571 Best Sights in Portugal

Olho de Boi ("Bull's Eye") is the local name for the riverfront area at the foot of Almada's Panoramic Elevator. From here enjoy incredible views over the Ponte 25 de Abril and across the shimmering river to Lisbon. Stroll through the pleasant green space at Jardim do Rio and past a rather ramshackle collection of warehouses to reach the area's Naval Museum in one direction and the famous Ponto Final riverfront restaurant in the other. Watch your step after dark.

The jewel in the crown of this winery set in a late-16th-century mansion is its box-hedged garden and striking azulejos. Visitors can tour the building, gardens, and wine cellars (advance bookings are advised). Among the highlights is the so-called Casa do Fresco, which houses the country's oldest azulejo panel. Dating to 1565, it depicts the story of Susanna and the Elders. Scattered elsewhere are dramatic bright blue sculptures, Moorish-influenced panels, fragrant groves of fruit trees, and enough restful spots to while away an afternoon.

At the entrance to the Jardim Municipal, only a part of this former royal palace remains. The existing wing was restored after a fire in 1916 and displays a row of paired, gracefully curved Manueline windows. On the building's south side there's a notable arcade of redbrick sawtooth arches. The palace has witnessed a number of historic events since its construction in the late 15th century. It was here, for instance, in 1497, that Vasco da Gama received his commission to command the fleet that would discover the sea route to India.

Built in the 17th century as Madeira's first fortress, the St. Lawrence Palace is still used as a military headquarters. Sumptuous rooms, a small military museum, and gardens are normally open to the public at 10 am and 3 pm. Check the website for occasional closures.

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.

The palace is readily identified by two massive stone towers with pointed battlements. These towers, once part of a medieval castle that protected the town, were later incorporated into this former residence of kings João I and João IV. Today it belongs to the Duke of Cadaval family. Many rooms are open to the public and welcome regular temporary exhibits. Since 2022, the ground floor is also home to a contemporary Portuguese restaurant called Cavalariça, an offshoot of a popular dining spot in Comporta.

Way off the beaten path and far from the city center, this palace by the modern district of Benfica and on the edge of Parque Florestal de Monsanto is one of Lisbon’s most beautiful buildings. Built in 1670, it’s known for some of the finest examples of Portuguese tile panels, both inside the palace and outside around the garden. It's tricky to reach by public transportation, but a taxi from the Jardim Zoológico metro stop, about a mile away, will be quick and inexpensive.

This 19th-century palace was featured in Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate. It initially belonged to the Biester family and was kept as a private residence until 2022, when it opened to the public for the first time. Much of the decor has been kept in its original form, from the ornate wooden staircases to the painted ceilings with floral motifs. The highlight, however, is the large windows that look out into Sintra’s hills. Take a stroll around the surrounding gardens, and you’ll spot the town’s major sites rising in the distance.

With a striking neoclassical pink facade, this sumptuous 18th-century palace features a Louis XIV–style interior inspired by the Palace of Versailles. In the basement is a former restaurant from the early 1900s, with an intriguing mix of esoteric symbols and neo-Gothic architecture. Before World War I, it was a casino. Today, it houses a tourist office and a shop selling reproductions from the country's state museums. It is scheduled to reopen for guided tours in mid-2025.

Built in 1802 as a royal residence, today the ornate neoclassical building functions as a museum, allowing visitors to see how Portuguese monarchs lived. Admire 18th- and 19th-century paintings, furniture, and tapestries, then pop into the neighboring Museu do Tesouro Real, a new addition filled with precious jewels, medals, and gifts. Both are a 20-minute walk up Calçada da Ajuda from the Museu Nacional dos Coches.

A palace built in the 1700s for a nun, who just so happened to be one of the king’s mistresses, is now the main branch of the Museu de Lisbon. The king spent summers at the palace, so a formal garden was laid out behind the building. There are peacocks roaming around, as well as a few ceramic animals created by the great 19th-century sculptor and satirist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. The museum houses a collection of archaeological finds, historic tile panels, paintings, and sculptures, all related to the history of Lisbon. A highlight is a model of the city, showing it as it was before it was laid to ruins in the 1755 earthquake.

This 16th-century sanctuary—perhaps the prettiest of Faro's churches—has an unusual altar set to the left of the main altar. It's entirely carved in gilded chestnut wood and a delicate frieze depicts the Last Supper. There's regular singing here, making for a spiritually uplifting break in the day.

Aveiro's opulent, palm-filled city park is the biggest green space in the city, attracting everybody from joggers and strolling couples to kids attracted by the playground and skate park. An open air kiosk, Café Macaca, is a lovely spot for a cold drink and a snack under the shade of the trees.

Abloom with flowers all year round, Santa Catarina Park covers an area of nearly nine acres, making it one of the largest parks on the island. It offers fantastic views over Funchal and its bay up to the Ponta do Garajau. In the center of the park rests the tiny Capela de Santa Catarina (St. Catherine's Chapel), built by Madeira's discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco in 1425. Just above the park is a pink mansion called Quinta Vigia, the residence of the president of Madeira—it's closed to the public but you can visit its 18th-century chapel, lined with beautiful tiles.

About 5 km (3 miles) west of Santana is a detour where the road quickly turns into a rough mountain track. Along a trail that passes by gorse bushes, the route leads into a wonderful forest. There are picnic tables and restrooms at the thatched-roof Casa das Queimadas, which is used by forest rangers. This marks the start of a great walk to Caldeirão Verde, a three- to four-hour round-trip hike to a dramatic waterfall.

