17 Best Places to Visit in Portugal (Our Couple’s Guide)

We first came to Portugal in 2010 and kept coming back. We’ve since lived in Cascais and in the Algarve, got married here, and spent years road tripping from the Algarve cliffs to the green north and out to the Azores. People ask us all the time where they should go, so this is our list of the best places to visit in Portugal. Big cities and small villages, beaches and mountains, plus honest tips on when to go and how to dodge the crowds.

The best places to visit in Portugal at a glance

1. Lisbon: the capital, for trams, viewpoints and pastéis de nata
2. Cascais: a seaside town 40 minutes from Lisbon, and our old home
3. Sintra: fairytale palaces in the hills
4. The Algarve: cliffs, sea caves and the best beaches in Europe
5. Porto: port wine, azulejos and the Ribeira
6. The Douro Valley: terraced vineyards along the river
7. Aveiro: canals, colourful boats and striped beach houses
8. Óbidos: a walled medieval town
9. Peniche and the Berlengas: surf town and a wild island
10. Nazaré: home of the biggest waves in the world
11. Ericeira: Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve
12. Évora: Roman ruins and the Chapel of Bones
13. Monsaraz and Alqueva: a hilltop village and dark-sky lake
14. Arrábida: turquoise coves an hour from Lisbon
15. Braga: Portugal’s religious heart
16. Peneda-Gerês: Portugal’s only national park
17. São Miguel, Azores: volcanic lakes and hot springs

Jump to:

• 1. Lisbon
• 2. Cascais
• 3. Sintra
• 4. The Algarve
• 5. Porto
• 6. The Douro Valley
• 7. Aveiro
• 8. Óbidos
• 9. Peniche and the Berlengas Islands
• 10. Nazaré
• 11. Ericeira
• 12. Évora
• 13. Monsaraz and the Alqueva Lake
• 14. Arrábida Natural Park
• 15. Braga
• 16. Peneda-Gerês National Park
• 17. São Miguel, the Azores

1. Lisbon

Lisbon is where most trips start, and it deserves at least three days. Ride (or just photograph) the old yellow Tram 28, get lost in Alfama, catch the sunset from a miradouro (viewpoint) like Senhora do Monte, and eat pastéis de nata warm in Belém. In the evening, find a small fado house in Alfama or Mouraria.

Lisbon is all hills, so bring comfortable shoes. The Lisboa Card covers the metro, trams and trains to Sintra and Cascais, plus entry to Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery. Lisbon is also the best base for day trips, and we’ve written up 11 day trips from Lisbon, including some secret spots.

Fancy a class? This pastel de nata cooking class is a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon.

2. Cascais

We lived in Cascais, so we’re biased. It’s a beautiful old fishing town on the coast, 40 minutes from Lisbon by train from Cais do Sodré. You get the beaches, a lovely old town, the Boca do Inferno cliffs, and a cycle path along the coast towards Guincho beach and Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of mainland Europe. Our favourite evening was a cold beer at Casa da Guia watching the sun go down over the Atlantic.

Everything we love is in our 20 top things to do in Cascais.

3. Sintra

Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of palaces, castles and gardens in misty green hills. Pena Palace is the famous one, but don’t skip Quinta da Regaleira and its initiation well, or the Moorish Castle walls.

It gets very busy. Go early on a weekday, book timed tickets in advance (try Pena Palace and Park skip-the-line tickets), and don’t drive up to the palaces. Read the 5 things we wish someone told us before visiting Sintra first. No car? A Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais day trip covers all three in a day.

4. The Algarve

We spent months living in the Algarve, and it still surprises us. Golden cliffs, hidden coves, sea caves and over 300 days of sunshine a year. The west (Lagos, Sagres, the Costa Vicentina) is wild and great for surfing. The middle (Carvoeiro, Benagil, Alvor) has the famous cliffs and caves. The east (Tavira and Olhão) is calmer, more local, with sandbar islands in the Ria Formosa that feel like the Maldives.

See the Benagil sea cave on a speedboat and sea cave tour (landing rules inside the cave have tightened, so check with your operator), or hop between the Ria Formosa islands on a 3-island boat tour from Olhão.

We’ve written a lot about the Algarve:

• The 7 most beautiful beaches in the Algarve
• Where to stay in the Algarve for couples
• A 7-day Algarve road trip itinerary
• Olhão, the hidden gem of the Algarve
• The alternative road trip from Lisbon to the Algarve

5. Porto

Portugal’s second city is grittier and, some say, even more charming than Lisbon. Walk the riverside Ribeira, cross the Dom Luís I bridge to the port cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, and admire the blue-and-white azulejo tiles at São Bento station. A great way to spend an evening is fado with a port tasting at the Cálem cellars. The Porto Card is worth it if you plan to see a lot.

6. The Douro Valley

The Alto Douro Wine Region is one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Steep terraced vineyards fall down to the river, and the quintas (wine estates) offer tastings with the best views in Portugal. September is harvest time and the prettiest month to go. Drive the N222 between Peso da Régua and Pinhão if you have a car, or join a Douro wine tour from Porto with tastings at two estates and lunch.

7. Aveiro

Often called the “Venice of Portugal”, Aveiro has canals full of brightly painted moliceiro boats, Art Nouveau buildings and a sweet called ovos moles. Ten minutes away, the striped houses of Costa Nova are one of the most photographed spots in the country. It’s an easy day out from Porto: here’s our perfect Aveiro day trip itinerary.

