65 Best Sights in Northern Portugal, Portugal

With a superb late-Gothic portal, this church in the center of the city has a single solid tower with bells that gleam in the sun. Construction on this church began at the end of the 15th century and was completed in the early 16th. Mass is daily at 7 pm, with more services on weekends.

Some 6 km (4 miles) northwest of Braga, this impressive Benedictine monastery was built in the 11th century and rebuilt again at the end of the 19th century. You can tour four cloisters, which have some fine examples of azulejos, and also the extensive grounds, once the source of most of the monks' food and drink and where grapes are once again being grown to make vinho verde.

The Rio Cávado, crossed by a medieval bridge, is shaded by overhanging trees and bordered by municipal gardens. High above the river stands the ruin of the medieval Paço dos Condes (Palace of the Counts), where you'll find the Barcelos Archaeological Museum. Among the empty sarcophagi and stone crosses is the 14th-century crucifix known as the Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo (Cross of the Lord of the Rooster). According to local legend, after sentencing an innocent man to death, a judge prepared to dine on a roast fowl. When the condemned man said, "I'll be hanged if that rooster doesn't crow," the rooster flew from the table and the man's life was spared. The Barcelos rooster is on sale in pottery form throughout the town; indeed, it's become something of a national symbol.

Created in 1919 by António Maria Pereira Júnior, the Escola de Rendas (Lace-Making School) is attached to the Museu das Rendas de Bilros de Vila do Conde. Here you can see beautiful examples of lace from the region and from around the world.

The beautifully preserved convent buildings surrounding the Colegiada de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira house this museum, known for its beautiful displays of religious art, medieval statuary, and coats of arms. The highlight is a 14th-century silver triptych of the Nativity that's full of animation and power. It's said to have been captured from the king of Castile at the Battle of Aljubarrota and presented to the victorious Dom João I, whose tunic, worn at the battle, is preserved in a glass case nearby.

Artifacts from the old Roman city known as Bracara Augusta (founded 15 BC), from which Braga derives its name, are showcased at this museum. A 1st-century mosaic found on-site during construction is impressive, but there are many other fascinating items dating from prehistoric through to medieval times.

Chaves-born Nadir Afonso (1920–2013) worked as an architect with the likes of Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, and also made waves as a painter. Many of his most important works are on display at this sleek museum, designed by his still more famous compatriot, Álvaro Siza Vieira.

A 10-minute walk west from the Praça da República takes you to the impressive mansion that houses the beautiful Museu de Artes Decorativas. The early-18th-century interior has been carefully preserved, including some lovely tile panels. The collection of 17th-century ceramics and ornate period furniture shows how wealthy many of Viana's merchants were.

A five-minute walk from the medieval bridge, this amazing museum has a collection comprising more than 9,000 pieces of pottery from various epochs and from all over the world, particularly Portuguese-language countries. It all makes for a fascinating showcase of traditional pottery techniques and styles. There are also workshops and a documentation center.  If you have trouble finding the place, look for the massive rooster out front.

Housed in a former bishop's palace, the Museu do Abade de Baçal is named after Francisco Manuel Alves (1865–1948), a local abbot with a deep interest in the region's history and art, who contributed to the museum's creation. Its collections includes archaeological discoveries such as boar-shaped fertility symbols, tombstones with pinwheel patterns, and ancient coins.

Viana is known for its colorful traditional outfits, making the Costume Museum an important city landmark. Displays show how colors and patterns vary, even from village to village, as well as how the garments are made by hand. A separate room showcases the rich regional tradition of working in precious metals. The museum shop is an excellent place to pick up jewelry, traditional embroidery, and other craft items.

If you can't make your visit to the region coincide with one of the festivals in which local lads wearing wooden masks roam the streets, the Museu Ibérico da Máscara e do Traje is definitely worth a visit. A joint Portuguese-Spanish initiative, it has displays on the celebrations in villages across Trás-os-Montes and in Zamora, over the border. The many costumes on show are riotously colorful and the masks strikingly carved. Information in English is available.

