Must-see attractions in Trás-os-Montes

Famously depicted on bottles of Mateus rosé, the 18th-century Casa de Mateus is one of Portugal’s great baroque masterpieces – probably the work of…

Just north of the town of Ermelo, on the N304 between Vila Real and Mondim de Basto, is a turn-off to the dramatic Fisgas de Ermelo waterfalls. From this…

Overlooking a dramatic bend in the Douro just south of the village of Picote, this viewpoint is a dramatic spot to watch the sunset.

Climb uphill from Largo de São Vicente and you’ll soon set foot inside the astonishingly well-preserved 12th-century citadel. People still live in its…

This lovely little town of 70 souls situated in the eastern half of the park is entirely unfazed by the Spanish–Portuguese border splicing it down the…

Set in a restored 18th-century bishop’s palace, this is one of Portugal’s best regional museums. Its diverse collections include local artefacts from the…

The 800-year-old village of Ermelo is famous for its schist cottages capped with fairy-tale slate roofs that seem to have been constructed from broken…

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…

This modest but attractive museum sheds light on a unique culture that has preserved age-old traditions into the 21st century. The handsome 17th-century…

One of the prettiest, best-preserved villages in the western half of the park, Dine is home to a tiny archaeological museum, which documents the 1984 find…

Hidden at the end of the road in a narrow valley wedged between forbidding granite heights, this tiny village is one of the park’s best-preserved, thanks…

Reached by a drawbridge and bordered by a park with floral designs, hedges and grand old oaks, the 17th-century Forte de São Francisco is the centrepiece…

Moimenta has a lovely core of granite houses roofed in terracotta, plus a small baroque church – a rare dose of luxury in this austere corner of Portugal…

Chaves’ handsome, 140m-long Roman-era bridge makes a lovely place for a car-free stroll. The span was completed in AD 104 by order of Emperor Trajan …

This visually appealing little museum displays a colourful and fascinating collection of masks and costumes from the ancient pagan-based solstice and…

Small but interesting, this regional archaeological-ethnographic museum has lots of Roman artefacts, plus a collection of pre-Roman jewellery, bronze…

This roadside pullout on the N221 highway 3km north of Escalhão is one of the park's most accessible viewpoints, with sweeping views of vineyard- and…

A road crawls across this 80m-high dam about 1km east of town, and on to Zamora, 55km away in Spain. Even dammed, the gorge is dramatic. You can take a…

Set in a wide, verdant valley some 1000m above sea level, somnolent Lamas de Ôlo is the park’s highest village, best known for its photogenic thatched…

Inside the right transept of this handsomely severe 16th-century cathedral, look for the doll-like Menino Jesus da Cartolinha, a Christ child in a…