Fortaleza do Beliche

Costa Vicentina

　　Built in 1632 on the site of an older fortress, Fortaleza do Beliche is 4.8km northwest of the town centre, and 1.2km southeast of the lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente. Although it once housed a hotel, erosion has made the ground unstable and the interior is off-limits to visitors,...

Statue of Henry the Navigator

Costa Vicentina

　　Near the turismo stands this statue of Henry the Navigator, map in hand, pointing out to sea. ...

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça

Costa Vicentina

　　Within the Fortaleza de Sagres, this small whitewashed church dating from 1570 is a simple barrel-vaulted structure with a gilded 17th-century altarpiece. Elephants and antelopes feature on its tiled altar panels. ...

Praia do Martinhal

Costa Vicentina

　　One of the prettier beaches in the Sagres area, 2.5km northeast of the centre, Martinhal is backed by a resort development, so it's a little complex to find by car, but it's an easy 800m walk north from the port. The water is calm and the angle of entry shallow,...

Farol de São Vicente

Costa Vicentina

　　The lighthouse complex at Cabo de São Vicente contains a small but excellent museum that gives a good overview of Portugal’s maritime-navigation history, displays replica folios of a 1561 atlas and gives information on the history of the lighthouse. ...

Fortaleza de Sagres

Costa Vicentina

　　Blank, hulking and forbidding, Sagres’ fortress offers breathtaking views over the sheer cliffs, and all along the coast to Cabo de São Vicente. Legend has it that this is where Prince Henry the Navigator established his navigation school. It's quite a large site, so allow at least an hour to...

Cabo de São Vicente

Costa Vicentina

　　Europe’s southwesternmost point is a barren headland 6km northwest of Sagres' town centre that was the last piece of home that Portuguese sailors once saw as they launched into the unknown. It's a spectacular spot: at sunset you can almost hear the hissing as the sun hits the sea. A...

Museu Alberto Sampaio

The Minho

　　Built around the serene Romanesque cloister of Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, this museum has an excellent collection of ecclesiastical art and religious finery. Highlights include the tunic reputedly worn by João I at the Battle of Aljubarrota (1385). ...

Paço dos Duques de Bragança

The Minho

　　Looming over the medieval city on Guimarães’ hilltop, with its crenellated towers and cylindrical brick chimneys, Paço dos Duques was first built in 1401 and later pompously restored as a presidential residence for Salazar. Today it's open to visitors, who can wander through the rooms, which house a collection of...

Museu Arqueológico Martins Sarmento

The Minho

　　This fantastic collection of mostly Celtiberian artefacts is housed in a former convent and named after the archaeologist who excavated Citânia de Briteiros in 1875. Hefty stone artefacts, including thick Roman columns and milestones, and a mossy Celtic sarcophagus, are spread around the cloister. 　　Look for the impressive pedras formosas...

Igreja de São Gualter

The Minho

　　This slender 18th-century construction, with its 19th-century twin spires and blooming run-up from central Guimarães, has the most striking appeal of all the city’s churches. ...

Castelo

The Minho

　　Built in the 11th century and still in fine form, the seven-towered castle is thought to be the birthplace of the great man himself, Afonso Henriques. Walk around the windswept ramparts and peruse multilingual exhibits on Portuguese history as you climb to the bird’s-nest heights of Countess Mumadona’s keep. ...

Plataforma das Artes e Criatividade

The Minho

　　For the 2012 European Capital of Culture, the old market square was revamped into a multipurpose cultural centre inside a shimmering three-floor metallic building that looks like a bunch of stacked-up boxes. Inside is a permanent exhibit by Portuguese painter José de Guimarães, with items from his private collection of...

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira

The Minho

　　Founded by Countess Mumadona in the 12th century and rebuilt four centuries later, the beautiful Largo da Oliveira is dominated by this convent church. 　　The monument outside the church is a Gothic canopy and cross, reputedly marking the spot where the great Wamba the Visigoth, victorious over the Suevi, drove...

