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The Best of Portugal
Europe’s West Coast is suddenly very fashionable. Portugal’s 1,000 miles of shore and California-style climate are attracting travelers in record numbers. The buzz is justified. Beyond the glorious beaches, this ancient nation is crammed with heritage ranging from Stone Age graffiti to villages clustered beneath medieval castles and forests filled with romantic palaces. Its lifestyle is laidback; its food and wine fabulous. Five hundred years ago, Portuguese explorers opened up the world; now it’s time to discover this little land of many wonders.
Mainland Europe’s westernmost nation has few rivals as a land where climate, landscape, and history combine so effectively to satisfy travelers’ wish lists. Atlantic breezes waft over beaches for every taste, from sheltered, family-friendly coves to strands of endless sand offering the continent’s best surf. The capital Lisbon and second city Porto are among Europe’s hippest cities, where the plaintive songs of traditional fado music or the guitars of student troubadours echo down medieval alleys that lead to waterfront nightclubs throbbing with the latest dance tunes.
Foodies can feast on a rich and varied cuisine that’s rooted in tradition and dominated by superlative seafood and wines. Crammed into a country the size of Maine are 17 UNESCO cultural World Heritage Sites, ranging from the rolling hillside vineyards above the River Douro and the mysterious stronghold of the Knights Templar in Tomar, to historic cities like Évora, Guimarães, and Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores islands. If your goal is relaxing in a year-round subtropical springtime, Madeira Island is the place.
Those seeking a more active break can hike the mountain wildernesses of the Peneda-Gerês National Park or Serra da Estrela highlands; race speedboats to watch dolphins frolic off Algarve beaches; or play a round on world-class golf courses. All that combined with its reputation for safety, low crime, and warm hospitality have made Portugal one of Europe’s hottest destinations.
Cities Spread along the broad estuary of the River Tagus, Lisbon is the country’s political, economic, and cultural heart. It enjoys more sunshine than Madrid, Rome, or Athens. Commuter trains run from downtown to Atlantic beaches in minutes. There are gilded theaters, treasure-packed museums, and atmospheric old neighborhoods that recall the 15th-century golden age of Portuguese discoveries. Second city Porto is fast catching up as a city-trip destination, thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage riverside heart, cultural scene, and established reputation as a capital of cool. The ancient university city of Coimbra is regarded as Portugal’s most romantic, while regional centers like Guimarães and Braga in the far north, Évora in the Alentejo region, and Funchal on Madeira are treasure houses of tradition and culture.
Countryside For a small country, Portugal boasts a richly diverse landscape. The southern Algarve region is redolent of the Mediterranean, with balmy beaches, almond groves, and citrus plantations. Farther north in the vast rolling plains of the Alentejo, where black pigs feast on acorns under forests of cork oaks to produce fabulous hams. The land is punctuated by picture-perfect whitewashed villages. In the rugged interior of the central Beiras region, mainland Portugal’s highest peaks are found in the Serra da Estrella mountain range, home to the country’s only ski resort. Vine-covered slopes surround the River Douro inland from Porto, arguably the world’s most beautiful wine region. Beyond, the northwest Minho region is verdant and dotted with elegant manor houses, while Tràs-os-Montes to the northeast is marked by starkly beautiful high plateaus and a cuisine as robust as its climate. Madeira is known as the island of eternal spring, and the nine islands of the Azores display dramatic volcanic landscapes surrounded by the blue Atlantic.
Eating & Drinking The Portuguese love to eat, and restaurant attendance in the nation is among Europe’s highest. Fortunately, eating out costs less here than just about anywhere in Western Europe. Portuguese cuisine isn’t as well-known as it should be, perhaps because it depends heavily on fresh local ingredients—fish newly plucked from the Atlantic, a multitude of seasonal fruits and vegetables that ripen in the warm climate, beef raised on lush northern pastures, lamb nourished on spring flowers.