At the top of the Largo do Toural is this excellent archaeological museum contained within the cloister of the Igreja de São Domingos. This privately run institution has rich finds from the Iron Age settlement of Citânia de Briteiros northwest of Guimarães, which makes it a logical stop before or after visiting the site. There are also Lusitanian and Roman stone sarcophagi, a strange miniature bronze chariot, various weapons, and elaborate ornaments. Two finds stand out: the decorative, carved stone slabs known as the pedras formosas (beautiful stones)—one of which was found at a funerary monument at Briteiros—and the huge, prehistoric granite Colossus of Pedralva, a figure of brutal power thought to have been used in ancient fertility rites.

The elegant rooms in this baroque mansion, which houses a museum of the same name, are furnished in 18th-century style and display silver and porcelain collections. The ground floor of the palace is flagstone, which allowed carriages to run through the interior to the stables beyond. At the back of the palace is a formal garden with decorative tiles.

These 185,000 acres of rolling hills comprise one of the most remote and least developed areas of the country. The park is home to a growing population of Iberian wolves, which you're not likely to see except on a guided nature tour. In the villages that dot the park, some ancient traditions survive. Rio de Onor, right on the Spanish border, has traditional dwellings where livestock inhabit the ground floor and humans live in the story above, to be warmed by the animals' body heat in the region's bitterly cold winters. As well as the information on the park on the official website for Portugal's protected areas, there's an Interpretation Center (closed Mon.) in Vinhais, 33 km (20 miles) west of Bragança, with displays on the park and its wildlife, a library, and a café. In addition, local association Montesinho Vivo ( montesinhovivo.pt) offers tips (currently in Portuguese only) on how to visit and stay in the area. For maps and full details of hiking trails, stop by the tourist office in Bragança. 

Extending along 16 km (10 miles) of the coastline north and south of Esposende is the Parque Natural do Litoral Norte, an important haven for birds and plant life. As well as dune habitats through which you can wander on boardwalks, it includes the river beaches of the Cávado estuary and pine and oak forest. Guided visits of up to 10 people can be arranged, but for those who prefer solo exploration, the trails are clearly marked. Depending on which part of the park you are headed for, Autoviação do Minho buses can take you to Fão (for Ofir) and Apúlia, farther south.

The old windmills that line Apúlia Beach are no longer in use but have been repurposed as charming rental cottages. Sand dunes protect this notoriously windy beach, making it a perfectly sheltered spot for families. The waters here are famous for their medicinal purposes because they contain high levels of iodine. You might see locals collecting seaweed, which is used as fertilizer for nearby farms. There are umbrellas and boat rentals. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: windsurfing.

Colorful tents on the clean and coarse sand of the craggy beach Praia de Mindelo create a shield from inconvenient winds. From Vila do Conde, take the EN13 for 7½ km (4 miles) south to reach the beach access at the small fishing village of Mindelo—a drive of about 10 minutes. From Mindelo metro station, it's a 30-minute walk to the beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee). Best for: walking; windsurfing.

It may lack Lisbon’s sunshine, but the coast around Porto has picture-perfect beaches. Just 14 km (9 miles south of the city) is the pretty seaside town of Miramar, where a 17th-century chapel, the Capela do Senhor da Pedra, stands proudly on a rocky headland that juts out from the sandy beach. The Praia de Miramar is usually pleasantly uncrowded, and good for swimming in the summer, while the wind whips up surfer-pleasing waves in the chilly winter. The beach is a 10-minute walk from Miramar metro station. Amenities: parking (no fee); food and drink; water sports. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

South of the Cávado River, Ofir's beach is one of the most beautiful stretches of sand along northern Portugal's coast. Huge dunes are bordered by rows of pine trees, which give way to rocks that jut out into the water and are visible at low tide. These rock formations are known locally as "the horses of Fão." Surfers usually hang out on the beach's southern stretch, but there's plenty of room for families farther north. There are also restaurants and beach bars just behind the dunes and huts that rent out umbrellas, windsurfing equipment, and boats. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: solitude; sunset; windsurfing.

The town's best face is presented in the old streets that radiate from the Praça da República. The most striking building here is the Casa da Misericórdia, an 18th-century almshouse, whose two upper stories are supported, unusually, by tall caryatids (carved, draped female figures). The square's stone fountain, also Renaissance in style, harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding buildings, which include the restored town hall and its lofty arcades.