Penha

The Minho

　　Some 7km southeast up a twisting, cobbled road – or a short ride on an ageing cable car – is the wooded summit of Penha (617m) overlooking Guimarães, the highest point for kilometres. Its cool woods make it a wonderful escape from the city and summer heat. Kids love losing...

Núcleo De Arte Contemporânea

Ribatejo

　　This modern museum showcases the work of 20th-century modernists and surrealists as well as contemporary artists from all over Portugal. ...

Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

Ribatejo

　　Downhill from the monastery is this strikingly simple Renaissance chapel in a lovely position. It’s attributed to Diogo de Torralva, architect of the Convento de Christo cloisters. To visit, you (or your guide) will need to make prior arrangements at the Convent. ...

Igreja de São João Baptista

Ribatejo

　　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 pigeons. The church dates mostly from the late 15th century. It has an octagonal spire and richly ornamented Manueline doorways on its northern and western sides. Inside...

Museu dos Fósforos

Ribatejo

　　This museum, reached via the lovely courtyard of the Convento de São Francisco, contains Europe’s largest collection of matchboxes. Amassed by local ‘phillumenist’ Aquiles da Mota Lima, the 43,000-plus matchboxes from 127 countries around the world depict everything from bullfighters to bathing beauties, dinosaurs and French cuisine. ...

Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes

Ribatejo

　　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 apple orchard for the monastic order. Indeed today it is a finely manicured and peaceful walled forest well worth exploration. 　　In addition to...

Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraham Zacuto

Ribatejo

　　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 a few years before Dom Manuel’s convert-or-leave edict of 1497 forced most Jews to do the latter. The synagogue subsequently served as prison, chapel,...

Aqueduto de Pegões

Ribatejo

　　This astonishing aqueduct, striding towards the monastery from the northwest, was built between 1593 and 1613 to supply water to thirsty monks. Its 180 arches, some of which are double-decker, are thought to have been designed by Filippo Terzi. It’s best seen just off the Leiria road, 2.3km from town,...

Convento de Cristo

Ribatejo

　　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 Discoveries. Their headquarters sit on wooded slopes above the town and are enclosed within 12th-century walls. The Convento de Cristo is a stony expression of...

Aqueduto de Óbidos

Estremadura

　　The impressive 3km-long aqueduct, southeast of the main gate, dates from the 16th century. ...

Santuário do Senhor da Pedra

Estremadura

　　Below town this imposing, if a little ramshackle, church is an 18th-century baroque gem in need of some tender loving care. It's worth the stroll down here for the unusual hexagonal interior; in the altar is the stone sculpture of Christ crucified that gives the place its name. ...

Museu Municipal

Estremadura

　　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 centuries. The highlight is a haunting portrait by Josefa de Óbidos, Beneficiado Faustino das Neves (1670), remarkable for its dramatic use of light and shade. ...

Porta da Vila

Estremadura

　　The main gate of Óbidos' historic centre bears the King João IV-ordered inscription, 'A Virgem Nossa Senhora foi concebida sem pecado original' ('The Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin'). The gate features a chapel and a gorgeous blue-and-white-tiled baroque balcony. It dates to around 1380. ...

Igreja de Santa Maria

Estremadura

　　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 beautiful blue-and-white 17th-century azulejos. Paintings by the renowned 17th-century artist Josefa de Óbidos are to the right of the altar. There’s a fine...

Castelo de Óbidos

Estremadura

　　You can walk around the unprotected muro (wall) for uplifting views over the town and surrounding countryside. The walls date from Moorish times (later restored), but the castelo (castle) itself is one of Dom Dinis’ 13th-century creations. It has a stern edifice, with lots of towers, battlements and big gates....

Muro de Óbidos

Estremadura

　　Óbidos' dramatic, fully intact Moorish wall imposingly surrounds the historical centre of town and stretches in a completed loop of 1560m, all of which can be walked across the top, at a height of 13m in some spots (not including the towers). There are four staircases accessing the wall, but...

