496 Best Sights in Portugal

Next to Porto's old customs building, this eye-catching former warehouse on the riverfront has been transformed into a giant antiques store with an adjoining terrace bar and cultural space. Even if you're not an antiques enthusiast, it's easy to spend hours admiring the wealth of books, vinyl records, curios and collectibles amassed by owners Raquel and Batata Cerqueira Gomes during their adventures around the globe. There's a space dedicated to arts exhibitions, and the terrace is a pleasant place for a coffee or cocktail on the waterfront. The adjoining building is notable for its giant mural of a face peering out: it was carved into the wall by celebrated Portuguese street artist Vhils.

Covering an area of 126 square miles, this UNESCO-recognized park is famously home to one of the longest pedestrian suspension bridges in the world, the 516 Arouca. The dizzying construction hangs 175 meters (574 feet) over the Paiva River, stretching for 516 meters. The park itself is surrounded by the Freita, Montemuro, and Arada Mountains and crisscrossed by several rivers including the Paiva River, which makes it a great place for canyoning, canoeing, kayaking, and mountain climbing. There are 41 significant geosites—including a collection of giant trilobite (ancient marine animals) fossils, some of which are 465 million years old—and 14 mostly easy hiking trails that take visitors to the sites. The park is also home to the world-famous Paiva Walkways.

Sitting high atop a wooded hill, this white granite-domed basilica is one of the most beautiful in Portugal. A funicular railway (€2, return ticket €3) can carry you up, or you can take the 2-km (1-mile) footpath that winds its way through the trees. The views from the basilica steps are magnificent, and a staircase to the side allows access to the very top of the dome for some extraordinary coastal vistas.

The Blandy family has been making Madeira wine for more than 200 years. At Blandy's Wine Lodge, visitors can hear how the wine is made, visit the wine cellars, see the wine museum, and listen to tales about Madeira wine from knowledgeable guides. There's plenty of time for a generous tasting at the end of the visit.

The most visited attraction in the area around Cascais is the forbiddingly named Mouth of Hell, one of several natural grottoes in the rugged coastline. Located just 2 km (1.2 miles) west of town, it is best appreciated at high tide or in stormy weather, when the waves crash high onto the surrounding cliffs. You can walk along the fenced paths to the viewing platforms above the grotto and peer into the abyss. A path leads down to secluded spots on the rocks below, where fishermen cast their lines. The bleakly beautiful spot is where English occultist and magician Aleister Crowley faked his own suicide in 1930, shocking onlookers when he appeared at a Berlin art gallery three weeks later. A white plaque at the site marks the intriguing occasion, together with the text of the "suicide note" he left behind.

Many people come to Braga specifically to see the Bom Jesus do Monte, a pilgrimage shrine atop a 1,312-foot-high, densely wooded hill 5 km (3 miles) east of the city. The stone staircase, a marvel of baroque art that was started in 1723, leads to an 18th-century church whose terrace commands wonderful views. Fountains placed at various resting places represent the five senses and the virtues, and small chapels display tableaux with life-size figures illustrating the Stations of the Cross. If you don't want to climb up the staircase, there's a funicular (€1.50 or €2.50 return) and buses from the center of town. The shrine offers several guided tours—including one that takes you to the church only and one that adds on the lake, gardens, and woods—but you have to book in advance by phone or email to  [email protected].

This salt-encrusted headland—crowned by a whitewashed convent surrounded by 18th-century pilgrim rest houses—is the southwestern point of the Setúbal Peninsula, marked by a red-and-white lighthouse. It's a ruggedly beautiful spot, where the cliffs rise hundreds of feet out of the stormy Atlantic. To the north, unsullied beaches extend as far as Caparica, with only local roads and footpaths connecting them. It's a good spot for hiking, with marked trails leading down to some clearly visible dinosaur footprints.

At 1,900 feet, Cabo Girão is on one of the highest sea cliffs in the world, and the observation platform—with a clear glass floor so you can gaze straight down—gives you a bird's-eye view down to the coast. From here you can see the ribbons of terraces carved out of steep slopes where farmers daringly cultivate grapes and garden vegetables. During high season, the walkway can get crowded with bus tours, so get there early if you want to beat the crowds.

