
Belém
Portugal's small presidential museum is worth a look for its fascinating state gifts exhibit – note the outrageous 1957 offering from Brazil's Juscelino…
Aveiro
The wonderful Museu Marítimo de Ílhavo is in a modern, award-winning building in the town of Ílhavo, 8km south of Aveiro. It covers the history of…
Cascais
Built in 2013, this nature interpretation centre was built to educate (and protect) the fragile flora and fauna of the coastal dune system around Guincho…
Monsaraz
Offers two-hour open-air sessions taking in the marvellous star-filled skies of the Alentejo. You'll get an overview of constellations visible with the…
Setúbal
Setúbal’s man-made wonder is this sand-coloured stunner, the first known example of Manueline architecture, adorned with gargoyles and twirling turrets…
Setúbal Peninsula
Visible from almost anywhere in Lisbon, the 110m Cristo Rei is a statue of Christ with outstretched arms. The slightly more baroque version of Rio de…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Perched high and mighty above Graça’s Campo de Santa Clara, the porcelain-white Panteão Nacional is a baroque beauty. Originally intended as a church, it…
Vila Nova de Gaia
This swanky port-wine emporium inside a restored 18th-century riverside building celebrates all things port. In addition to a shop where tastings are held…
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…
Funchal
High above Funchal, the villa neighbourhood of Monte is one of the most popular half-day trips from Funchal seafront. The Igreja da Nossa Senhora and the…