Coast The Algarve is Portugal’s premier vacation region, its sheltered south coast is strung with beaches that range from flat, gently sloping sandbar islands (reached by bridge or boat close to the border with Spanish Andalusia) to the iconic coves hidden between honeycomb cliffs near the towns of Lagos and Albufeira. Unfortunately, some of the resort towns in the Algarve’s central strip suffer from the excesses of mass tourism with strips of ugly high-rise condos and bargain-booze bars, but beyond the dramatic headland of Europe’s most southwesterly point at Sagres, the coast changes. Wind and waves make the wild west a paradise for surfers and sailors. The world’s biggest surfed waves crash ashore near the picturesque fishing port of Nazaré. Even along the west coast, however, there are sheltered beaches—the soft white sands and gentle bays just south of Lisbon at Comporta and Arrábida are a delight.
Portugal’s best Authentic Experiences
Fado: There are many places to experience Lisbon’s unique fado music: from backstreet dives where the cook may step out of the kitchen to give voice to her emotions by bursting into song, to fancy clubs where you’ll pay dearly to dine accompanied by a renowned diva, to concert halls packed with thousands of fans gathered to hear one of the genre’s big stars. Fado’s bluesy blend of voice and guitar strives to capture the pain of lost love and longing for homelands left behind, all bound up with the untranslatable feeling they call saudade, which is deeply bound up with Portugal’s national character.
Market shopping: Portugal’s daily food markets have suffered from superstore competition, but most showcase an array of fresh products that make them a must for anybody interested in food. They are not for the faint-hearted: butchers’ stalls proudly present glistering arrays of offal, and fishmongers cheerfully gut and scale the day’s catch. Naturally grown fruits and vegetables may lack the shine and same-shape regularity of supermarket goods, but will taste oh so much better. Those in Setúbal, Funchal, and Olhão are among the best.
Hitting a hot tub: Hot springs bubble up from Portugal’s hills and plains. Spa resorts are scattered about the country. Some have roots going back to Roman times; many maintain an old-world elegance with splendid Belle Epoque hotels or Art Deco baths in marble, brass, and painted azulejo tiles. The charm can be a little faded in some places, but plenty have been restored to their full glory.
Downing a bica: In a country whose former colonies included Brazil, Angola, and East Timor, it’s no surprise that the country is hooked on coffee. Although you can find local equivalents of lattes and flat whites, the Portuguese mostly get their caffeine fix through tiny espresso shots known as a bica, or simply a café. If you want to blend in, eschew pavement terraces and join the locals lined up at the counter in countless cafes to knock back their bicas, quite possibly with a custard-filled pastel de nata or another treat from the selection of pastries on show. See p. 106.
Chilling on a beach: While the English complain “it’s not my cup of tea,” the Portuguese say “não é a minha praia”—“it’s not my beach.” The phrase shows how central the beach is to Portuguese life. Inhabitants of Lisbon and Porto will rush out to the cities’ suburban shores at weekends, even in mornings and evenings before and after work. Most beaches have cool bars or restaurants that serve up wonderful fresh shellfish or grilled fish. Surfers from around the world flock to ride the rollers along the west coast at places like Aljezur, Ericeira, and Peniche.
Wine tasting at a quinta: Port wine from the Douro region has been a major Portuguese export for centuries, but the world has only recently woken up to the wonders of the country’s other wines: darkly brooding reds, playful white vinho verdes from the Minho, bubbly espumantes, sweet moscatels. Excellent tipples are produced the length and breadth of the country, but the Douro region’s terraced hills stand out for their beauty. Sampling wines in one of the Douro’s historic estates (quintas) while gazing out over the landscape is unforgettable.
Watching the sun set at the end of the earth: The ancients believed the remote Sagres Peninsula at the southwestern tip of Europe was the end of the earth. Prince Henry the Navigator set up there to plot the Age of Discoveries. There are few better places to watch the sun go down. Crowds gather around the clifftop fort and lighthouse at nearby Cape St. Vincent to see the sun turn the sky orange before sinking beneath the waves. There’s nothing but the Atlantic between here and New York. The cocktails served in the fortress cafe help keep out the sometimes chilly winds.
