The National Palace at Sintra on a day trip from Lisbon. Picture courtesy of detengase on Flickr.

There is so much to do in lovely Lisbon, from exploring Belem Tower to the quality museums and seeing the whole city on Tram 28. And if that is not enough, any of the suggestions below make diverting day trips from Lisbon into the Portuguese hinterlands.

Sintra and Cascais

Visit the ornate palaces of historic Sintra, follow nature trails through natural parks, and stand on the western edge of Europe at the rugged cliffs of Cabo da Roca. That’s all before exploring the traditional fishing village of Cascais and driving back to Lisbon along the wild Atlantic coastline.

Óbidos, Nazaré, Fátima, and Batalha

A whistle-stop tour of a diverse cross-section of Portuguese villages gives the chance to explore the narrow streets of traditional white-washed village of Óbidos and the Gothic monastery at Batalha. Chances are surf will be up at Nazaré, the location of some of the world’s biggest waves and the perfect stop for a lunch of freshly landed fish. The tour rounds off with a visit to the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary at Fátima, one of Portugal’s most revered pilgrimage shrines.

Almourol Castle was built by the Knights Templar on the Tagus River. Picture courtesy of Tiago C Lima on Flickr.

Almourol Castle and the Knights Templar

Discover the history of the mysterious Knights Templar, the Christian militia who played a monumental part in medieval European history, with a boat trip to fairytale Almourol Castle on the banks of the Tagus River. Afterwards visit Constância, Ourém, and Tomar, one of Portugal’s best-kept secrets, to explore the magnificent castle and convent built by the Knights in the 12th century

Évora Wine Tasting

The plains of Alentejo in eastern Portugal are acquiring fame for producing excellent full-bodied red wines. See the cathedral, Roman Temple, and bone church in the region’s main tasting center of Évora, a photogenic UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sample the red wines and olive oils at Adega da Cartuxa before heading to the mysterious Almendres Cromlech, one of Europe’s largest remaining groups of menhirs (standing stones).

Arrábida wine and seascapes

Another perfect day out for wine buffs is to take a trip to the mountainous region of Arrábida, south of Lisbon, for a visit to the cellars at Jose Maria da Fonseca followed by a tasting of their famous fortified Moscatel. Take in the walled hilltop castle at Palmela en route and lunch in the pretty seaside town of Setúbal before heading on to Sesimbra and the wild Atlantic scenery at Cape Espichel.

– Sasha Heseltine

The Best Day Trips from Lisbon from Portugal Things to Do

Sandeman’s bodega in Porto – don’t overdo the sampling of the port. Picture courtesy of Yellow.Cat on Flickr.

Enchanting Porto sits on the Douro River and has castles, churches, courtyard bars, a vibrant nightlife, and riverside walks to explore. But as always, there are pitfalls to be avoided when traveling. Before you go, here are a few things not to do in Porto.

Don’t Drink Too Much Port

Porto is the center of the port-producing region and this fortified wine is available in every bar on every corner of the city. At up to 20 per cent proof, it is far stronger than wine so it is easy to get carried away. Don’t. The locals disapprove of drunken tourists. The hangovers are awful too.

Don’t Get Portugal Muddled up with Spain

Daft as it may seem, this is a good one to remember when you’ve been drinking port. Portugal is not part of Spain, and never has been. The people there do not speak Spanish and they are not Spanish. Portuguese culture is very different from Spanish culture.

Don’t Dress Inappropriately in the Churches

Portugal is a deeply conservative Catholic country and while Porto has many beautiful churches, the local residents will not appreciate you walking in wearing miniscule shorts and strappy T shirts. Guys please cover up with short-sleeved shirts and long trousers, women with loose skirts and at least a shawl covering bare shoulders.

Don’t Ignore the Architecture

Photogenic Porto is crammed with slender, multi-colored houses covered with lacy balconies and the UNESCO listed old town of Ribeira is an appealing clash of wild color, blue-and-white tiled façades, and jumbled Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque architecture sprawled up the hillside. Look and appreciate.

Book a Porto sightseeing tour 

Don’t Forget the Sunscreen

There are plenty of beaches around Porto, at Matosinhos and Foz but remember that in summer the temperatures average around 74°F (23°C) and the glare of the sun is intense. Don’t ruin your holidays by burning and risking skin damage; take a high-factor sun cream and a hat to enjoy your vacation to the full.

