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,…
Must-see attractions in Estremadura & Ribatejo
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
These underground caves, 2km northwest of Fátima, are part of the surrounding limestone massif. They were discovered in 1971 when two hunters chased a fox…
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…
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…
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…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Built at the end of the 19th century and occupying the former cellar of Jose Eduardo Raposo de Magalhães, this museum is an important part of Portugal's…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Located by the river and near the new Museu de Leiria (and part of the admission price), the Moinho do Papel was Portugal's first paper mill to be moved…
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,…
Tomar
The old town’s most striking church faces Praça da República, itself an eye-catching ensemble of 17th-century buildings alive with the echo of cooing…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Portugal’s largest cave system, 14km southeast of Porto de Mós, is very commercial and old-fashioned, although the caves themselves are impressive. The 45…
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…
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…
Grutas de Alvados & Grutas de Santo António
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Discovered in 1964, these caves are the spiky smaller cousins of Mira de Aire, with similarly disco-flavoured lighting. These caves are about 15km…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
About 15 minutes northeast of Porto de Mós by car (and signed from near the castle), a section of ancient Roman road has been converted into a walking…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Opposite Leiria's cathedral stands the wonderfully tiled Pharmácia Leonardo Paiva – the beautiful azulejos depict Hippocrates, Galen and Socrates…
Tomar
This museum, reached via the lovely courtyard of the Convento de São Francisco, contains Europe’s largest collection of matchboxes. Amassed by local …
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Just below the castle, this likeable museum focuses on the history of the moving image, with a fine collection of cine cameras and temporary exhibitions…
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…
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…
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…
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…