Party with the saints: Lisbon’s biggest party comes on June 13. To honor Saint Anthony (Santo António), its patron, the city engages in all-night revelry. The streets in the oldest neighborhoods fill with the whiff of sardines on the grill and the sound of guitars and accordions. Hordes of revelers quaffing beer and red wine dance into the wee hours. Celebrations are most intense in the district that wins the marchas populares contest, a singing costumed promenade down the capital’s main boulevard. Eleven days later it’s Porto’s turn, on the night of Saint John (São João). The second-city’s party includes a spectacular fireworks display over the Douro.
Walking a levada: The island of Madeira is crisscrossed with more than 2,092km (1,300 miles) of hiking trails that follow narrow stone irrigation channels, known as levadas. Walking them offers wonderful views of the island’s mountainous interior and out over the deep blue Atlantic all around. Many lead though the Laurisilva forest, what’s left of the semitropical native vegetation that covered the island before Portuguese explorers arrived in 1419. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most scenic is Levada do Caldeirão Verde, which snakes 4 miles though verdant glades and tumbling ocean views before arriving at a 91-meter (300-ft.) waterfall.
Taking to the waves on the Tagus: Lisbon’s cutest mode of public transport are the tiny streetcars that weave through the narrow streets. But the famed Tram 28 has fallen victim to its reputation and is now swamped with tourists. A more authentic journey would be to join the thousands of Lisbonites who commute from the south bank of the River Tagus into the city on little orange ferry boats called cacilheiros. For 1.30€ you can admire an unrivaled view of the Lisbon skyline as the boat chugs across for the 10-minute voyage to the dock at Cacilhas, where there’s a welcoming row of riverside seafood restaurants.
Portugal’s best Villages & Small Towns
Tavira: While much of the central Algarve coast has been scarred by mass tourism, the region’s eastern and western extremities retain their charm. Nowhere more so than this little town, where noble 17th-century homes line the riverside, narrow streets are filled with restaurants and cafes, and small boats can whisk you to near-deserted island beaches. See p. 227.
Óbidos: Clustered around its 12th-century castle, this is one of Portugal’s best-preserved medieval towns. Its maze of cobbled lanes connects whitewashed houses with bright blue or yellow trim. The town is also famed for its bookshops, its sweet cherry liqueur, and the white sands of its lagoon that opens out into the Atlantic nearby. See p. 193.
Belmonte: Birthplace of the explorer who discovered Brazil and home to a Jewish community that preserved its faith in secret through centuries of persecution, Belmonte is built from granite hewn from the remote central highlands. Among the rough stone buildings are a 13th-century castle and the ruined tower dating back to Roman times. See p. 328.
Amarante: Inland from Porto, Amarante sits on a tree-lined curve in the River Tâmega. Its Renaissance-style riverside church, built with Spanish and Italian influences out of soft golden local stone, is surrounded by townhouses rising up the hillside and spreading along the riverbank. It is home to a fine luxury hotel, a surprising museum of modern art, and famed cafes serving sweet almond- and cinnamon-flavored pastries. See p. 365.
Marvão: As dramatic locations go, this could hardly be better. Marvão is perched on a rocky crag rising 860 meters (2,800 ft.) out of the Alentejo plain. It stood as a frontier post for centuries, fought over by Celts and Romans, Muslims and Christians, Castilians and Portuguese. Inside its medieval battlements, the old whitewashed town has survived all those battles. Views are extraordinary, especially if you’re there at dawn or sunset. See p. 290.
Angra do Heroísmo: The history-packed capital of Terceira island in the Azores permits residents to choose from 18 authorized shades for painting their houses. The result is a riot of pastel facades huddled around a couple of Atlantic coves and framed by volcanic slopes covered in grass of the deepest green. The city was a key staging post for the Portuguese trading empire and served as an inspiration for colonial ports across Latin America. See p. 448.
