The Beiras
Set in the lush countryside southwest of Coimbra, this is Portugal’s largest and most impressive Roman site. Ancient Conímbriga was an important city in…
Must-see attractions in The Beiras
Coimbra
Coimbra's Unesco-listed university, one of the world's oldest, was originally founded in Lisbon in 1290. It was subsequently relocated several times…
Coimbra
The university's baroque library is Coimbra's headline sight. Named after King João V, who sponsored its construction between 1717 and 1728, it features a…
Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro
Coimbra
This great museum is a highlight of central Portugal. Housed in a 12th-century bishop's palace, it stands over the city's ancient Roman forum, remains of…
Aveiro
Between Aveiro and Coimbra, in the village of Sangalhos in the Bairrada wine-producing region, this magnificent place is part adega (winery), part art…
The Beiras
The entrance to the fortified village is a grand Gothic gate. From the square inside, a cobbled lane leads up to the heart of the village, with a…
Coimbra
Coimbra's 12th-century cathedral is one of Portugal's finest examples of Romanesque architecture. The main portal and facade are particularly striking,…
Viseu
Adjoining the cathedral, the granite Paço de Três Escalões (Palace of Three Steps) was originally built as the bishop’s palace. It's now a splendid museum…
Viseu
Viseu’s cathedral is a striking hybrid of architectural styles. Originally built in the 13th century, it now has a 17th-century Mannerist facade and a…
Coimbra
Coimbra's science museum is wonderful, with everything from kid-friendly interactive machines to early scientific instruments, fossils and skeletons. The…
Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto
Aveiro
This gloriously tranquil nature reserve extends north from São Jacinto, between the sea and the placid lagoon west of Aveiro. A network of trails runs…
The Beiras
Sprawling out from the Palacio do Buçaco, this aromatic forest is littered with crumbling chapels, fountains, ponds and exotic trees. There is a network…
The Beiras
Reason enough for a visit to Belmonte, this fabulous museum is dedicated to Portuguese seafaring and the discovery of Brazil by local-born explorer Pedro…
Aveiro
Sandwiched between crashing Atlantic breakers and endless sand dunes, this magnificent beach forms the western flank of the São Jacinto nature reserve. To…
The Beiras
Trancoso's walled centre is a charming maze of picturesque squares, attractive churches and narrow cobbled lanes. Several medieval gates puncture the…
Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional
The Beiras
Still one of Portugal’s wildest landscapes, this 264-sq-km natural park shadows the Rio Tejo and the watersheds of three of its tributaries. While not…
The Beiras
A handsome quarter of cobblestone lanes and huddled houses, Guarda's hilltop centre fans out from Praça Luís de Camões. This sloping square is flanked by…
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…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
The burel factory originally opened in 1960 and employed 1000 people at its height (burel is a wool fabric similar to felt). After a decline in the…
The Beiras
This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…
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…
Coimbra
The university's main entrance is the Iron Gate, a 17th-century confection designed by architect António Tavares in 1634 on the orders of Rector D Álvaro…
Coimbra
Housed in a former royal palace, this is the historic heart of the university, where traditional academic ceremonies are still held. The main ceremonial…
The Beiras
This delightful retreat is the garden of the former bishop's palace, an 18th-century baroque whimsy of clipped box hedges, pools and grand staircases…
Coimbra
Overlooking the graceful Praça 8 de Maio, this is one of Coimbra's oldest churches, dating to the 12th century. Little remains of the original Romanesque…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
Covilhã used to be the centre of one of Europe’s biggest wool-producing regions, but stray outside the centre and you’ll see the town’s ghostly mills…
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…
Coimbra
This heavy-duty Moorish gateway, just off the main shopping drag, leads through to Coimbra's upper town. Follow through the arch and head up the steep…
Coimbra
This former prison for misbehaving students sits in the basement of the Biblioteca Joanina. Originally located beneath the Sala dos Capelos, it was later…
The Beiras
Tucked into a corner of the walled village sits the 6th-century Visigothic cathedral, surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of scattered archaeological remains…
The Beiras
Powerful in its sobriety, this grey Gothic edifice looms heavily over the central square. The earliest parts of the cathedral date from 1390 but it's…
Viseu
Overlooked by a trio of impressive buildings – the Catedral, Paço de Três Escalões (home of the Museu Grão Vasco) and the Igreja da Misericórdia – the…
The Beiras
Sernancelhe, a tranquil village 30km northwest of Trancoso, boasts a pristine historic centre fashioned out of warm, beige-coloured stone. There are no…
Jardins da Quinta das Lágrimas
Coimbra
According to legend, this lovely pocket of parkland is where Dona Inês de Castro (aka Portugal's Juliet to the Infante Pedro's Romeo) was murdered on the…
Museu de Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior
The Beiras
Occupying the sober 18th-century bishop’s palace, this long-standing museum has an excellent display of local archaeological finds. Its highlight, however…
Coimbra
The landmark 'new' cathedral, started by the Jesuits in 1598 and completed a century later, dominates the square of the same name high in the old town…
Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco
The Beiras
Tucked away behind the Palace Hotel do Buçaco, this is what remains of the convent where Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, rested after he…
Coimbra
Another of the university's signature landmarks, this 18th-century tower – and its clock and bells – regulates academic life. Built between 1728 and 1733,…