This vinho verde estate at Penafiel, halfway between Porto and Amarante, has been in the Guedes family since at least the 16th century. Visitors can book a tasting (from €8 for three wines) or for a few more euros combine it with a tour that takes in the old cellar with its 300 barrels, and the famous Romantic garden, with its lovely plants and centuries-old trees. Aveleda is known for its fine aguardentes, and connoisseurs can book a private tour and tasting of five such brandies, aged up to 30 years.

Dating back to 1615, this large estate on the right bank of the Rio Douro developed from more ancient origins—its name being a corruption of the Latin "castrum," a fortified Roman camp—but has been in the Roquette family for a little over a century. Quinta do Crasto is known for its premium ports but also for its red and white table wines; it also produces fine olive oils. Reservations must be made to visit the winery, with the tour followed by a tasting (from €39 for five wines) or a lunch with wine pairing (from €94).

On the steep banks of the Távora River, a tributary of the Douro, and about 30 km (19 miles) from Lamego, the Quinta do Panascal produces grapes exclusively for Fonseca port wine, making it the ideal winery to visit for fans of the tipple, especially it you want to roll up without booking ahead. The winery's excellent audio guide leads you through the vines of various grape varieties, and then to the adega with its old granite tanks and wooden vats, before ending in a tasting of three or more ports. You can also book a private visit guided by a staff member.

This family-owned estate 11 km (7 miles) north of Pinhão draws architecture buffs with its prize-winning winery, designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira with an extraordinary schist and cork "skin." It is possible to visit just for a winery tour and tasting of three wines (from €30 per person, minimum of two), but gourmets come for the restaurant's wine-paired tasting menus (€62, plus €18 for the wines) that showcase locally sourced ingredients in updated regional dishes, although there are also à la carte options. There's a nice little hotel attached with 16 rooms, four of them in an old olive press building.

This part of the coastline is where you'll find the Mindelo Ornithological Reserve, which became Portugal's first protected area in 1957. One of the few remaining swaths of undeveloped land in the region around Porto, it has 1,500 acres of dunes, fields, and wetlands. It's home to more than 80 bird species and is an important haven for amphibians. The reserve is a 20-minute drive from Vila do Conde; you can also take the metro to Varziela or Espaço Natureza, from where it's a 15-minute walk to the marked trails—or to the boardwalk along the dunes.

This huge cathedral was originally Romanesque but is now an impressively cohesive blend of styles. The delicate Renaissance stone tracery on the roof is particularly eye-catching. Access for visitors is from Rua do Cabido, or from the side entrance, next to Rua D. Diogo de Sousa; in the Cloister reception area you can buy tickets for tours of different parts of the complex. The cathedral's Treasury museum has a fascinating collection, including a 14th-century crystal cross set in bronze. From the magnificent coro alto (upper choir), which you can cross as part of a guided tour, there are views of the great baroque double organ. Across the cloister, you'll see the Capela dos Reis (Kings' Chapel), a 14th-century chapel containing the tombs of Afonso Henriques's parents, Henry of Burgundy and his wife, Teresa.

For sweeping views of the town, board this cable car that whisks you up to the top of Mount Penha in 10 minutes. The journey ends with a nice view from the gardens that overlook the city. The climb down is steep, so it's best to come back down by the same means.

The city's most prominent landmark is this great, blunt, 14th-century castle keep, set in a garden surrounded by ramparts that offer grand views of the town and river. The tower itself houses the Military Museum, part of the Museu da Região Flaviense (Flaviense Regional Museum), the rest of whose collection---mainly local archeological finds---are presented in a free display across the road in the former palace of the Dukes of Bragança. 

When Jorge Matias exchanged his dress shoes and a tie for flip-flops and tours, his friends began calling him "pé-descalço" (barefoot), and thus Jorge Barefoot was born. Jorge runs winery tours—he drives so you can drink as much as you like and watch the scenery go by—and you can choose a one-hour trek in Casal de Loivos or a half-day trip to the nearby village Provesende. Jorge also runs historical, walking, and boat tours.