Miranda do Douro: Located on the edge of a canyon formed by the River Douro on Portugal’s northeast frontier, Miranda has been a land that time forgot since 1762, when invading Spaniards blew up a big part of it and the authorities decamped farther from the border. Isolation has allowed the town to maintain its own unique language, Mirandese, and traditions like the war dance performed by local men wearing frilly skirts and striped woolen socks. There’s a sturdy stone cathedral and cobbled streets lined with centuries-old homes. It’s also famed for steak. See p. 410.
Piodão: Huddled on a terraced hillside in a remote corner of the Açor mountains in the center of the country, homes here are made from dark, almost black schist stone with slate roofs. In dramatic counterpoint is the little parish church, a wedding-cake confection in purest white with pale blue trim. At dusk, when the village glitters with yellow lights, it resembles a Neapolitan nativity scene. It’s a great base for hiking the hills or sampling hearty highland dishes like goat slow-cooked in red wine. See p. 328.
Ponte de Lima: Once a Roman outpost, Ponte de Lima lays claim to being the oldest village in Portugal. It’s defined by the ancient stone bridge that arches over the slow-moving River Lima and connects the village to the slender tower of St. Anthony’s Church on the west bank. Ponte de Lima is packed with historic mansions whose balconies overflow with summer flowers. It’s set in the verdant hills of the Minho region and surrounded by baroque estates producing crisp vinho verde wines. See p. 386.
Mértola: Clinging to a high ridge over the River Guadiana, this picturesque collection of white-painted houses surrounded by medieval walls was the capital of an Arab kingdom in the Middle Ages. Its parish church was a mosque with a multi-columned interior—a rare survivor of Islamic architecture in Portugal. Wandering its ancient streets, it’s not hard to imagine its golden age as a cosmopolitan river port. The river provides swimming and kayaking opportunities, and local restaurants thrive on boar, hare, and other game hunted in the wild surroundings. See p. 290.
Portugal’s best Beaches
Porto Santo: Madeira Island lacks beaches, but a 2-hour boat trip (or 15-min. flight) away is one of Portugal’s best. The little island of Porto Santo boasts a 10km (6 mile) stretch of golden sand stretching around a bay of still blue water with views across the mountains of Madeira on the horizon. See p. 428.
Cabanas: Cabanas is a little fishing village just outside the Algarve town of Tavira. After lunching in one of the great waterfront seafood joints, hop on one of the skiffs that skim across the blue lagoon to a sandbar island flanked with over 5km (3 miles) of soft yellow sand. See p. 229.
Praia da Marinha: Coves of pale sand nestled beneath honeycomb cliffs, near the resort of Carvoeiro, this is one of the most iconic Algarve beaches. In summer, you won’t have it to yourself, but its distance from the main resorts means it does not get as crowded as most along this stretch of coast. See p. 235.
Comporta: A endless curve of platinum-blond sand in a bay of sapphire blue water. It’s achingly beautiful, with the Arrábida hills in the distance. With the shabby-chic village of Comporta on the other side of the dunes, this is the most fashionable spot on the coast. Be careful you don’t bump into Madonna or Maria Sharapova as you head from the seafood desk to the water, and make sure you’re inside before mosquito time around sunset. See p. 190.
Guincho: In the lee of Europe’s westernmost point at Capo da Roca, this broad expanse of sand is the most dramatic of the beaches in the Cascais-Sintra area west of Lisbon. Its exposure to Atlantic breezes whipping around the cape means that except on rare calm days, it’s better for surfers and wind sports rather than laying out on the sand. But the views are dramatic, and there are excellent restaurants along the coast road. See p. 150.
Supertubos: Portugal’s surfer beach par excellence. Although the waves here are not as big as the record-breaking rollers up the coast in Nazaré, this strand, just south of the fishing town of Peniche, is renowned for the regularity of its perfect tubular waves crashing on to the soft sand. See p. 204.
Quiaios: Look north from the Serra da Boa Viagem hills above the resort of Figueira da Foz and Quiaios beach stretches as far as you can see—an endless strip of sand backed by dunes and pine forest. There’s a small village at the southern end, and beyond that, solitude. Care can be needed with riptides; check with the lifeguard. See p. 310.