A string of fish restaurants and tascas (taverns) are built into the street-level arcade of timeworn buildings along this pier. In the Praça da Ribeira, people sit and chat at outdoor café tables surrounding a modern, cubelike sculpture. Farther on, steps lead to a wide esplanade along the river that's backed by vibrantly hued row houses. The pier also provides the easiest access to the lower level of Porto's most iconic bridge across the Douro, the Ponte Dom Luis I. Those wishing to delve deeper into the Ribeira's 2,000-year past can embark upon informative riverboat tours, leaving from Cais da Ribeira and across the river in Vila Nova da Gaia, which generally cruise around the city's six bridges and up the river to Peso da Régua and Pinhão.

The village of Monte is home to one of Madeira's oldest and most eccentric attractions: a snowless sled ride down the mountain. The toboggan sleds were first created to carry supplies from Monte to Funchal. Nowadays the rides are just for fun, and no visitor to Madeira should miss out on this white-knuckle adventure.

Dressed in white and wearing goatskin boots with soles made of rubber tires, drivers line up on the street below the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte. Resembling big wicker baskets, the sleds have wooden runners that are greased with pig fat so they'll go even faster. Two drivers run alongside the sled, controlling it with ropes as it races downhill on a 10-minute trip halfway to Funchal. At the end of the ride there are several souvenir shops where you can pick up a photograph of yourself taken by a sneaky photographer shooting you somewhere on the ride. To get back to Funchal, walk about 1 km (½ mile) or take one of the many waiting taxis.

Home to the National Orchestra of Porto and Portugal's Baroque Orchestra, this soaring postmodern temple to music was designed by legendary Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas ahead of Porto's stint as the European Culture Capital in 2001. There are frequent musical events, but the gravity-defying building deserves a visit even when the stage is bare. Book in advance for hour-long English-language guided tours at 4 pm daily.

Portugal’s best known contemporary artist, Paula Rego died in 2022 but her legacy lives on in her incredible body of thought-provoking work, much of which is showcased at this modern building in the Cascais Museum Quarter. Designed by the renowned architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, the eye-catching pyramid-like building houses a permanent display of many of Rego’s works, along with visiting exhibitions from other celebrated modern artists.

An exceptional baroque mansion believed to have been designed by Nicolau Nasoni (architect of Porto's dashing Clérigos Tower), the Casa de Mateus sits 4 km (2½ miles) east of Vila Real. Its U-shape facade—with high, decorated finials at each corner—is pictured on the Mateus Rosé wine label (though that is the full extent of the association, as the winemaker is not based here). After your guided tour of the house, you are free to explore the formal gardens, which are enhanced by a "tunnel" of cypress trees that shade the path. A longer version of the tour also takes in the chapel, with its even more extravagant facade, and a temporary exhibition.

For a close look at this storybook castle on a craggy island in the Tagus River, take the 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) dirt road leading down to the water from the N3. The riverbank in this area is practically deserted, making it a wonderful picnic spot. From here, a small motorboat will ferry you across (€4 round-trip) to the castle and its modern Templar Interpretation Center. For a more leisurely river cruise, book ahead to board a larger vessel (€6) at the quay just downstream in the village of Tancos. The sight couldn't be more romantic: an ancient castle with crenellated walls and a lofty tower sits on a greenery-covered rock in the middle of a gently flowing river. The stuff of poetry and legends, Almourol was the setting for Francisco de Morais's epic novel Palmeirim da Inglaterra (Palmeirin of England), about two knights fighting for a princess's favor. Your boat ticket includes admission to the castle and its small museum.

The former royal palace, an impressive hilltop fortress towering over the city, is the highlight of any visit to Estremoz (it now functions as a luxury pousada). The palace was built in the 13th century by Portugal's King Dom Dinis. It's named after his wife, Queen Isabel of Aragon, who died here in 1336. An explosion in 1698 destroyed much of the medieval structure except the Torre das Três Coroas (Tower of the Three Crowns), which you can still climb today for fantastic views of Estremoz and the surrounding countryside. The palace was restored after the ammunition blast and fire. The interior houses an impressive collection of 17th- and 18th-century artifacts and furniture.

One of the most beautiful in the region, this huge castle towers over the city. It includes an ancient porta da vila (city gate) that could be closed during attacks, a casa da guarda (guard station), and a dramatic torre do relógio (clock tower). You can climb onto the outer fortifications and walk around the complex for a 360-degree view of the town and the sweeping plains beyond. It's also a pleasant walk up to the castle through the winding, steep side streets lined with 17th-century manor houses and ornate doorways.