8. Óbidos

Óbidos is a perfectly preserved walled town of whitewashed houses and flower-lined lanes. King Dinis gave it to Queen Isabel as a wedding gift in 1282, and it stayed in the hands of Portugal’s queens for centuries. Walk the top of the walls (there’s no railing, so take care), and try ginjinha, a cherry liqueur served in a little chocolate cup. It’s packed at midday, so go early or stay the night. Many day tours from Lisbon combine Óbidos with Nazaré, Batalha and Fátima.

9. Peniche and the Berlengas Islands

Peniche is a laid-back fishing and surf town with Supertubos, one of Europe’s best beach breaks, and some of the freshest grilled fish you’ll ever eat. From the harbour, boats cross to the Berlengas, a rugged UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with crystal-clear water and the 17th-century São João Baptista fort. Boats run in the warmer months (roughly May to September) and visitor numbers are capped, so book your Berlengas boat trip ahead. Fair warning: the crossing can be rough.

10. Nazaré

In summer, Nazaré is a classic Portuguese beach town. In winter, it’s world famous: the waves at Praia do Norte can top 20 metres, and big-wave surfers come from all over the world. Watch from the lighthouse at the fort above the beach between October and March, and take the funicular up to the Sítio viewpoint for the view over town. See Nazaré tours and activities.

11. Ericeira

Ericeira became Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve in 2011, and it’s still a proper surf town with blue-and-white houses on the cliffs and great seafood. It’s under an hour from Lisbon and pairs well with Mafra Palace. It’s one of our favourite day trips from Lisbon. Want to try surfing first? Book a surf lesson near Lisbon.

12. Évora

The capital of the Alentejo has a UNESCO-listed historic centre with a Roman temple, a Gothic cathedral and the eerie Capela dos Ossos, a chapel lined with the bones of thousands of people. Évora is easy as a day trip from Lisbon, but it’s lovely in the evening once the day-trippers leave, so stay a night if you can. It’s also the gateway to Alentejo wine country. We loved Alentejo wine so much we served it at our wedding.

13. Monsaraz and the Alqueva Lake

Monsaraz is a tiny walled village on a hilltop with a castle and sweeping views over the Alqueva, one of the largest artificial lakes in Western Europe. You can rent a houseboat on the lake without a boat licence, and the area is a certified Dark Sky Reserve, so the stargazing is unreal on a clear night.

14. Arrábida Natural Park

Just under an hour south of Lisbon, the Serra da Arrábida drops straight into turquoise water. Beaches like Galapinhos and Portinho da Arrábida look more like the Mediterranean than the Atlantic. In summer, car access to the beaches is restricted and a shuttle bus runs from Setúbal, so check before you go. Pair it with a seafood lunch in Sesimbra, or see it on an Arrábida tour with wine tasting.

15. Braga

Braga is one of Portugal’s oldest cities and its religious centre, with the oldest cathedral in the country. Its showpiece is the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary, a UNESCO site with a huge zigzag Baroque staircase (or a 19th-century water-powered funicular if your legs say no). Combine it with Guimarães, the “birthplace of Portugal”, on a Braga and Guimarães tour.

16. Peneda-Gerês National Park

Portugal’s only national park is a wild corner of the north: granite mountains, oak forests, waterfalls and natural pools, wild horses and stone villages that still live the old way. Walk a stretch of the Geira, the old Roman road, and cool off in the pools at Portela do Homem. Bring a car or join a Peneda-Gerês day tour.

17. São Miguel, the Azores

Portugal isn’t just the mainland. Two hours’ flight from Lisbon, São Miguel is the biggest island in the Azores: twin crater lakes at Sete Cidades, hot springs at Furnas and Caldeira Velha, some of Europe’s only tea plantations and cozido, a stew cooked underground by the volcano. We spent a week there and could have stayed a month. Here are our 20 unmissable things to do on São Miguel. Book São Miguel tours and whale watching.

When is the best time to visit Portugal?

Our favourite months are May, June and September. The weather is warm, the sea is swimmable in the south, and there are fewer crowds than in July and August. Spring is green and full of flowers, and autumn brings the wine harvest. Winter is mild on the coast and great for city breaks and big-wave watching in Nazaré, but it can be wet in the north. Summer is busy and hot inland (the Alentejo and Douro regularly pass 35°C), so book accommodation early.

How to get around Portugal

• Car: the best way to see most of this list, especially the Algarve, the Alentejo and the north. Motorways have tolls, many of them electronic, so ask your rental company about a toll transponder. Compare prices on Discover Cars.
• Train: fast and cheap between Lisbon, Coimbra, Aveiro and Porto, and to Faro in the Algarve. Local trains run from Lisbon to Sintra and Cascais.
• Bus: Rede Expressos and FlixBus connect most towns that trains don’t.
• Tours: no car? Day tours from Lisbon and Porto cover Sintra, Óbidos, Nazaré, Évora and the Douro. Browse all Portugal tours.

Taking photos along the way? Grab our 100+ Portugal Instagram captions. For even more Portugal guides, see our sister site Travel Portugal Now, and join our Portugal Travel Tips Facebook group to ask questions.

Know a hidden gem we should add? Tell us in the comments.

Sabina and Steve

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