Moledo: Portugal’s northernmost beach has long been a favorite for the in-crowd from Porto. A vast sandy expanse, it curves down from the River Minho that forms the border with Spain. It is overlooked by the conical outline of Mount Santa Tecla over the frontier and a 15th-century fort on a small offshore island. As with other northern beaches, the water can be cold, the wind fresh, and the mornings shrouded in mist, but there is no denying the wild beauty of the location. See p. 401.
Portugal’s best Hotels
Belmond Reid’s Palace (Funchal): The grand old lady of Madeira hotels was built in 1890s and was once the favored retreat of Sir Winston Churchill. Tea and scones are still served on the terrace at 5pm as a reminder of the time when the British upper set wintered here, but Reid’s has managed to shed a one-time fusty image without losing any of its period charm or superlative service standards. It’s wonderfully located amid clifftop gardens overlooking the Atlantic. See p. 430.
Dá Licença (Estremoz): Two guys from the Parisian antique and fashion world have transformed an Alentejo farmstead into a work of art. Each of the enormous, light-filled suites and rooms is decorated with great style using locally mined marble and unique pieces from their world-class collection of art nouveau furniture and design. There are private pools hewn from marble and views, citrus groves and thousands of olive trees and the opportunity to take dinner in art-themed private dining rooms. See p. 282.
Le Monumental Palace (Porto):This long derelict 1920s palace has been rescued by French investors who have restored its Jazz Age glamor. It blends Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco styles with sensitive modern touches. The pavement-level cafe is again a city social hub; rooms are “grand hotel” elegant, and the deluxe spa ensures premium pampering on the main boulevard of Portugal’s second city. See p. 348.
Palácio de Seteais (Sintra): The Dutch ambassador owned one of the most romantic palaces in Portugal, built in the 1780s on a forested hillside in Sintra. They say the name came later: “Sete ais” translates as “seven sighs,” apparently uttered by Portuguese nobles forced to sign a humiliating treaty here after an 1807 defeat by Napoleon’s invading armies. Any sighing you’re likely to do today will be from pleasure—at the views, the lavish gardens, the gloriously restored neoclassical building, and the chance to plunge into the lifestyle of the old-world aristocracy. See p. 166.
Pousada Palacio de Estoi (Faro): Our pick from the Pousada chain of historic inns was built in the 1780s as a pleasure place for a viscount’s palace. Its rococo domes and towers are painted in raspberry and lemon shades overlooking gardens filled with palms, fountains, and rows of statues. The central salon is a downsized version of the Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors. In contrast, guestrooms are in the new wing built along minimalist-but-comfy lines by an award-winning architect. See p. 224.
Rio do Prado (Óbidos): On the road from the white town of Óbidos to pristine west-coast beaches is this friendly eco-chic resort formed by concrete cubicles that blend into the grass. It might not sound tempting, but the bungalows are intriguingly crafted to allow in sunlight and decorated with sustainable good taste, with private patios, fireplaces inside and out, and theatrical stand-alone tubs. The garden is a delight, and the property’s organic herb and vegetable plot supplies the restaurant. See p. 198.
Six Senses Douro Valley (Lamego): Probably the most pampering you can get at any one place, this was the first European resort with the sensory overload approach of Asian luxury specialist Six Senses. It has acres of land among the Douro’s riverside vineyards, a match of award-winning contemporary design with the charm of the original 19th-century mansion, great restaurants, and a superlative spa. See p. 375.
The Independente (Lisbon): Lisbon has a reputation for some of the world’s hippest hostels, and this is one of the best: at the heart of the action in the Bairro Alto nightlife zone and with great views over the city. It has basic dorm bunks for as little as 10€ including breakfast—and this in a palatial, early-20th-century residence originally built for the Swiss ambassador! A couple of cool restaurants are in the building along with a rooftop bar. There are also some charming private suites, for those who can afford to pay for privacy. See p. 79.
