To the north of Porto’s Metropolitan Area, Maia is a prosperous industrial city, close to the airport and with a few market-leading companies in its boundaries. If that doesn’t sound touristy there’s still enough to merit a stop, especially if you’re travelling with children. Zoo da Maia is the best in the Porto area, and …
An hour north of Toulouse, the city of Montauban in the Tarn-et-Garonne Department shares its neighbour’s graceful brick architecture. Almost everything is made from this red material, lending the city a lovely pink glow. And in the brickwork you’ll learn the stories of the sieges and battles fought in these streets during the Wars of …
On the northern cusp of the Serra da Estrela mountain range, Guarda is built around a medieval castle. There are remnants of these walls and two towers in Guarda, as well as a Jewish quarter where Hebrew inscriptions have lasted since the 1100s. The dominant Gothic cathedral is the star attraction and allows you to …
An hour north of Lisbon, Leiria is a university town down the slope from its medieval castle. Kings John I and Denis I lived here and turned it from a tough fortress into a luxurious palace. King John also made his mark close by at the Batalha Monastery, a UNESCO site and vital piece of …
The capital of the Azores is on the south coast of São Miguel, aptly nicknamed the “Green Island”. There’s plenty to get up to on the city, at postcard monuments, cute old churches, a 16th-century fort and a museum documenting the Azores’ intriguing natural history. At the harbour you can embark on a mini-expedition to …
A town built in one go after the infamous earthquake of 1755, Vila Real de Santo António is a wonder of 18th-century urban planning. It was founded by a royal decree, and has a “rational” style, with a precise matrix of streets centring on a noble square. The reason this location needed a town is …
The capital of Madeira is on the south coast of the main island, decking the slopes of the Central Massif as they curve down to the ocean. In Funchal you’ll see the abundant plant life sustained by volcanic soil and an eternal spring climate, and there are three lush, colourful gardens to de-stress in. …
To the northeast of Porto, Rio Tinto is a parish connected to the city via the Porto Metro (Orange Line). Close by there are traditional churches, speciality museums, a zoo and a gorgeous park on the ruins of an old quinta. In Porto’s eastern and northern suburbs you’ll find cool things that most tourists miss, …
Flying into Cebu International Airport will put you down on the ground in Mactan City. While many tourists book it out of the airport and head straight to the beaches of Cebu, the ones who slow down to look around Mactan are the real winners. There are so many hidden gems on Mactan Island in …
The capital of the Algarve is a versatile city that will attract people for different reasons. As a coastal town it’s easy to indulge in the eternal joys of sunshine, beaches, bars and great seafood. But there’s also a rare natural environment just offshore, a lagoon with a maze of waterways between islands. The Ria …