The outer walls of the fine medieval castle enclose the entire town, and it's great fun to walk their circumference, viewing the town and countryside from above—but take great care as there is no inner wall or railing for the most part. Extensively restored after suffering severe damage in the 1755 earthquake, the multitower complex has both Arabic and Manueline elements. Most of the keep is now a pousada.

Although St. George's Castle was constructed by the Moors, the site had previously been fortified by Romans and Visigoths. To your left as you pass through the main entrance is a statue of Dom Afonso Henriques, whose forces in 1147 besieged the castle and drove the Moors from Lisbon. The ramparts offer panoramic views of the city's layout as far as the towering 25 de Abril suspension bridge. A residence of the kings of Portugal until the 16th century, the palace remnants now house a small museum showcasing archaeological finds and a snack bar with a pleasant terrace. From the periscópio (periscope) in the Torre de Ulísses, in the castle's keep, you can spy on visitors going about their business below. Beyond the keep, traces of pre-Roman and Moorish houses are visible thanks to recent archaeological digs, as well as the remains of a palace founded in the 15th century. The castle's outer walls encompass a small neighborhood, Castelo, the medieval church of Santa Cruz, restaurants, and shops.

Serpa's 11th-century aqueduct forms an integral part of the walls of the 13th-century castle, from which there's a stunning view of town. The huge ruined sections of wall tottering precariously above the entrance are the result of explosions ordered by the Duke of Osuna during the 18th-century War of the Spanish Succession.

Sitting high above the city is the Castelo de Sesimbra, which was conquered in 1165 by Dom Afonso Henriques but fell back into the hands of the Moors until 1200. The castle lost importance and fell into disrepair during the next several hundred years until Dom João IV ordered that it be adapted for the use of artillery in 1648. Classified as a National Monument, reconstruction was done to restore it to its previous glory after the great earthquake of 1755. From Sesimbra, a steep marked walking trail leads up the side of the pine-covered hill to the castle grounds. Aside from the incredible views of the ocean and the city below, there is a chapel, a small museum, and a café with an outdoor patio where you can enjoy a gin and tonic or a bagaço (a clear Portuguese liquor) as the sun goes down.

With high red walls that overshadow the little whitewashed houses below, this polygonal sandstone fortress was built between the 8th and 13th centuries and survived untouched until the Christian sieges. You can walk around inside the remaining walls or clamber about the crenellated battlements, taking in bird's-eye views of Silves and the surrounding hills. Its gardens are watched over by a statue of King Dom Sancho I, and its capacious water cistern is now a gallery space devoted to temporary exhibitions.

Above the village of Sortelha are the ruins of a small yet imposing castle. The present configuration dates back mainly to a late-12th-century reconstruction, done on Moorish foundations; further alterations were made in the 16th century. Note the Manueline coat of arms at the entrance. Wear sturdy shoes so that you can walk along the walls, taking in views of Spain to the east and the Serra da Estrela mountains to the west. The three holes in the balcony projecting over the main entrance were used to pour boiling pitch on intruders. Just to the right of the north gate are two linear indentations in the stone wall. One is exactly a meter (roughly a yard) long, and the shorter of the two is a côvado (66 centimeters, or 26 inches). In the Middle Ages, traveling cloth merchants used these markings to ensure an honest measure.

Housed in a spooky yet stately 18th-century jailhouse, this stellar museum hosts an ever-changing rotation of exhibits of works by modern Portuguese photographers, reflecting their work both at home and abroad. Photography buffs will appreciate the permanent collection of analog cameras housed on the top floor.

Within the walls of the Cidadela, you'll find the Castelo and the Domus Municipalis (City Hall), a rare Romanesque civic building dating to the 12th century; it is always open. The nearby Igreja de Santa Maria, a church with Romanesque origins, has a superb 18th-century painted ceiling. A prehistoric granite boar, with a tall medieval stone pillory sprouting from its back, stands below the castle keep, or Torre de Menagem, which now houses the Museu Militar (€3). It displays armaments from the 12th century through World War I, but the structure itself is the main attraction, with its 108-foot-high Gothic tower, dungeons, drawbridge, turrets, battlements, and vertiginous outside staircase.

