Top Portugal hotels
Day trips: Sintra, Cascais, Alcochete... Lisbon
55 Reviews If you ever come to Lisbon you must go to Sintra. It's an amazing place, far from all the city problems, where you can relax in its marvelous nature, stroll around the beautiful and historic city...
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Monserrate Sintra
4 Reviews This park was landscaped in the 18th century by a wealthy Englishman; William Beckford. Around half a century later, another rich Englishman; Francis Cook transformed the gardens and rebuilt a...
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Outside Walls Évora
17 Reviews This convent produces everything it needs for its monks. They don't go out. There are two distinct monasteries. This is the one inside the walls of the fortress. The monks that live here are in...
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Monuments and structures Lisbon
53 Reviews A large building now used for military purposes, is something I can't qualify. It seems a fort, but it is only a palace with a style that... style? Well, just have a look and make no questions,...
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Quinta da Regaleira Sintra
3 Reviews This estate was built between 1904 and 1910. It was designed by Luigi Manini; an Italian architect, for a wealthy Brazilian merchant; Antònio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. Here you can visit a palace,...
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Cromeleques dos Almendres Évora
3 Reviews A few of those stones have details that go unnoticed by most people who visit the site. One of them has a flat surface full of holes of the same size -- perhaps used for some kind of game? One...
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Little things to notice in Lisbon Lisbon
47 Reviews Lisbon's earthquake, in 1755 destroyed the original church, built in 1556. Ten years after the earthquake, Marquês de Pombal ordered the reconstruction, with a new architecture, according Pombal's...
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Pena Park & Cruz Alta Point Sintra
3 Reviews Sintra has so many interesting points to visit, that most tourists visit the palace and skip the park. If you have time, don't do it. The park has a great botanical variety, and some views are...
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Street scenes Évora
4 Reviews Late in the afternoon, after we had done our touristy things in Evora, we took a walk, both for a "rest" from the day and also with an eye open for a good place to eat dinner. As we approached the...
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Out-of-the-way museums and sights Lisbon
37 Reviews One of the less visited museums in Lisbon (It is new, opened in 1996) this museum, in Belém area, shows several displays concerning energy producing. It was not difficult to gather a good display,...
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University buildings-General Évora
9 Reviews In Evora you will find the 2nd oldest university in Portugal,dating back to the year 1559. This university-buildings are next to the Mercade Municipal and the Franziscan church. We did not enter the...
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Neighborhood sights Lisbon
30 Reviews If you enjoy exploring the areas outside the main tourist centers and historic districts, you could take a short trip out to see some of the largest street art I recall seeing. There are three...
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Bairro da Malagueira Évora
3 Reviews Made by the famous architect Alvaro Siza Veira, its has this arabish look. Go for a walk. Be careful cos some of the houses are habited by gipsies that some times could be not very friendly....
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Belém sightseeing Lisbon
12 Reviews If you make it to Belem make sure you pay a visit to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. This stunning monastery is an example of Manueline style. Work commenced in 1502 but was not completed until towards...
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Medieval Paintings Évora
2 Reviews This is really a very nice ip that you'll thank me after. Nobody knows about this place. Ask in the Turism Office for more details or just go to the after of Eugenio de Almeida building (same building...
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Lisbon for kids Lisbon
6 Reviews Parents - Monsanto - Get the No.2 or 13 to Monsanto park and as well as a nice day you'll also find Alto de Serafina (or Indian Park) as it may be known. A grand childrens play area which you will be...
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Sao Bento's Hill Évora
4 Reviews Wonderful place where you can see a full view of this city. This place has some old wind mils. take the road to Malagueira and as soon as you get to the Municipal Swiming Pool garden turn left....
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Sports, entertainment, and culture Lisbon
13 Reviews There lies a 1000 hectare park in the hills in Lisbon called Monsanto. It is one of the only forested areas in the city. It is frequented by outdoor recreationalists. There is camp grounds available...
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Shopping Lisbon
9 Reviews This could be one of the best areas of Lisbon, but it is one of the worst. Not recommended at night, even during the day it may have problems, because of the ethnic and religious minorities that...
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Take to the road: driving out of Lisbon Lisbon
5 Reviews Some 40kms south of Lisbon and a few kms west of Sesimbra is the remote, windswept Cabo Espichel and Santuario de Nossa Senhora do Cabo. Sheer cliffs drop away from the 17th century church (built with...
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On the water Lisbon
5 Reviews Lisbon’s answer to the Golden Gate Bridge is this, the Bridge of the 25th April or Ponte 25 de Abril to give it its Portuguese name. Dating to 1966, and constructed by the same company who built its...
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If you like to visit remote places, and don't fear narrow and windy roads, Piódão may be your great day. A small village, perched in the slopes of the mountains, carefully recovered to preserve its typical look, is in the middle of nowhere. You may approach from Coimbra through Arganil, of from Estrela mountain, and, no matter the chosen itinerary, you will be presented with some of the best Portuguese wild landscapes.
Portugal's third-largest city after Lisbon and Porto, Coimbra has about 430,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area. The city was founded on a hill overlooking the Mondego River, and the impressive historical buildings on the hill's summit form a skyline that is an iconic symbol of the city.The area that would one day become Coimbra was first settled by Germanic peoples from about 465 to 468 A.D. The Romans occupied the area from 586 to 640 A.D., but the town never prospered under their rule, nor did they leave any significant monuments. The town only began to flourish under the Moors, who moved into the area in 711 A.D. It became a trading center between the Muslim south and the Christian north. The Moors called the settlement Qulumriyah, which was eventually corrupted by the Portuguese into Coimbra.The town was taken from the Moors by Ferdinand the Great in 1064. The first king of...
