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 …
When you’re in the remote Atlantic Ocean on the same latitude as North Africa there are things that you wouldn’t expect to find in a European region. On the Madeira Archipelago that might be subtropical laurel forest tended by an eternal spring-like climate and soils that allow almost any flora to thrive. The island of …
On the high banks of the Mondego River, Coimbra is a city with the oldest university in the country. The prestige of this school will hit you when you step onto the Paço das Escolas courtyard. In this rich ensemble of buildings is one of the finest libraries you’ll ever set foot in. The university …
Vizela is a spa town in Portugal’s Norte region, in a landscape of tall, coniferous hills capped with granite outcrops. The Romans were the first to take advantage of Vizela’s mineral-rich hot springs, but today the town has a Belle Époque air about its spa and the graceful park around it. Around this time the …
Among the hills, valleys and rivers of Portugal’s Norte Region, Penafiel is a mid-sized town with a surprising amount of things to do. This is a landscape that you have to explore on two feet or two wheels, and there’s big helping of history and culture to boot. You can walk the streets of a …