On a scenic bay at the mouth of the Sado River, Setúbal is a working city that built its fortune on the fishing industry in the 20th century. Tourism has since taken over, and although the city receives a lot of Portuguese visitors not many overseas tourists make it here. This may soon change when …
On the shore of a lagoon, Aveiro is a maritime city with water in its soul. The cityscape is crisscrossed by canals that you can navigate on painted gondola-style boats known as moliceiros. And on the quaysides in the older part of the city are charming Art Nouveau houses in pastel shades. The big attraction …
A frontier town of Castelo Branco was founded at the base of a Templar castle in the 13th century. War was a way of life for hundreds of years and the town was attacked repeatedly in the 17th and 18th centuries. Castelo Branco was the seat of a diocese, and the bishops’ palace and garden …
An outlying southeastern suburb of Paris, Melun is a small town with a big heritage. In Melun’s backyard are the lavish, dumbounding palaces of Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. Not only are these properties stupendous to see, they are both steeped in enough intrigue and political manoeuvring to keep you rapt for hours. But you can also …
Halfway between Lisbon and Sintra, Queluz is a city in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. These western outskirts are mostly residential, but punctuating the new housing estates are royal and aristocratic palaces. There’s one right in Queluz, and several within a 15-minute radius. And that’s before we mention Sintra, which is a breeze by road or …
Across the Tagus Estuary from Lisbon is Almada, a former industrial quarter that has been given a facelift since the 1990s. Today people make the crossing from the capital to dine with views of the river and Lisbon, or to unwind on the long chain of beaches on Almada’s Atlantic coast. Another reason to come …
A timeless city in Alentejo, Évora is a UNESCO Site steeped in Roman and medieval heritage. The city’s golden age came in the 1400s when Portugal’s kings chose it for their home, and Évora’s streets still recall that influx of nobility 500 years ago. The Romans were the first to settle the town, building its …
In Central Portugal, Viseu is an old city of distinguished granite monuments on streets winding up to the magnificent cathedral square. Known as the Adro da Sé this plaza has a group of monuments from the Gothic to the Rococo periods, and each one deserves a visit for an hour or two. Down the hill …
The enormous Alentejo region takes up nearly all of the lower third of Portugal. This is a farming region of wheat fields that have been feeding the country since the middle ages. Historically Alentejo was the main route into Portugal from Spain, and the dozens of medieval castles will tell you that the relationship between …
In the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Amadora is a city within a metro ride of Portugal’s capital. As locations go, it’s very handy if you want to see the fine royal palaces on the outskirts of Lisbon. Queluz, Ajuda and Fronteira are all in your grasp, as are the astounding World Heritage Sites, the Belém Tower …