Take respite from the crowds at this relaxing park next to the palacial Museu dos Condes Castro Guimarães. There are tree-shaded spots for picnickers, plus a large lawn for sunbathers (expect strolling ducks and peacocks for company). There's also a playground and a pleasant café.

This 80,000-acre nature park lies roughly 5 km (3 miles) northeast of Portalegre and extends north to the fortified town of Marvão and the spa town of Castelo de Vide, and south to the little hamlet of Esperança on the Spanish border. The sparsely inhabited park region is made up of small family plots, and sheepherding is the major occupation. The area is rich in wildlife, including many rare species of birds, as well as wild boars, deer, and wildcats. It's a pristine, quiet place for hiking, riding, or simply communing with nature, and you'll rarely spot another tourist for miles and miles.

This sparsely populated region straddles the border between Estremadura and the Ribatejo and is roughly midway between Lisbon and Coimbra. Within its 75,000 acres of scrublands and moors are small settlements, little has changed in hundreds of years, where farmers barely eke out a living. In this rocky landscape, stones are the main building material for houses, windmills, and the miles of walls used to mark boundary lines. In the village of Minde, on weekdays you can visit the Centro de Artes e Ofícios Roque Gameiro ( Rua Dr. António da Silva Totta 51) to see women weaving the rough but strikingly colored rugs for which this region is known. The park is well suited for leisurely hiking—with many well-marked trails—or cycling. If you're driving, the N362, which runs for approximately 45 km (28 miles) from Batalha in the north to Santarém in the south, is a good route. Another big local attraction is the area's subterranean caves, the largest of which are at Mira de Aire---another town with fine handicrafts displays at the Museu Industrial e Artesanal do Têxtil ( miat.pt/en, €6.50, closed Mondays except August). At these caves ( grutasmiradaire.com/en), for €8.70, you can take a 60-minute guided tour through illuminated limestone formations, water features, and stalagmites and stalactites.

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. 

A favorite destination for runners, hikers, cyclists, and triathletes, Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is renowned for its well-marked trails across the forest-covered slopes of the Serra da Sintra. It's also known for its wild beaches, towering sand dunes, and its abundant flora and fauna The bleakly beautiful Cabo da Roca and its lighthouse mark the continent's westernmost point and are the main reason that non-athletes make the journey to Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. The cliffs tumble to a frothing sea below, and on the cape a simple cross bears an inscription by Portuguese national poet Luís de Camões.

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.

Popular with families, the Parque Temático da Madeira features educational and just-for-fun activities set amid 17 acres of landscaped grounds. The term "theme park" is perhaps an overstatement, as the attractions are pretty tame. There's a playground, boating lake, miniature train, and a craft village demonstrating carving and weaving.

Porto da Cruz overlooks Penha de Águia, a rocky crag whose sheer cliffs tower over the neighboring village of São Roque do Faial. You can walk the steep path to the top in two or three hours, though the climb is tough and often slippery.

At this innovative interactive attraction you'll be whisked up to a glass-floored viewing platform alongside the beautiful Ponte 25 de Abril. You'll learn how this engineering marvel was constructed, get a glimpse inside one of the massive pillars, and take a virtual-reality tour of parts that nobody can otherwise reach.

Ribeiro Frio's lush mountains provide an unlikely setting for this trout farm, unlike any you might have seen before. A subtropical forest circles enormous tanks fed by chilly spring water where huge shoals of trout swim freely. It's a lovely place to stroll around, perhaps before a picnic lunch.

Just west of Angra, you’ll find not a beach per se, but rather a former fishing port transformed into a popular swimming area with a large concrete pier jutting out into the ocean. Swimmers can access the water by stairs, by diving in, or by holding a metal handrail as they walk right in. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

At these dramatic black basaltic natural rock pools about 20 km (12 miles) northwest of Horta, you’ll find two enclosed “pools” created from the ocean water, perfect for a dip without having to worry about waves; one pool is especially for children. It’s also possible to access the ocean directly here, though this is recommended only for strong swimmers as the waves can be substantial. There’s a concrete area around the pools suitable for lounging between swims. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

The Navy Planetarium is an immersive space that presents astronomical films with various themes several times per day. Headphones can be used to translate the presentations into English, and there are special sessions designed for kids.

Home to one of the only tea plantations in Europe, Gorreana has been cultivating organically grown black and green tea since 1883. A visit here is rather homespun; visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour (or a free guided tour) of the factory, with machinery dating from the 19th century, before helping themselves to samples of both hot and cold teas. There’s also a tearoom that serves light meals (along with tea, of course) and a shop to buy products to take home.

Lisbon's first bridge across the Tagus River, linking the Alcântara and Almada districts, is a double-decker suspension bridge that stands 230 feet above the water and stretches more than 2 km (1½ miles). Reminiscent of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, it's slightly shorter but still a spectacular sight from any direction. Cars and buses cross on the top tier while trains use the lower level, offering some great views. (The bridge is closed to cyclists and pedestrians.) Overlooking the bridge from a hill on the south bank is the Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue, which is smaller than its famous counterpart in Rio de Janeiro but still an imposing sight. The interactive Pilar 7 Bridge Experience lets you access a panoramic viewing platform.