Like its neighbor, Estoril, Cascais is popular with the young international crowd. The town became a fashionable resort in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when King Luís I moved his summer palace there. The royal presence attracted members of the Portuguese aristocracy, who built magnificent vacation villas in the surrounding hills, transforming the town into a resort area. Nowadays, fashionable shops and restaurants line the pedestrian streets of the town.Cascais is about 19 miles (30 kilometers) from Lisbon, and is part of that city's greater metropolitan area. It is home to many members of the Portuguese monied elite, and is therefore one of the richest municipalities in the country.Cascais was first settled in the twelfth century, at which time it became an important fishing port. During the Middle Ages, the town benefitted from maritime commerce, since it was a...
The Citadel of Cascais comprises the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Luz de Cascais and the Tower of Santo António Cascais. It was constructed by King João IV in 1488 as a small fortress that was part of a defensive line of fortresses on the right bank of the Tagus River that protected the sea approaches to Lisbon. In 1580, Spanish forces led by the Duke of Alba took the fortress, which led to the union of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns. In the late sixteenth century, the fortress was enlarged by King Philip I of Spain, turning it into a citadel and giving it its present low profile and star-shaped floor plan. The citadel was converted into a summer palace by King Luís I in 1870, and it was used as a royal summer residence up until 1908. King Carlos I had an interest in marine biology, and installed Portugal's first oceanographic laboratory in the citadel in 1896. Nowadays part of the...
The resort town of Estoril is located about 18 miles (29 kilometers) west of Lisbon, near the mouth of the Tagus River on the Atlantic coast. Its casino and cultural and sporting events attract visitors from all over the world.The area that would one day become Estoril was first inhabited by the Phoenicians. They were followed by the Romans who settled in the area around 2,000 years ago, and then the Moors occupied the town until they were expelled during the reconquest in the twelfth century.In the centuries that followed, Estoril became a major fishing port. However, it was a sleepy village with little or no recognition from the outside world. Estoril first became popular at the turn of the twentieth century for its therapeutic spring waters. And in the years before the Second World War, businessman Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo and his partner Augusto Carreira de Sousa built the Casino...
The Largo da Portagem is in the center of Coimbra's bustling commercial district in the lower city, or Cidade Baixa. It means "Place of the Gateway", as it served as a gateway from the Cidade Baixa to the upper city, or Cidade Alta. The square is dominated by a statue of Joaquim António de Aguiar, the prime minister of Portugal from 1808 to 1817. The Largo da Portagem is a logical place to start a tour of Coimbra. The Rua Ferreira Borges leads from the square into the old quarter of the city. The local tourist office is also located here, and is a good place to get helpful information about the sights and history of Coimbra.
Once a small fishing village, Albufeira has become a major tourist destination on Portugal's Algarve coast. Tourists are attracted by the town's three beaches, Peneco, Pescadores, and Inatel. These beaches are characterized by soft white sand, and are sheltered by steep rocky cliffs. Crowds of tourists sunbathe on the beaches during the day and frequent the restaurants, bars, and discotheques at night. In my opinion, the crowds and bland hotel buildings have spoiled what would otherwise be a picturesque and quaint village.Albufeira was originally settled by the Romans, who called their town Baltum. The Roman occupation is evident in remains of roads, bridges, and aqueducts that can still be seen. The area was eventually conquered by the Moors, who called the town Al-Buhera, which means "Castle of the Sea", and referred to a fortress they built on an outcrop overlooking the bay. In 1249,...
Convent of Christ in TomarMonastery of BatalhaMonastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belem in LisbonHistoric Centre of EvoraMonastery of AlcobaçaCultural Landscape of SintraHistoric Centre of Porto
The Azores is a group of vulcanic islands that are part of Portugal.They are situated in the middle of the Atlantic ocean almost half the way to North America and this is really "Portugal off the beaten track".It´s a really interesting place though and well worth a visit.Especially if you like the outdoors and the sea.The Azores is also a very good spot for whale watching so if this has your interest then you should visit the Azores.Because of the islands isolation they have many plants and trees that are endemic to the islands and the people here are a facinating mix of people who have migrated from various places around the globe.The Azores is not the place you go for nightlife and shopping, but if you like the outdoors and don´t mind that the weather can be a little unsteady then this is really a nice place to go.
Viana Do Castelo is a small seaside town in northen Portugal situated between Porto and the spanish border.It was the town that had most of the trade with Brazil when that was a part of the portugse empire and there are still many traces of that.The town lost importance when Brazil declared independance and french pirates also looted the town several times and it lost it´s importance.It is a wonderful little town though and very popular with portugese holiday makers and you should certainly make a stop there if you have the chance.
Lapa Palace Lisbon
4 Reviews and 206 Opinions Great weekend. Best hotel in Lisbon for gardens and outside pool 5* and so not cheap. Excellent...
Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa Porto
2 Reviews and 303 Opinions I have no words to explain how much I liked the place. I paid 50 euros for a double room and What a...
Hotel Calheta Beach Madeira Island
1 Review and 219 Opinions Calheta has a marvelous marina and have the only beach of yellow sand. It´s situated in the West...
Reviews and photos of Portugal attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Portugal sightseeing.
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Q: hi guys, was jus postin this for sum help n sum advice, wats the night life like in albefuria in april time, im on about goin on ...
A: You meant Albufeira; isn't it?
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