571 Best Sights in Portugal

At the head of the shrine's huge esplanade is the towering neoclassical basilica built in the late 1920s, flanked on either side by a semicircular peristyle. Inside you will find the tombs of all three of the "little shepherds" who reported seeing the Virgin Mary.

The harbor at Peniche is the jumping-off point for excursions to the Berlengas Archipelago: six islets that are a nesting place for many migratory birds and a favorite spot for anglers and divers. Berlenga Grande, the largest of the group, is the site of a pretty lighthouse and the Forte de São João Baptista, a 17th-century fortress built to defend the area from pirates. There are trails around the island, including through caves. You can visit the islands by boat but, under a system introduced in 2022 to limit visitor numbers to 550 per day, you first need a €3 permit. Register on the website  berlengaspass.icnf.pt to buy a permit (several hours in advance, as it takes some time to be delivered). Boats fill up quickly in high season, so before buying the permit, first check availability with ferry company Viamar ( viamar-berlenga.com), which runs the 185-seat Cabo Avelar Pessoa once or twice a day from mid-May through September, or with one of the other companies that organize private trips year-round (all are listed on the Berlengas Pass website). It's a notoriously choppy crossing, so you may want to take something for motion sickness. The main island has a visitor center, a restaurant and bar, and a small guesthouse; it is also possible to camp or even stay in the fortress if you book ahead.

This former convent houses the municipal library and a gallery featuring temporary exhibitions on plastic arts. Originally erected in 1676, the building went through several extensions in the 18th century.

Just about the last thing you'd expect to find in rural Estremadura—about 10 minutes south of Óbidos—this landscaped "Garden of Peace" was inspired by the destruction in 2001 by the Afghanistan Taliban of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan—one of which is reproduced here. Buddhas of various shapes and sizes dot the lawns and surrounding forest, as well as carved gates, dragons, and hundreds of figures from China's ancient Terracotta Army. There are also sculptures by leading contemporary artists. It all makes for a lovely place to stroll (you can also opt for the hop-on, hop-off miniature train, for an extra €6). There's an eatery serving decent Portuguese food and a shop selling wines from the adjoining Quinta dos Loridos estate; two wines are always available for a free tasting.

Monchique's natural springs are renowned for healing waters that bubble out of the ground to create a paradisiacal microclimate where it's believed by locals that "anything" will grow. The small chapel of the community of Caldas de Monchique is where many go for a blessing or to pray in thanks for the health of those who drink its waters. The thermal spa at Villa Termal Caldas de Monchique Spa Resort here has the healing waters as well as treatments.

This tiny chapel—now ringed by benches and covered by a much larger modern canopy—was built in 1920 on the site where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. A plinth with a statue of the Virgin marks the exact spot. Gifts, mostly wax reproductions of body parts, are burned nearby as offerings to the Virgin in the hope of achieving a miraculous cure.

Across the street from the Castelo de Estremoz, Queen Isabel's personal chapel is a striking, richly decorated enclave lined with azulejo tiles. If the door is closed, you can ask to access it at the Museu Municipal.

About 4 km (2½ miles) north of town, this chapel is one of Portugal's oldest buildings. The original structure is believed to have been constructed in the 7th century in the form of a Greek cross. It was partially destroyed by the Moors and rebuilt in the 11th century. It is open to the public between 2 and 4:30 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and for mass on Sunday mornings.

The prestigious Casa Cadaval winery on the Herdade de Muge estate, between Benavente and Almeirim. has belonged to the Alvares Pereira Melo family since 1648. It produces red, white, and rosé wines under the Casa Cadaval, Marquesa de Cadaval, and Padre Pedro labels, using native grape varieties and some international ones, such as Pinot Noir. The store is open every day, but you must book ahead by phone or email  [email protected] for a wine tasting, a ride out on a Lusitano horse, or a more extensive tour of the estate, in all cases followed by lunch.

In his former home, this small museum is dedicated to the life of explorer Christopher Columbus. You can visit his restored kitchen and bedroom, look at maps of his journeys, and gape at treasures from a Dutch boat that sank off Porto Santo in 1724.

