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…
Must-see attractions in Trás-os-Montes
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
Overlooking a dramatic bend in the Douro just south of the village of Picote, this viewpoint is a dramatic spot to watch the sunset.
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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 …
Museu Ibérico da Máscara e do Traje
Trás-os-Montes
This visually appealing little museum displays a colourful and fascinating collection of masks and costumes from the ancient pagan-based solstice and…
Trás-os-Montes
Small but interesting, this regional archaeological-ethnographic museum has lots of Roman artefacts, plus a collection of pre-Roman jewellery, bronze…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Trás-os-Montes
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…
Miradouro São João das Arribas
Trás-os-Montes
Just outside the village of Aldeia Nova, this viewpoint 8km northeast of Miranda do Douro sits adjacent to the clifftop chapel of São João das Arribas,…
Trás-os-Montes
Opposite the Presa de Castro dam, about 12km upstream from Miranda do Douro near the village of Paradela, the park's easternmost viewpoint is famous as…
Trás-os-Montes
The backstreets in Miranda's old town hide some dignified 15th-century facades. Some of the finest are along Rua da Costanilha, which runs west off Praça…
Trás-os-Montes
Westernmost of the Rio Douro viewpoints, Penedo Durão commands views down towards the Presa de Saucelle dam. It's about 56km south of Mogadouro and 51km…
Trás-os-Montes
The whitewashed chapel of Santo André das Arribas stands sentinel over the Rio Águeda gorge at this southernmost of the park viewpoints.
Trás-os-Montes
Squatting at the rear of the Cidadela is an odd pentagonal building known as the Domus Municipalis, the oldest town hall in Portugal (although its precise…
Trás-os-Montes
The stout Torre de Menagem now houses this lacklustre museum, but the price of admission is well worth the chance to climb storey after storey and take in…
Trás-os-Montes
Bragança’s modest old cathedral started out in 1545 as the Igreja de São João Baptista, but moved up the ranks to become a cathedral in 1770 when the…
Centro de Arte Contemporânea Graça Morais
Trás-os-Montes
This cross-border collaboration between Portugal and Spain has a permanent collection that features local painter Graça Morais’ haunting portraits of Trás…
Centro de Fotografia Georges Dussaud
Trás-os-Montes
This small museum is worth a visit just to see the evocative black-and-white photos of everyday transmontana people taken in the 1980s by French…
Trás-os-Montes
Romanesque in origin but rebuilt in the 17th century, this church may have played host to a chapter in Portugal’s favourite (and grisliest) love story…
Trás-os-Montes
Northeast of the cathedral is the magnificently over-the-top baroque facade of this 17th-century chapel. Inside are fine, 18th-century azulejos (hand…
Museu Etnográfico de Vila Real
Trás-os-Montes
This small but colourful museum documents the traditional culture of the surrounding highlands, with exhibits on linen-making, ceramics, farming…
Trás-os-Montes
In front of the Torre de Menagem is an extraordinary primitive pelourinho (stone pillory) atop a granite boar similar to the berrões found elsewhere…
Trás-os-Montes
The Torre de Menagem now houses a motley collection of military gear in the Museu Militar. There are lovely views from the rooftop terrace, reached by a …
Trás-os-Montes
Bragança’s most attractive church has a Renaissance stone portal, a wonderful trompe l’œil ceiling over the nave and an Arabic-style inlaid ceiling above…
Trás-os-Montes
Once part of a Dominican monastery, the Gothic sé has been given a lengthy facelift that has restored the 15th-century grandeur of its rather spare…
Miradouro de Trás-do-Cemitério
Trás-os-Montes
For a fine view across the gorge of the Rio Corgo and Rio Cabril, walk south to this panoramic viewpoint, just beyond a small cemetery and chapel.
Trás-os-Montes
Built on the site of an earlier Visigothic church, Chaves' Igreja Matriz sports a medieval bell tower and a Renaissance-style main portal.
Trás-os-Montes
Small, whitewashed 18th-century church within the walls of Bragança castle, with a barrel-shaped ceiling depicting the Assumption.