Verride Palácio Santa Catarina (Lisbon): An 18th-century palace restored and renovated as one of the capital’s most luxurious. You’ll gape at marble arches, panels of antique tiles, and the monumental staircase. On the roof, the pool and bar/restaurant gift guests with 360-degree views over the rooftops and River Tagus. The king-size royal suites are draped in lemon-yellow silk and stucco work like piped cream. It’s regal but has a laidback and unstuffy feel. See p. 76.
Vidago Palace (Chaves): Of all Portugal’s grand old spa hotels, this is the grandest. Built in 1910 on the orders of King Carlos I, who wanted a resort to rival the best of Europe, it oozes Belle Epoque glamour. Built over natural spring waters reputed for their curative properties since Roman times, it is surrounded by 100 hectares (250 acres) of forested parkland. Inside, expect expanses of marble, silk wall hangings, and monumental staircases, all tastefully restored when the hotel reopened in 2010. The gourmet restaurant and 18-hole golf course are bonuses. It’s an hour’s drive from Porto in the heart of Trás-os-Montes. See p. 406.
Portugal’s best Restaurants
Belcanto (Lisbon): Lisbon’s finest fine dining, the flagship of star chef José Avillez with two Michelin stars. Avillez brings a refined but irreverent approach to his cooking, which is revolutionary but firmly rooted in Portuguese traditions. His exquisite tasting menus can feature radical reworkings of classics like roast suckling pig or the country’s Sunday lunch favorite—cozido (a one-pot of boiled meats and vegetables). Recently expanded into bigger premises next door, it still keeps the elegant and intimate feel, on a plaza facing the opera house. See p. 87.
Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Porto): First the location: surging out of rocks lapped by the Atlantic surf. Then the building: Built as a teahouse in the 1960s, this low-rise concrete-glass-and-wood construction is an early masterwork by architectural genius Álvaro Siza Vieira. Then the food, produced by starred chef Rui Paula, whose ocean menu features scallop with black radish and red mullet with cashew and cassava. See p. 355.
Casa dos Passarinhos (Lisbon): No visit to Portugal is complete without eating in a tasca. These are simple taverns, serving up hearty portions of traditional food to hungry workers. This is one of the best: just two simple dining rooms, which fill up quick. Garlicky bread mush with shrimp, deep-fried cuttlefish, and griddled steaks are among the specialties. See p. 95.
A Casa Guedes (Porto): Sandwiches are big in Porto, and it’s hard to beat the roast pork lathered with marinade and cooking juices and slapped into fist-size rolls in this retro hole-in-the-wall. If you really want to push the boat out, grab one with an added portion of creamy queijo da serra sheep’s cheese. Wash down with cold vinho verde or a black beer. See p. 358.
Chico Elias (Tomar): Chef Maria do Céu is in her eighties but still works the ovens to produce the slow-roasted dishes that make this rustic eatery, beside the UNESCO-listed Knights Templar stronghold, a temple of traditional food. You should call at least 24 hours in advance to order her best dishes like rabbit cooked in pumpkin or baked codfish with acorn-sweetened pork. Celebrity photos on the walls bear witness to the timeless appeal. See p. 268.
Fialho (Évora): The cooking of the Alentejo region is considered by many Portuguese to be the country’s best. It’s based on acorn-reared pork, free-range lamb, game in season, the finest olive oils, and organically grown produce. For more than 70 years, this family-run restaurant has been an ambassador for the region’s authentic cruise. The roast lamb is sublime, the rice with wild pigeon delectable, the sliced black pork heavenly. A national treasure (p. 278).
Midori (Sintra): For a Portuguese chef to win a Michelin star with Japanese cooking takes some doing. But Pedro Almeida has done just that, using the freshest local seafood to craft a fabulously creative fusion of East and West in a luxury resort set among forested hills outside Lisbon. His kaiseki fixed menus bring a parade of complex morsels like red mullet sashimi with butter sauce and miso, or nigiri of striped Algarve shrimp with finger lime. See p. 169.