Architecture buffs intrigued by Álvaro Siza Vieira's work after visiting the Serralves Museu de Arte Contemporânea might consider a trip to this modernist restaurant (formerly a tea house), wedged between boulders just steps from the sea. One of Siza's earliest projects, completed in 1963, it was designed after careful analysis of the surrounding rock formations, tides, and flora. The approach—a series of platforms, steps, and bifold doors—provides a sense of anticipation and views of the structure and the ocean beyond it. In summer, the enormous windows slide down, creating the impression you can step right out into the sea. At the double Michelin-starred restaurant ($$$$) you can take in glorious sea views as you tackle huge plates of seafood and grilled fish. To visit the interior of the house you must make restaurant bookings ahead.

This Italianate dwelling is one of Alfama's most distinctive buildings. It was constructed in 1523 for Brás de Albuquerque, the son of Afonso, who became the viceroy of India and conquered Goa and Malacca. The name translates as "House of Spikes," and it's not hard to see why—it has a striking facade studded with pointed white stones in diamond shapes. The top two floors were destroyed in the 1755 earthquake, and restoration did not begin until the early 1980s. Since 2012 the building has housed the José Saramago Foundation, a cultural institute set up in memory of the only Portuguese-language winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, with two floors dedicated to his life and works.

Alpiarça is a pleasant little town 7 km (4 miles) northeast of Almeirim on the N118. Here you'll have the chance to see how a wealthy country gentleman lived at the beginning of the 20th century. The Casa dos Patudos, now a museum, was the estate of José Relvas, a diplomat and prosperous local farmer. This unusual three-story manor house with its zebra-stripe spire is surrounded by gardens and vineyards and is filled with an impressive assemblage of ceramics, paintings, and furnishings—including Portugal's foremost collection of Arraiolos carpets.

The unique volcanic landscape of the nine Azores islands is explored in this jam-packed museum. Visits are by 45-minute guided tour, which must be booked in advance. The topics covered at Casa dos Vulcões range from the broad, like how the universe was formed, to the more specific, like the geological history of tiny Pico, the youngest island in the Azores. The main reasons to visit the museum, however, are to take the journey to the center of the earth, by way of a 360-degree film, and to try the earthquake simulator, which uses VR headsets for a very realistic seismic experience.

Writer Fernando Pessoa spent his last 15 years (1920–35) living in this house. Visitors can see Pessoa’s personal items, including the typewriter where he wrote many of his last works and his personal library, with more than 1,000 handwritten notebooks and a collection of Portuguese and international poetry. The site is also a cultural center that organizes literary debates and exhibitions.

The former home of renowned 20th-century doctor and art collector Anastácio Gonçalves was turned into a museum in 1980 and houses around 3,000 of his most prized pieces. Those include paintings by major Portuguese artists like Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro and José Malhoa, ancient Chinese porcelain, and 19th-century furniture from around Europe. The building is an art nouveau mansion from 1904, which was just one of several in the neighborhood at the time. The others are now gone, leaving Gonçalves’s home dwarfed by the tall office buildings and hotels that surround it.

This delightful rose-colored museum has been renovated in the style of a 19th-century quinta (country estate). You can find antique furniture, hand-woven carpets, and paintings collected by the Madeirian lawyer and world traveler Frederico de Freitas, who resided here in the early 20th century. Don't miss the adjacent Casa dos Azulejos, a museum dedicated to decorative tiles from Spain, Persia, Turkey, Holland, and Syria that date from medieval times to the 19th century, as well as Portuguese tiles rescued from demolished buildings on the island.

Halfway between the cathedral and the castle, the José Regio House and Museum was named for a local poet who bequeathed his collection of religious and folk art to the museum.

These are the two cottages in the nearby hamlet of Aljustrel, where the three shepherd children who reported seeing the Virgin Mary were born. To reach them, from Fátima's Rotunda Sul (south roundabout) take the N360 to Aljustrel for just over 1 km (½ mile) and turn right onto Rua dos Pastorinhos, then follow the parking signs ("parque ligeiros"). The two houses—Lúcia's and that of her two cousins—are a 5-minute walk apart; their simple interiors aim to give visitors some idea of what life was like in those times, while displaying some of the children's personal items.

