Portugal Off The Beaten Path

 
by solopes
 
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by solopes
  • Parque Dr. Manuel Braga (Coimbra, Portugal)
      Parque Dr. Manuel Braga (Coimbra,...
    by Redang
  • Parque Dr. Manuel Braga (Coimbra, Portugal)
      Parque Dr. Manuel Braga (Coimbra,...
    by Redang
  • The view from Miradouro Pisao.
      The view from Miradouro Pisao.
    by cachaseiro
  • Miradouro Pisao.
      Miradouro Pisao.
    by cachaseiro
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Portugal

126.

Day trips: Sintra, Cascais, Alcochete...   Lisbon

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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127.

Monserrate   Sintra

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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128.

Outside Walls   Évora

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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129.

Monuments and structures   Lisbon

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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130.

Quinta da Regaleira   Sintra

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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131.

Cromeleques dos Almendres   Évora

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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132.

Little things to notice in Lisbon   Lisbon

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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133.

Pena Park & Cruz Alta Point   Sintra

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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134.

Street scenes   Évora

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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135.

Out-of-the-way museums and sights   Lisbon

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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136.

University buildings-General   Évora

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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137.

Neighborhood sights   Lisbon

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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138.

Bairro da Malagueira   Évora

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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139.

Belém sightseeing   Lisbon

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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140.

Medieval Paintings   Évora

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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141.

Lisbon for kids   Lisbon

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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142.

Sao Bento's Hill   Évora

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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143.

Sports, entertainment, and culture   Lisbon

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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144.

Shopping   Lisbon

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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145.

Take to the road: driving out of Lisbon   Lisbon

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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146.

On the water   Lisbon

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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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Sand dunes noth of Cascais

by mikelisaanna

North of Cascais is a stretch of sand dunes with rugged sea cliffs in the background as you look further north up the coast. It is a pleasant place to stop the car and enjoy the view. On the day that we were there, there were a number of people windsurfing in the water, which looked a bit rough for regular swimming.

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A great coastal view

by mikelisaanna

Just south of Cabo da Roca is a stretch of road with some of the best views in Portugal. As the road begins to go downhill out of the mountains, pull off to the right and look south. You can see miles and miles of coastline on a clear day.

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As Far West as You Can Go in Portugal

by mikelisaanna

Cabo da Roca is the most westerly point in Portugal. It is a rocky promontory with a lighthouse and a rugged coastline. The viewpoint is about 500 feet above the crashing waves with a great view. The one issue is that it gets very windy there, so holdon to your hats, purses and cameras.

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Roman Ruins near Vidiguiera

by Entropic

Near a hidden village of Vidiguiera there's an even more hidden path to Sao Cucufate, one of Portugal's best preserved Roman sites. There are remains of an old villa and baths. We drove up there around 4pm on a weekday and the site was closed off.. I think it's only 'officially' open to accomodate tour groups since it sees very few tourists otherwise (and it was October). But we've come to see Roman ruins and decided that the gate couldn't stop (it wasn't too high)..So we spent a couple of hours lounging, picnicking and just exploring the completely empty site at sunset..it was one of the best experiences in Portugal.

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Douro Region

by Entropic

We've driven from Porto to Guarda..west through the Douro Region, up and down narrow winding roads with incredible views of the river and Quintas (where Port is made). It took almost half the day to drive through the region..the roads are often ridiculously dangerous (up the mountain road for one medium car for both-way travel..luckily we didn't encounter any cars)..

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Monsanto: Near Spanish border, a bizarre village

by hojasdehierba

Specially recommended for those who are planning to travel around Portugal by car. Relatively near Castelo Branco (the reference point if going from Lisbon or Porto) this village is located upon a rocky hill. Houses are built between the enormous stones or even taking one of the stones as a wall, or leaving the rock in the middle of the house. Difficult to explain, better give a look at the photographs.There is a fortress-type castle at the peak of the hill. Be ready to walk and wear comfortable shoes.Especialmente recomendado para aquellos que est?n planeando viajar por Portugal en coche. Relativamente cerca de Castelo Branco (el punto de referencia si vas desde Lisboa u Oporto), este pueblecito est? sobre una colina rocosa. Las casas est?n construidas entre enormes piedras o incluso tomando una de las rocas como pared, o dejando la roca en medio de la casa. Es dif?cil de explicar, as?...

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WALK ALONG THE STRIP AT PARA D'OURA

by jhorsfield30

If your like me and get suckered by the travel agent which stated I was staying in ALBUVERA but really I was in PARA D'OURA, I was very pleasantly surprised. Although often labelled as part of Albufeira in the guide and tour operators books, it is nearly two miles from the centre of the strip to the centre of the main town. It is loud, full of people, packed with restaurants of every sort, and in the middle of a large number of apartment blocks, hotels and villas. The area originally consisted of one main road and a few hundred metres either side of it but now it sprawls in every direction. 'The Strip' has almost every facility you could want (bars, good food, cheap exchange rates etc.) and all the associated noise and hassle but, with great care, it is possible to stay some half a mile away in relative peace and quiet. Even the giant Kiss disco, on a side road, does not seem to cause...

Highest Peak in the Algarve

by Bwana_Brown

We went out of our way to visit the top of the highest mountain along the southern Algarve coast, 3000-ft ( 909-m) high Mount Foia, located not too far from Monchique.Although this is not the view from the top of the mountain, it is more what the top would look like if people had not got there first! Our short stop at the top of the peak was not one of our highlights because of human intrusions. It is covered by tall communications antennae of various shapes and heights, including a Portugese military base. This complements a very ugly-looking tourist restaurant/trinket shop also perched on top of the peak! Compounding our problem, was the haze on this day. Although we could see the coastline off to the south, it really was not clear enough to warrent even a photo. Still, on the way back down, I felt compelled to at least take one shot from up there, just above the tree-line.There are...

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Parque Natural do Alvao

by Bwana_Brown

Once we had finished our day trip to almost the very north of Portugal in the 'Geraz do Minho' region, we decided to take a short-cut back to Lamego via the Alvao Nature Park. The landscape in this area north and west of Vila Real is different. Coming into the park area, the slopes were either covered with man-made pine forests or looked like they had been 'clear-cut' by logging activity. Something that I had never seen before in my travels was the large pine trees being milked for their yellowish sap. Each tree had a large plastic sac attached that was brimming with the stuff. Apparently, it is used to make a glue for both the furniture and paper-making industries.After passing through that area, we came to the more natural looking barren slopes that you see here. The twisting roads and amazing views out over the rugged and stark countryside provided great enjoyment as we snaked our way...

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Low season Alentejo

by xicomelo

Most people visit Portugal during summer. In my opinion, it's the worst season to travel in Portugal. During winter or early spring you will find Portugal much more beautiful. A special region which turns really green is Alentejo. North Alentejo and South Alentejo are two distint regions with few people, beautiful villages, great food and nice weather. You shouldn't miss it.Check my Travelogues about Alentejo in my Portugal page, if you want more detailed information.Official tourism office for Alto Alentejo - http://www.rtsm.pt/ingles/imain.htmOfficial tourism office for Baixo Alentejo - http://www.rt-planiciedourada.pt/

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Top 3 Hotels in Portugal

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... 

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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... 

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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... 

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Reviews and photos of Portugal attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Portugal sightseeing.

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Questions and Answers

tony85 profile photo

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 ... 

Maurizioago profile photo

A: You meant Albufeira; isn't it? 

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