O Sapo (Penafiel): Before entering, loosen your belt. Better still, don’t wear a belt. Portugal’s north is famed for eating large, but this rustic place takes it all a step further. They’ll start by loading your table with wooden platters filled with appetizers—smoked meats, cheeses, fried balls of salt cod, pigs’-ear salad, egg with cornbread, and so on. Just go with the flow, but remember to leave space for the mighty, meaty main courses. Help it down with the local red vinho verde served in china mugs. See p. 364.
Cervejaria Ramiro (Lisbon): Bright, noisy, and invariably crowded, Ramiro is the monarch of the marisqueiras—specialty seafood restaurants. The idea is to order a succession of shellfish dishes: clams steamed with garlic and cilantro, whole crabs (you get a mallet to smash the claws), shrimp in various sizes, goose barnacles that must be wrestled from their leathery sheaths. It’s traditional to follow up with a steak sandwich. Be prepared to stand in line, it’s very popular. See p. 88.
Restinga (Portimão): One of Portugal’s great gastronomic pleasures is sitting at a beachside restaurant watching the waves roll up to the shore while tucking into expertly prepared seafood that was swimming about beneath those same waves a few hours before. There are many swell places to do that in the Algarve, but Restinga takes the concept a step further. It’s located on a glorious beach and next to a shellfish-rich lagoon. Start with fried shrimp or fish soup, then settle down to a whole grilled bream, bass, or other fish as the main event. See p. 245.
Portugal’s best Palaces & Castles
Palácio Nacional da Pena (Sintra): An extraordinary 19th-century confection sitting atop the Sintra hills, this palace was built by King consort Ferdinand II, the German husband of Portugal’s Queen Maria II. It boasts a potpourri of styles—Neo-Gothic, Moorish revival, imitation Renaissance, pastiches of Portugal’s maritime-inspired Manueline—inspired by the romantic mountaintop fantasy castles of Bavaria. Painted in shocking reds and yellows, it looms over thick forests, a palace fit for fairytales. See p. 162.
Forte da Graça (Elvas): As Portugal battled to regain its independence from Spain in the 1640s, the border town of Elvas held a key position on the road from Madrid to Lisbon. To fortify it, they brought in a German military architect, who built the biggest fort of its type in the world. A massive series of defensive walls and ditches circle the pretty, whitewashed town. The city fortifications and the aqueduct ensuring the inhabitants could get water even during a siege are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See p. 284.
Casa de Mateus (Vila Real): Familiar around the world to fans of the rosé wine that bears its name and image on the label, this is the most beautiful of the baroque manor houses scattered around the wine lands of northern Portugal. The reflecting pool out front perfectly duplicates the white-and-gray stone facade with its double staircase and decorative spires, partly the work of the great Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni in the 1740s. It’s surrounded by delightful formal gardens. See p. 407.
Palácio de Mafra (Mafra): This was originally supposed to be a convent, but King João V decided he’d spend some of his Brazilian gold-mine riches expanding it. The result is a monster-size mix of church and royal residence covering an area bigger than seven football fields. Completed in 1755, its vast yellow-painted facade dominates the little town of Mafra. Inside, the royal apartments and old hospital are well worth visiting, but the real treasure is the rococo library lined with almost 40,000 books dating back to the 14th century. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site in 2019. See p. 171.
Portugal’s best Museums
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon): If you go to one museum in Portugal, this should be it. Whatever your taste in art—from ancient Egyptian funeral masks to French Impressionist paintings, Persian carpets to Lalique jewelry—you’re sure to find something interesting. The remarkable collection was amassed by Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian (1869–1955), who found a home in neutral Portugal during World War II. The museum complex also includes concert halls and a separate modern art museum, all housed in discreet 1960s buildings integrated into shady gardens that are a peaceful getaway in the heart of the city. See p. 116.
Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Lisbon): Wherever you go in Portugal you’ll see azulejos—painted ceramic tiles used to decorate buildings inside and out, from ancient churches to modern metro stations. The best place to understand this thoroughly Portuguese art form is this museum situated in a 16th-century convent in Lisbon’s riverside Madre de Deus neighborhood. The collection contains tiles dating back over 600 years. Highlights include a giant panel showing Lisbon before the great earthquake of 1755 and the convent church filled with tiles and gold leaf. See p. 113.
