Historic sites
Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon
Lisbon
Two masterpieces of the ornate Manueline style, built when Portugal's explorers sailed the world, and together a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Travel tips in Portugal
Natural features
Benagil Cave, Algarve
Lagoa, Faro
A huge sea cave on the Algarve coast with a round hole in its roof that lets a shaft of sunlight onto a hidden beach.
Natural features
Douro Valley
Alijó, Vila Real
The oldest demarcated wine region in the world, where port wine comes from, with vineyards terraced into the steep slopes of the Douro River valley, …
Historic sites
Óbidos town walls
Óbidos, Leiria
Óbidos is a perfectly preserved medieval village, entirely enclosed by its walls, with whitewashed houses trimmed in blue and yellow, bougainvillea a…
Buildings
Pena Palace, Sintra
Sintra, Lisbon
A colourful romantic palace in red and yellow, built in the 19th century on a hilltop above Sintra, mixing Gothic, Moorish and Manueline styles.
Walks and treks
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, Madeira
Santana, Madeira
A spectacular high-mountain walk on Madeira between its second and highest peaks, along a path cut into knife-edge ridges, through tunnels and up sta…
Natural features
Ponta da Piedade, Lagos
Lagos, Faro
A headland of golden limestone cliffs, sea stacks, arches and grottoes near Lagos in the western Algarve, with a lighthouse on top.
Natural features
Praia do Norte big waves, Nazaré
Nazaré, Leiria
Nazaré's North Beach is famous for the biggest surfable waves in the world, created by an undersea canyon that funnels the Atlantic swell.
Historic sites
Ribeira and the Luís I Bridge, Porto
Porto
Porto's riverside district of colourful tall houses along the Douro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, below the double-decker iron Luís I bridge.
Natural features
Sete Cidades, São Miguel, Azores
Ponta Delgada, Açores
Twin lakes, one green and one blue, filling a huge volcanic crater on the island of São Miguel in the Azores.
Historic sites
Alfama and Tram 28, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon's oldest district, a maze of steep, winding streets and stairways below the São Jorge Castle, which survived the great earthquake of 1755.
Places to stay
Dianamar Guest House, Albufeira
Albufeira, Faro
A small, family-friendly guest house in a quiet part of Albufeira, an easy walk from the beaches, the old town and the marina.
Historic sites
Évora Roman Temple and Chapel of Bones
Évora
Évora, the capital of the Alentejo, is a walled town and UNESCO World Heritage Site with whitewashed streets.
Buildings
Monastery of Batalha
Batalha, Leiria
A magnificent Gothic monastery built to celebrate Portugal's victory over Castile in 1385, with a lacy stone façade, the Founder's Chapel with royal …
Historic sites
O Sítio and the Nazaré funicular
Nazaré, Leiria
Nazaré is an old fishing town where, before the harbour was built, the boats were hauled up on the beach by oxen.
Historic sites
Óbidos Castle (Pousada)
Óbidos, Leiria
The castle at the top of the walled village of Óbidos, which kings of Portugal traditionally gave to their queens as a wedding gift.
Historic sites
University of Coimbra
Coimbra
One of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1290, set on a hill above the Mondego River.