Most beautiful places in Portugal

Choose the most beautiful places in Portugal to show them to you is not an easy task. There are so many places in the neighboring country that stand out for their beauty that it is difficult to choose just a few. In fact, there are several in all regions.

Some stand out for their awesome nature, with white sand beaches or steep mountains; others for their wonderful monuments full of history. There are even those that combine both things and, in addition, add a excellent gastronomy. Therefore, making an effort to summarize, below, we are going to present you our proposal of the most beautiful places in Portugal.

Braga, the oldest city among the most beautiful places in Portugal

Starting our tour through the north of Portugal, we arrive at Braga, which is the oldest city in the country. It was founded by the Romans in the year 16 BC with the name of Augusta Bracara. Therefore, it is not surprising that it preserves a good archaeological heritage and, above all, numerous monuments.

Among the religious, it stands out the cathedral or Sé, which dates back to the 11th century, although later reforms added others such as Gothic, Manueline and Baroque to its Romanesque style. Precisely, the impressive sanctuary of Bom Jesús do Monte, declared a World Heritage Site. On the other hand, that of Our Lady of Sameiro, located on the outskirts of the city, is neoclassical, just like the Pópulo church, with its interior tile decoration. Instead, that of Mercy It is Renaissance and that of the Holy Cross baroque

Regarding the civil architecture of Braga, you have to visit its beautiful historic center. They stand out in this Porta Nova Arch, an old access to the medieval wall renovated in the 18th century following baroque features. And it is also very pretty Republic Square, with its arcades and buildings like the convent of the Congregados, the Managem tower and the church of Our Lady of Lapa.

On the other hand, together with Episcopal palace you have the precious ones Santa Barbara Gardens and, very close, the Casa do Raio. It is a 17th century Rococo palace to which the exquisite tile decoration on its façade was later added. No less beautiful is the Biscainhos palace, baroque style. It houses the museum of the same name, with pieces of art from the 17th and 18th centuries. Finally, about five kilometers from the town, you have the Dona China castle, shrouded in mysteries. And, next to the ancient Roman baths of Alto Cidade, another museum, the Don Diogo de Sousa Archaeological.

Porto

From Braga we now travel to Porto, called "the city of bridges" for the many that connect it by crossing the Duero River. There are a total of six: those of María Pía, das Barcas, Don Luis I (who replaced the demolished Pensil), da Arrábida, do Infante and do Freixo.

But Porto is also one of the most beautiful places in Portugal. It has much more to offer you, apart from the bridges that also connect it with the beautiful winery area of Vila Nova de Gaia. Its historic center is Heritage for the impressive set of monuments it houses.

Given the impossibility of telling you about all of them, we will mention four that are, without a doubt, among the most beautiful. The first is the Porto cathedral, built between the 12th and 13th centuries following the canons of the Romanesque first and, later, the Gothic. Likewise, later reforms added baroque elements. To these belongs the beautiful main altar, whose beauty is enhanced by other elements of the temple's interior. For example, another altar, in this case made of silver, and three spectacular organs.

The second great monument of the old town is the church and tower of the Clérigos, work of the baroque architect Nicolas Nasoni, who also intervened in the cathedral. It dates back to the 76th century and its most notable element is, precisely, the slender XNUMX-meter-high tower that you can climb to see beautiful views of the city.

El Episcopal palace, which combines baroque and rococo styles, and the one from the stock market, an imposing neoclassical construction, complete the four most outstanding monuments in the historic center of Porto. But these are a small part of the wonders that this beautiful British-style city offers you. You should also visit churches such as those of San Francisco, San Ildefonso or Santa Clara y chapels such as those of Almas, dos Alfaiates or Senhor dos Passos. Likewise, it has numerous palaces such as those of Cabido, Infante and two Maias and sources like the chafarices of Colher and San Miguel. All this without forgetting markets such as Ferreira and the Fernandina walls.

Coimbra, another historic city

On our route south through the most beautiful places in Portugal we now arrive at Coimbra, which also has a Roman past. This is demonstrated by several of its archaeological spaces such as those of the aqueduct and those of the city of Conimbriga.

But its great splendor coincides with the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when it became the political and cultural center of the country, with the creation of your university. This, inaugurated in 1537 (although there was already a General Study in 1308), is the oldest in the world in the Portuguese language. Precisely, its oldest buildings, such as the Biblioteca Joanina, are one of the monumental wonders of the city.

But this one has many others. Among those of a religious type are their two cathedrals. The old one dates from the 12th century and is Romanesque, while the new one, begun in the 16th century, is nevertheless markedly baroque. For his part, the Monastery of Santa Clara la Vieja, from the 13th century, responds to a primitive Gothic style. Instead, it is Romanesque that of Santa Cruz, converted into a national pantheon when buried there Don Alfonso Enriques y Don Sancho I, kings who inaugurated the monarchy in Portugal.

