Standing alone on a rocky mountaintop, this whitewashed chapel surrounded by rugged peaks is an important pilgrimage site for the residents of Pitões das Júnias, who make an annual procession here on the first Sunday after the feast day of São João (24 June).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Escadaria do Bom Jesus do Monte
28.27 MILES
Climbing dramatically to the hilltop pilgrimage site of Bom Jesus do Monte, 5km east of Braga, is this extraordinary staircase, with allegorical fountains…
Miradouro da Pedra Bela
12.2 MILES
For spectacular views over the Albufeira de Caniçada reservoir and the southern reaches of Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês, snake 6km uphill through the…
Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Peneda
16.23 MILES
About 10km south of Lamas de Mouro, straddling a deep ravine, Peneda is one of the park’s most stunning mountain villages, and the serra’s namesake. Its…
Mosteiro de Santa Maria das Júnias
1.62 MILES
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…
Citânia de Briteiros
27.43 MILES
One of the most evocative archaeological sites in Portugal, Citânia de Briteiros, 15km north of Guimarães, is the largest of a liberal scattering of…
Castillo de Monterrei
28.21 MILES
Looming on a hilltop outside Verín, the main structures of the doughty Monterrei Castle, including the mighty keep and the counts' palace, date from the…
Torre de Menagem
26.7 MILES
The lovely Torre de Menagem (castle keep) stands alone on a grassy embankment behind Chaves' main square, the only major remnant of a 14th-century castle…
Castelo de Lindoso
11.88 MILES
Built during the reign of Afonso III, this 13th-century castle 5km from the Spanish border long served as a key Portuguese military outpost. These days it…
Nearby Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês attractions
1. Miradouro Cascata de Pitões das Júnias
1.24 MILES
A 217-step wooden staircase descends to this viewpoint looking across to the Cascata de Pitões das Júnias.
2. Cascata de Pitões das Júnias
1.29 MILES
This 30m waterfall crashes down through a rocky cleft about 2km south of Pitões das Júnias.
3. Cemitério de Pitões das Júnias
1.51 MILES
Pitões das Júnias' village cemetery serves as a helpful landmark in locating the trailhead for the loop hike.
4. Mosteiro de Santa Maria das Júnias
1.62 MILES
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…
5. Barroso Eco Museu
9.44 MILES
Just downhill from Montalegre's castle, this museum hosts exhibits that showcase regional history, rural traditions and folklore. There are also exhibits…
6. Cascata do Arado
10.93 MILES
This gorgeous waterfall is accessed from a bridge over the Rio Arado, just north of the village of Ermida. To see the falls from above, climb to the…
7. Castelo de Lindoso
11.88 MILES
Built during the reign of Afonso III, this 13th-century castle 5km from the Spanish border long served as a key Portuguese military outpost. These days it…
8. Miradouro da Pedra Bela
12.2 MILES
For spectacular views over the Albufeira de Caniçada reservoir and the southern reaches of Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês, snake 6km uphill through the…