Miradouro Ribeira d'Ilhas

Greater Lisbon

　　If you dropped dead of a heart attack a moment after ogling this jaw-dropping view above Ribeira d'Ilhas and Alibabá beaches – and the surfers tackling the waves of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve – you'd die happy. Absolutely stunning. Further words unnecessary. ...

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré

Estremadura

　　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-venerated sculpture of the Virgin, said to have been made by Joseph himself in Nazareth when Jesus was a baby: hence the name of the town. For...

Promontório do Sítio

Estremadura

　　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 promontory is popular for its tremendous views, the lighthouse and its religious associations. From Travessa do Elevador, north of the Turismo, a funicular climbs up...

Farol da Nazaré

Estremadura

　　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, especially as the sun is setting. In addition to a small explanation of the geological reasons for the ocean's towering waves, its halls house...

Miradouro do Sítio

Estremadura

　　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 and its immense beaches (100m wide, 6km long). A vista you won't soon forget. ...

Castelo de São Tiago da Barra

Viana do Castelo

　　You can still scoot around the ramparts of this squat castle, a short walk west of the centre, which began in the 15th century as a smallish fort. It was integrated into a larger fort, commissioned by Felipe II of Spain (Felipe I of Portugal) in 1592, to guard the...

Fábrica do Chocolate

Viana do Castelo

　　This small five-room museum devoted to chocolate is fun and interactive, treating you to tidbits of facts and curiosities, but it's also often packed with school groups. There's a free audioguide to take you through the exhibits and you get to put on a white coat and make a bar...

Museu de Artes Decorativas

Viana do Castelo

　　The 18th-century Palacete Barbosa Maciel bears witness to Viana’s affluent past. It houses this impressive collection of 17th- and 18th-century ceramics (especially blue Portuguese china) and furniture. Most impressive are three 2nd-floor rooms lined with azulejos, depicting scenes of hunting and palace life. ...

Templo do Sagrado Coração de Jesus

Viana do Castelo

　　This fabulously over-the-top, 20th-century, neo-Byzantine church is one of two reasons to visit Viana’s 228m eucalyptus-clad hill. You can get a little closer to heaven by climbing to the zimbório (lantern tower) atop its dome, via a lift, followed by an elbow-scraping stairway; take the museum entrance on the ground...

Praça da República

Viana do Castelo

　　This fine hub of seven narrow laneways is at the heart of the old town’s zone of mansions and monuments. An especially elegant example is the Chafariz, a Renaissance fountain built in 1554. The fountain is topped with Manueline motifs of an armillary sphere and the cross of the Order...

Praia do Cabedelo

Viana do Castelo

　　This is one of the Minho’s best beaches: a 1km-long arc of blonde, powdery sand that folds into grassy dunes backed by a grove of wind-blown pines. It’s across the river from town, best reached on a five-minute ferry trip from the pier south of Largo 5 de Outubro. ...

Gil Eannes

Viana do Castelo

　　Demanding attention on the waterfront near Largo 5 de Outubro is a pioneering naval hospital ship, the Gil Eannes (zheel yan-ish). Now restored, the ship once provided on-the-job care for those fishing off the coast of Newfoundland. Visitors can clamber around the steep decks and cabins, though a scattering of...

Monte de Santa Luzia

Viana do Castelo

　　There are two good reasons to visit Viana’s 228m eucalyptus-clad hill. One is the wondrous view down the coast and up the Lima valley. The other is the fabulously over-the-top, 20th-century, neo-Byzantine Templo do Sagrado Coração de Jesus. You can get a little closer to heaven by climbing to the...

Escola de Rendas de Bilros

Peniche

　　At this school attached to Peniche’s turismo building, you can watch the nimble (and chatty) ladies in action as the organised 'chaos' of their bobbins produces exquisite lace. ...

Museu da Renda de Bilros

Peniche

　　For those interested in the Peniche tradition of bobbin lace, this museum, inaugurated in 2016, offers an interesting glimpse into this traditional coastal lace textile technique with a short introductory film (four minutes) and small but well-done exhibitions on its history, production, bobbins from around the world and modern adaptations....