On the other hand, the nerve center of Coimbra is the Commerce Square, which is flanked by St. Bartholomew's Church. In it, we recommend that you have something in the beautiful Santa Cruz coffee. And, if you can, stay in the Hotel Quinta das Lágrimas, located in the palace of the same name, which keeps a sad history. It was the scene of the infant's loves Don Pedro e Ines de Castro. Pressured by the court and the people, the king ordered the young woman to be killed. Then, Don Pedro led an army that devastated a good part of the country and executed the murderers. He also has the Quinta das Lágrimas with several wooded hectares. But, in this sense, we advise you to visit the Jardín Botánico, created by the Marquis of Pombal in 1773.

Lisbon and its surroundings, among the most beautiful places in Portugal

The capital of the neighboring country is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal not only for its own beauty, but also for its surroundings. places like Cascais o Estoril They offer you wonderful beaches and great monuments. In the first of them you have sandy areas like the one from the Ribeira and summer palaces like that of the counts of Castro Guimaraes o that of Sixas.

As for Estoril, together with its magnificent promenade and its famous casino, you have beaches like those of Tamariz and Azarujinha and constructions such as the no less emblematic Chalet Barros.

But, returning to Lisbon, there are many monuments that you should visit. One of the great symbols is the Monastery of los jeronimos, a jewel of the Manueline style built in the 16th century. It is complemented by the Belém Tower forming a complex declared a World Heritage Site. For its part, in the typical neighborhood of Alfama you have the cathedral of Santa María la Mayor, which is Romanesque, the St. George's castle and the singular Bicos House.

In short, it is impossible to list everything you can see in Lisbon. But we will also talk to you about the Commerce Square, one of its nerve centers. In it you have the imposing Triumphal Arch of Rúa Augusta and the equestrian statue of the king Joseph I, bronze work Machado de Castro.

Sintra, another jewel declared a World Heritage Site

We could also include this wonderful town, declared a World Heritage Site, among those around Lisbon, as it is about half an hour from the capital. It is a pleasure to walk through its narrow, cobblestone streets dotted with colorful houses. Also in the center you have the National Palace. But its two great monuments are on the outskirts.

The first is Castle of the Moors, which dominates it from the top of the Sintra mountain range. It had its origins in a primitive Muslim fortress. The Christian castle as we know it today was built around the 12th century. For its part, the second great monument of the town is the Pena Palace, which constitutes one of the best examples of the romantic style in Portugal. It was built in the 19th century on the remains of an old monastery as the residence of the kings. Mary and Ferdinand II.

As if all of the above were not enough, Sintra has privileged surroundings. In fact, it is the municipality with more protected areas throughout the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The most important of them, which offers you wonderful landscapes, is the Sintra Cascais Natural Park.

The Alentejo and Évora

We continue our route south to show you the most beautiful places in Portugal and we arrive at the Alentejo region. In this you have the beaches of the Vicentine Coast, considered among the best in Europe. You also have wonderful interior landscapes like those of Southwest Alentejo Natural Park.

But, above all, you can visit beautiful towns like Alqueva, Monsaraz, Castelo de Vide or Sines. However, two of them are classified as World Heritage Sites. It is about Elvas and Évora. The first is a beautiful town with white houses and monuments such as the Fort of Our Lady of Grace and church of Our Lady of the Assumption.

For its part, Évora It is more than two thousand years old and so beautiful that it is called «city-museum». In it you have to see the Roman temple of Diana and contemporary tower of Sisebuto; the impressive cathedral which combines Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Baroque styles; the San Francisco church with the Chapel of Bones and two Lóios convent. But also the palace of Don Manuel I, in which the Ladies' Gallery stands out, in Manueline style. Finally, in the episcopal palace you will find the Fray Manuel del Cenaculo National Museum.

The algarve

We finish our tour of the most beautiful places in Portugal by telling you about its southern and tourist area par excellence. We are referring to The Algarve, with its wonderful beaches and warm climate. Among them, for example, you have those of Doña Ana, the Students, Carvoeiro and two Tres Irmaos. Likewise, the area abounds in landscapes of enormous beauty such as the famous Benagil cave.

As for the towns, they also have interesting monuments. Portimao It stands out for its historic center, with the church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, the Jesuit College and the Manuel Teixeira Gomes House. In Aljezur you have a castle from the 10th century and in Lagos another call from the Governors and the beautiful church of Santo Antonio. For its part, Silves It has its own cathedral and Quarteira the Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila.

In conclusion, we have shown you some of the most beautiful places in Portugal. However, we could have included others such as Guimaraes, whose historic center is also listed as a World Heritage Site; Aveiro, called the Portuguese Venice or the precious Nazareth. Dare to discover these wonderful places in the neighboring country.