Serralves (Porto): Porto’s modern art museum is housed in a fine Art Deco villa and a purpose-built contemporary gallery designed by local architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. It holds a huge collection of Portuguese and international art from the 20th and 21st centuries and hosts temporary exhibitions, serving as the most dynamic cultural center in the north. Its latest big acquisition was more than 80 works by Spanish surrealist Joan Miró. See p. 343.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisbon): The country’s best collection of Portuguese and international painting is housed in a 17th-century palace high on a cliff overlooking the River Tagus. Much of the collection was brought together from monasteries and noble homes after the civil war of the 1830s. Among the highlights: the nightmarish Temptations of St. Anthony by Hieronymus Bosch; Japanese screen paintings showing the arrival of Portuguese mariners in the 16th century; and Nuno Gonçalves’ Panels of St. Vincent, depicting Lisbon society at the time of the Discoveries. The gardens at the back offer peaceful views over the river. See p. 111.
Museu Colecção Berardo (Lisbon): In the depths of the bunker-like Centro Cultural de Belém is a groundbreaking collection of modern and contemporary art. It was put together by Joe Berardo, an emigrant from Madeira who made a fortune in South Africa. The museum covers the greats of 20th-century art including Jackson Pollack, Roy Liechtenstein, and Giorgio de Chirico, along with cutting-edge artists of today. See p. 110.
Portugal’s best Churches & Abbeys
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Lisbon): Begun in 1502 in the riverside Belém district, this great monastery is the best example of the Manueline style developed in Portugal to combine late-Gothic and Renaissance architecture with motifs inspired by the great maritime voyages of discovery. Built from white limestone, the soaring nave of the main church building looks almost organic, like a coral-and-algae-crusted sea cave. Inside are the tombs of explorer Vasco da Gama and poets Luís de Camões and Fernando Pessoa. The cloister, decorated by fine Manueline stonework, is a delight. See p. 108.
Santa Maria de Alcobaça (Alcobaça): Don’t be fooled by the ornate baroque facade added in the 18th century. This church was founded in 1153 by Portugal’s founding father, King Afonso Henriques. Inside, the slender, soaring nave is done in unadorned early-Gothic style, then newly imported from France by Cistercian monks. The church is the resting place of several medieval royals, among them King Pedro II and his murdered mistress Inês de Castro, whose tragic story has long inspired poets and musicians. Their extravagant tombs are treasures of Gothic stonework. See p. 196.
Igreja de São Francisco (Porto): Porto’s “Golden Church” doesn’t look like much from its plain Gothic exterior. But inside it is a gilded grotto, shimmering from floor to ceiling with wood carvings coated in gold leaf, a technique known as talha dourada developed by Portuguese craftsmen in the 18th century when the precious metal was pouring in from Brazilian mines. The church dates back to 1244. Amid all the gold, the towering “Tree of Jesse” sculpture showing the family tree of Jesus is a standout. See p. 337.
Mosteiro da Batalha (Batalha): In 1385, a Portuguese army defeated a much larger Spanish invasion force in a field south of Leiria, guaranteeing the country’s independence for 200 years. To mark the victory, King João I, who led the troops, erected near the battlefield this masterpiece of the Flamboyant style of Gothic architecture. Using local limestone that glows golden in the setting sun, a succession of architects brought in influences from France, England, and beyond to make a unique construction. Unfortunately, 20th-century planners were less gifted, placing a busy highway close to the main facade. See p. 209.
Convento de Cristo (Tomar): Another World Heritage Site, this convent in the pretty little town of Tomar once served as headquarters for the Knights Templar, who held off a siege by Arab forces in 1190. Around that time, they built a circular church at the center of the convent, taking as their model the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Inside, it is richly decorated with Gothic sculptures and paintings. Successive Portuguese monarchs kept adding to the grandeur of the convent, particularly during the Discoveries period, adorning it with some of the best examples of Manueline stonework. See p. 265.