Located inside the Pestana Casino Park, this betting house was designed by the world-renowned Brazilian modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. You must be at least 18 years old to enter, although children are permitted in the Bahia restaurant. Dress is smart casual (no beach sandals allowed). There's also a dance club downstairs called the Copacabana, which holds neon light-filled parties—often with live Brazilian music—on weekend nights.

Right beside the beach, this casino has 500 slot machines, video blackjack, Portuguese dice, and French and American roulette. If these diversions don't do it for you, come for the dining, dancing, cabaret shows, and concerts. Foreign visitors must present their passports (and be 18 or older), and although there's no formal dress code, smart casual is most appropriate.

Open until the early hours of the morning, Casino Vilamoura is a big part of Vilamoura's nightlife scene. Here you'll find two restaurants, a dance club, and the usual selection of table games, as well as more than 500 slot machines. Dress is smart-casual, and you must be 18 to enter.

You can venture into the tower in Castelo de Vide's castle and inside the well-preserved keep to the large Gothic hall, which has a picture window looking down on the town square and the church.

Walk up through the maze of narrow, flower-lined streets to this 16th-century castle, later used as a military fortress, and which is still an impressive structure today. A deconsecrated Gothic church within its walls, the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, houses the tombs of members of the Almeida family, the leading local nobility. The garden outside the castle, to the right of the entrance, with its panoramic views, is a wonderful place to watch the sun set or enjoy an evening picnic.

Beja's castle is an extensive system of fortifications whose crenellated walls and towers chronicle the history of the town from its Roman occupation through its 19th-century battles with the French. Once inside the central courtyard, climb up the castle's ramparts to the impressive 140-foot Torre de Menagem, a stone tower with gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside. The tourist office is also located inside the castle grounds.

Of the mighty complex of fortifications and dwellings that once made up the castle, only the tower and battlements remain. As you enter, note the scale-model replica of the caravel that carried Cabral to Brazil. On one of the side walls is a coat of arms with two goats, the emblem of the Cabral family (in Portuguese, cabra means "goat"). Don't miss the graceful but oddly incongruous Manueline window incorporated into the heavy fortifications. The castle ruins are on a rocky hill to the north overlooking town, and you'll find the small visitor information center next door.

This fairy-tale castle upriver from Abrantes stands atop a cone-shape hill, commanding superb views of the Tagus River. It was built in the last years of the 12th century by the Knights Hospitaller under the command of King Sancho I. In 1194, this region was threatened by the Moorish forces who controlled the lands south of the river. The expected attack never took place, leaving the present structure little changed from its original design, as one of the country's most complete examples of medieval military architecture. The walls of the keep, which stands in the center of the courtyard, are some 12 feet thick, and on the ground floor is a great cistern of unknown depth. According to local lore, an orange dropped into the well will later appear bobbing down the river. The castle is reached by car in 30 minutes via the N244–3 through pine-covered hills to Chão de Codes, then the N244 south toward Gavião. There are four trains a day to Belver from Abrantes (a 25-minute ride).

This castle's battlements offer a sweeping view of Elvas and its fortifications. There's been a fortress here since Roman times, though this structure's oldest elements were built by the Moors and expanded by a handful of Portuguese monarchs. Touching the border with Spain, it was always on the front line of battles between the two countries. In 1807 it was taken by Napoléon's troops, but the English and the Portuguese quickly fought them off. Despite all the battles it faced, the castle remains in remarkably good condition, thanks to its solid stone walls.

Guimarães castle was built (or rebuilt from earlier remains) in the 11th century by Henry of Burgundy; his son, Afonso Henriques, was born within its great battlements and flanking towers. Standing high on a solid rock base above the town, the castle has been superbly preserved. A path leads down from its walls to the tiny Romanesque Capela de São Miguel, the chapel traditionally said to be where Afonso Henriques was baptized—in fact it was built well after his death, although the baptismal font may be older. The ticket office is in the neighboring Paço dos Duques, former palace of the Dukes of Bragança, which may also be visited. It was built in the 15th century but has been irretrievably altered; in 1959 it became the official residence in the North of Portugal's president, but is normally open to the public, with impressive displays of tapestries, furniture, ceramics, paintings and weapons.