With a beautiful Moorish-style atrium, the city's movie museum hosts exhibitions on film history and screens classics from all over the world, usually in the original language and with Portuguese or English subtitles. Arrive early to check out the treasures displayed around the building, like the first Lumière projector used in the country. There's a café with a pleasant terrace.

About 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Guimarães you'll find these fascinating remains of a Celtic citânia (hill settlement). It dates to around 300 BC and was probably not abandoned until AD 300, making it one of the last Celtic strongholds against the Romans in Portugal, although its residents are now thought to have become gradually romanized. The walls and foundations of 150 huts and a meeting house have been excavated (two of the huts have been reconstructed to show their original size). The site was excavated in the late 19th century by Dr. Martins Sarmento, namesake of a must-see museum in Guimarães where most of the finds from Briteiros were transferred. You can also visit the smaller Museu da Cultura Castreja, housed in Sarmento's 19th-century family home, in the village of São Salvador de Briteiros, down below the Citânia. Local bus company Guimabus serves Briteiros several times daily from downtown Guimaraes, then it's less than 10 minutes on foot to the museum or a 2.5 km (1.5 miles) hike up to the Citânia.

A dramatic sight against the greenery of the forest, this sprawling 16th-century monastery is built into the hills of the Serra da Arrábida. The glorious views take in the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters of the coast. Tours, which must be booked in advance, take place on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Atop a hill rising from the Old Town is this remarkable UNESCO World Hereitage Site. You can drive to the top of the hill or hike for about 20 minutes along a path through the trees before reaching a formal garden lined with azulejo-covered benches. This was the Portuguese headquarters of the Knights Templar, from 1160 until the order was forced to disband in 1314. Identified by their white tunics emblazoned with a crimson cross, the Templars were at the forefront of the Christian armies in the Crusades and during the struggles against the Moors. King Dinis in 1334 resurrected the order in Portugal under the banner of the Knights of Christ and reestablished Tomar as its headquarters. In the early 15th century, under Prince Henry the Navigator (who for a time resided in the castle), the order flourished. The caravels of the Age of Discovery even sailed under the order's crimson cross.

The oldest parts of the complex date to the 12th century, including the towering castle keep and the fortresslike, 16-sided Charola, which—like many Templar churches—is patterned after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and has an octagonal oratory at its core. The paintings and wooden statues in its interior, however, were added in the 16th century. The complex's medieval nucleus acquired its Manueline church and cluster of magnificent cloisters during the next 500 years. To see what the Manueline style is all about, stroll through the church's nave with its many examples of the twisted ropes, seaweed, and nautical themes that typify the style, and be sure to look at the chapter house window, one of the most photographed in Europe.

In 1472, Princess Joana, daughter of King Afonso V, retired against her father's wishes to the Convento de Jesus—established by papal bull in 1461—where she spent the last 18 years of her life. After the last of the holy sisters died, the convent was closed in 1874. It now contains the Museu de Aveiro, which encompasses an 18th-century church whose interior is a masterpiece of baroque art. The elaborately gilded wood carvings and ornate ceiling by António Gomes and José Correia from Porto are among Portugal's finest. Blue-and-white azulejo panels have scenes depicting the life of Princess Joana, who was beatified in 1693 and whose tomb is in the lower choir. Her multicolor inlaid-marble sarcophagus is supported at each corner by delicately carved angels. Note also the 16th-century Renaissance cloisters, the splendid refectory lined with camellia-motif tiles, and the chapel of São João Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist).

Facing a broad plaza in the oldest part of town, the Convent of Our Lady of the Conception was founded in 1459 by the parents of King Manuel I. Favored by the royal family, this Franciscan convent became one of the richest of the period. It now houses the Museu Regional de Beja (Regional Museum of Beja), and if there's one museum you visit in Beja, this should be it. It's tough to decide which is more impressive, the exhibits inside or the building itself. You walk into an ornate, gold-encrusted chapel with saints' relics, and then proceed through the convent's old cloisters covered in azulejos from the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of them comprise panels depicting scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist, and there's also a section of Moorish tiles. At the far end of the second-floor gallery is the famous Mariana Window, named for the 17th-century nun Mariana Alcoforado, whose love affair with a French officer is the stuff of local legend.