Things to Do in Portugal

1Praça do Comércio

The Praça do Comércio (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾasɐ ðu kuˈmɛɾsju]; transl. Commerce Square), more commonly known in Portuguese as Terreiro do Paço ([tɨˈʁɐjɾu ðu ˈpasu] (transl. Palace Yard), is a large, harbour-facing plaza in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and is one of the largest in Portugal, with an area of 175 by 175 m (574 by 574 ft), that is, 30,600 m2 (329,000 ft2). Facing the Tagus river to the south, the square hosted Ribeira Palace, the King of Portugal's residence, until the latter was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Terreiro do Paço metro station is located beneath the plaza. After the earthquake, the plaza was completely remodeled as part of the rebuilding of the Pombaline Downtown (Baixa), ordered by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, who was (chief) Minister of Portugal from 1750 to 1777, during the reign of the Portuguese King José I. From the 19th century onwards, Praça do Comércio became the seat of some of the most important Portuguese state departments, including the Ministries of Finances, Internal Administration, Agriculture and Maritime Affairs; before the Carnation Revolution (1974) and the creation of a unified Ministry of Defence, it was also the location of the War and Navy Ministries, as well as the old Ministry of Colonies (up to 1967), and thus also became a methonym for the Portuguese central government. Also housed there is the Supreme Court. In June 1910, just a few months before the establishment of the Portuguese Republic, Praça do Comércio was classified as a National Monument of Portugal.

Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0)

2Dom Luis I Bridge

The Luiz I Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Luiz I), commonly known as Dom Luís I Bridge (Ponte de Dom Luís I), is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the river Douro between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. At its construction, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was the longest of its type in the world. It can be confused with the nearby Maria Pia Bridge, a railway bridge that was built 9 years earlier (and is located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the east), which is similar in aspect to the Luiz I bridge. Today, the bridge's upper level is used by pedestrians and by line D of the Porto Metro, whilst buses, taxis, cyclists, and pedestrians use the lower level. The lower level links to the Porto waterfront, including the Praça da Ribeira and the lower station of the Guindais Funicular, at its northern end, and to Gaia waterfront, with its Port wine lodges, at its southern end. The upper level connects to Porto city centre and São Bento station at its northern end, and adjoins the Serra do Pilar Monastery and the upper station of the Gaia Cable Car at its southern end.

Deensel (CC BY 2.0)

3Oceanário de Lisboa

The Lisbon Oceanarium (Portuguese: Oceanário de Lisboa, pronounced [ɔsi.ɐˈnaɾi.u ðɨ liʒˈβoɐ]) is an oceanarium in Lisbon, Portugal. It is located in the Parque das Nações, which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo '98. It is one of the largest indoor aquariums in Europe and approximately 1 million people visit each year.

Ingo Mehling (CC BY-SA 4.0

4Cape Roca

Andrzej Otrębski (CC BY-SA 4.0)

5Pastéis de Belém

6Belém Tower

Belém Tower, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon, Portugal, which served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The tower symbolizes Portugal's maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe. It was built during the height of the Portuguese Renaissance and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates other architectural styles, such as the minarets, which are inspired by Moorish architecture. The structure was built from lioz limestone, a material local to the Lisbon region, and is composed of a bastion and a 30-metre (100 ft) four-storey tower.

Rehman Abubakr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

7Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira is a quinta constructed from 1904 to '10 and located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra". Along with the other palaces in the area such as the Quinta do Relógio, Pena, Monserrate and Seteais palaces, it is considered one of the principal tourist attractions of Sintra.

Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

8Castelo de São Jorge

São Jorge Castle, sometimes known in English as Saint George's Castle, is a historic castle in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, located in the freguesia of Santa Maria Maior. Human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC while the oldest fortifications on the site date from the 2nd century BC. The hill on which Saint George's Castle stands has played an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before its conquest by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Since the 12th century, the castle has variously served as a royal palace, a military barracks, home of the Torre do Tombo National Archive, and now as a national monument and museum.

fulviusbsas (CC BY-SA 3.0)

9Monument to the Discoveries

The Monument of the Discoveries is a monument on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary, in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon. Located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Jean-Christophe BENOIST (CC BY 4.0

10Bom Jesus do Monte

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese Catholic shrine in Tenões, outside the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. Its name means Good Jesus of the Mount. This sanctuary is a notable example of Christian pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 meters (381 feet). It is an important tourist attraction in Braga. On 7 July 2019, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga[1] was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Botafogo (Public domain)

11Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Public domain

12LX Factory

13Boca do Inferno - Devil’s Mouth

14Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais

15Edward VII Park

Edward VII Park is a public park in Lisbon, Portugal. The park occupies an area of 26 hectares to the north of Avenida da Liberdade and Marquis of Pombal Square in Lisbon's city center. The park is named for King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, who visited Portugal in 1903 to strengthen relations between the two countries and reaffirm the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. The Lisbon Book Fair is held annually in Edward VII Park.

16Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.

Holger Uwe Schmitt (CC BY-SA 4.0)

17Gardens of the Palacio de Cristal

18National Palace of Sintra

The Palace of Sintra, also called Town Palace, is located in the town of Sintra, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It is a present-day historic house museum.

Alvesgaspar (CC BY-SA 4.0

19Mercado do Bolhão

20Praia da Falesia