In the north of Alentejo, a short march from the Spanish border, Portalegre is an upland town on the cusp of the Serra de São Mamede mountains.This place has a long-standing textile tradition, and in the 1940s began weaving tapestries to the highest European standards. Earlier, in the 1920s the eminent Portuguese writer José Régio …
This coastal city at the mouth of the River Ave is a beach destination with a riveting history. From the Age of Discovery until the 20th century, Vila do Conde was a shipbuilding town, assembling vessels that spread Portuguese influence to Asia, Africa and South America. A replica of one these craft is moored on …
Volcanoes and the Azores go hand-in hand: Nearly every volcano to be found on Portuguese soil is set on these islands. There are spectacular clues to their power at a peninsula on Faial that was formed in the 1950s, or in the geothermal activity around the town of Furnas on São Miguel where local chefs …
This mountain town is only a few kilometres from the highest point in mainland Portugal. People come in winter for one of Portugal’s only ski resorts, and in summer to marvel at the granite peaks, lakes and hike in forest. In Covilhã it’s fun to see how the town has adapted to its impossible terrain …
At the birthplace and home of Portugal’s first king, the city of Guimarães is Portugal’s cradle. The historic centre and its palaces and castle are a World Heritage Site, and it’s one of those culture-packed cities where you’re going to have to get organised to make sure you see it all. Even ambling around the …
At the terminal of the Lisbon Metro’s Yellow Line, Odivelas is an outlying northern suburb of Portugal’s capital. There’s a monastery in Odivelas, founded by a 14th-century King and moments away is the Monteiro-Mor palace, containing two superb museums and with calm botanical gardens in its grounds. Via the Metro you’ll have all of northern …
West of the capital, Agualva-Cacém is a municipality in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. In this residential suburb you’re around half an hour from the centre of Lisbon, but also close to Sintra. This town, in the shadow of a mountain range, was the favoured summer retreat of the Portuguese court. If you’re keen on palaces …
One of Portugal’s oldest cities, Braga was also an ancient seat of religious power with an archdiocese anchored in the 4th century. The cathedral is mandatory, as are several of the old churches, chapels and monasteries in the area. There’s also the lofty Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary that you can reach via a splendid …
Portugal’s Centro region is massive and takes in a whole spectrum of landscapes and cultural nuances. The amount of things to see is far too long to list here, but is very diverse, counting several World Heritage Sites and many fortified towns. One walled city, Óbidos, was the medieval home of Portuguese royalty, while in …
In Portugal’s Norte region you could begin with the UNESCO sites in Porto, Guimarães or the Douro Valley. Or you could escape to the unspoiled wilderness of Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only national park, or the Atlantic Coast and beach after beach of tempting golden sand. And then there’s the wine, grown on the spectacular terraced vineyards …