Don’t Miss Out on the Fado

Fado singing is part of Portugal’s heritage and is accompanied by haunting guitar music; it can be sad or joyful but it’s always deeply moving. You’ll hear it on every street corner if you wander around the cobbled streets of Ribeira at night, and there are performances in almost every bar.

– Sasha Heseltine

What Not to Do in Porto from Portugal Things to Do

Old Town Tomar. Photo courtesy of Harshil Shah via wikimedia.

In a small town east of Fatima in Portugal lies a big history enshrined in even bigger mythologizing and conspiracy theories. Tomar, a pretty little town on the River Nabao, was home to the Convento de Christo, a monastery of the medieval Knights Templar.

If you hadn’t heard of the Knights Templar before Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, you certainly heard of them then during all the discussion of whether the powerful order of crusading monks really became extinct after they lost the Holy Wars and King Philip IV of France managed to convince Pope Clement to disband them in 1307; it didn’t hurt Philip that this  meant his huge debt to the Knights Templar would also disappear. Apart from having a Papal decree that they could roam the world freely, for two centuries the Templars ran an efficient banking system and accumulated huge wealth as they fought the Crusades, hence the grandeur of their bases.

The Convent of Christ rises impressively to the west of the river above the traditional old town of white-washed terraced cottages in narrow, cobbled streets. It’s worth spending half a day exploring the complex of Manueline buildings, that particularly Portuguese architectural style. The knights were keen to show their power in the traditional way and so commissioned a great deal of art; the monumental 16^th century panel paintings from the Charola of the Convent have recently been restored. They also prided themselves on knowledge of other cultures and were well-travelled so the buildings show a wide range of cultural influences. UNESCO recognized the convent as a World Heritage Site as far back as 1983 (the first sites were only listed in 1978).

If you’re interested in learning more about the Knight’s Templar, Viator offers a Knights Templar Historical Tour from Lisbon!

- Philippa B.

Tomar and the Knights Templar from Portugal Things to Do

Metro station azulejo. Photo courtesy of Koshelyev via wikimedia.

Walking around Lisbon, one of the most distinctive things that strikes you is the wall tiling. On both inside and outside walls of buildings, these beautiful traditionally blue painted ceramic or tin-glazed tiles can feature simple designs or complex narratives. Palaces, churches, train stations, houses, restaurants – azulejo pop up everywhere.

If they make you want to know why, where, when, how etc, head to the Meseu Nacional do Azulejo, the National Museum of Azulejo, one of Lisbon’s best small museums, which traces the five hundred years of tile-making from the Moors until the current day and which unsurprisingly has the world’s largest collection of azulejo. The museum traces the fashions for design from the Golden Age of the Azulejo in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, to a more utilitarian style after the 1755 earthquake which decimated Lisbon, through stagnation during Napoleon’s expansion into every corner of Europe, then to the adoption of modern art in the styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

During the 20^th century contemporary artists were commissioned to design azulejo for the stations of Lisbon’s new metro system. The museum also has Portugal’s longest azulejo, a 118 ft (36 m) panorama of Lisbon dating from 1738 and examples of the huge azulejo panels which are known as tapetes (carpets). And they’re not just decorative – the tiles worked as a form of insulation on walls too, keeping winter heat in and summer heat out. As a bonus the museum’s located in a former convent dating from 1509, mainly in the cloisters. But the Madre de Deus church which has a Baroque interior built after the 1755 earthquake features an azulejo tapetes: the tiled scenes of the life of St Anthony. Not to be missed.

- Philippa B.

Museum of Azulejo from Portugal Things to Do

Praça da Republica, Braga. Picture courtesy of dennis.cieplik on Flickr.

Most of ancient Braga’s Christian and Baroque sights are centered on the arcaded Praça da Republica, strewn with fountains. The cathedral was built in the late 11th century and is the oldest in Portugal, decked out in a variety of architectural styles from Romanesque through Gothic to Baroque. Inside there is a magnificent gilded organ, the King’s Chapel containing the tomb of Henry of Burgundy – who fathered the first king of Portugal – Renaissance tombs, and a small museum.

Other highlights include the 14th-century Archbishop’s Palace, surrounded by Santa Barbara Gardens, and the Rococo Casa do Raio, encrusted with traditional blue Portuguese Azulejo tiles. Also worth a peek is the Museu dos Biscaínhos, whose exhibits encompass a treasure trove of Asian and European decorative art housed in an elaborate twin-spired palace.

Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary near Braga. Picture courtesy of Arian Zwegers on Flickr.

Three miles (five km) outside Braga lies Portugal’s most celebrated Christian sight. The Baroque masterpiece of Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary in Tenões was completed in 1784 and is approached uphill by a monumental interweaving stairway lined with pilgrimage chapels representing the Stations of the Cross. The ornate church is topped with double bell towers and surrounded by decorative fountains as well as beautifully maintained formal gardens giving panoramic views over Braga. For those who don’t want to walk up 600 steep steps, a small funicular runs up hill to the church.

Braga forms part of a popular day tour from Porto combined with a visit to Guimarães, birthplace of Afonso Henriques, son of Henry of Burgundy and the first king of Portugal.

–  Sasha Heseltine

The Ancient City of Braga in Portugal from Portugal Things to Do

Azulejo tiles on a church in Porto. Picture courtesy of Marc Smith on Flickr.

Photogenic Porto sprawls along the River Douro, where slender, multi-colored houses covered with lacy balconies line the promenade. At its heart lies magnetic Ribeira, buzzing with love for life and crammed with castles, churches, and riverside walks.

1. Porto’s Churches
It’s a Porto tradition that the exteriors and interiors of the churches are encrusted with extravagantly detailed blue-and-white ceramic-work Azulejo tiles. Many of the beautiful tiled churches in Porto are free to view – but sadly not Sao Francisco, the loveliest of all.

2. River Douro Walks
The River Douro is spanned by six majestic bridges, which unite Porto with Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite riverbank. The most iconic is the Dom Luis I bridge, designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel. An evening walk across it provides photogenic views of both towns, as does a stroll down the Ribeirinha promenade.

3. Ribeira Nights
Porto’s UNESCO listed old town of Ribeira is an appealing clash of wild color, blue-and-white tiled façades, and jumbled Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque architecture sprawled up the hillside overlooking the River Douro. Its atmospheric tangle of streets is free for all to explore.

Matosinhos beach at sunset, Porto. Picture courtesy of Hugo Cadavez on Flickr.

4. Fado Concerts
Fado music is part of Portugal’s heritage and is accompanied by haunting guitars, mandolins, and lutes; it can be sad or joyful but it’s always deeply moving. To experience traditional fado for free, just wander around the cobbled streets of Porto at night; you’ll hear strains of music pouring from the casas de fado throughout Ribeira.

5. Beach Life
Sandy beaches at Matosinhos provide lazy afternoons sunbathing or swimming; nearby Foz has a pretty boardwalk but rocks under the waterline make it less attractive for swimming. Both towns are accessible via pleasant walks from the center of Porto along the River Douro. Lavadores beach is a bus ride away (No 902) and here wild Atlantic breakers sweep dramatically onto shore.

– Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Porto, Porto Attractions, and Porto travel recommendations. Or book a private guide in Porto for a customized tour!

Free Things to Do in Porto from Portugal Things to Do

Joe Berardo. Photo courtesy of Pedro Vilela via wikimedia.

Joe Berardo is an exceptional man. Born in Funchal, Madeira in 1944 he epitomises a self-made man who has never lost sight of his roots believing that ‘every investor has the obligation to do good in the world.’ And Berardo does good, from his investments in renewable energy resources to his restoration of cultural heritage in Madeira, to the Berardo Foundation and the Berardo Collection of Art.

Since childhood Berardo was a collector of matchbooks, stamps and postcards from the international ships that docked at Madeira. When he became a wealthy man he transferred this love to collecting art. But this was no selfishly directed collection of what he liked to hang around his house; from very early on Berardo was determined to put together a collection that would show the Portuguese people the history and development of modern art. Hence, the collection you see today in the Berardo Museums follows trends and periods of art, major figures and their influences.

He first exhibited the collection in Lisbon in 1993, and in 1997 he signed a permanent agreement with the Sintra Municipal Council which resulted in the Sintra Museu de Arte Moderna. The same year agreement was reached to exhibit some of the collection in Lisbon at Belem Cultural Center where you’ll find it permanently housed since 2007 with around 250 works from the collection on display at any one time.

As well as the permanent collection that leads you through modern art history including work by Picasso, Warhol and Francis Bacon, the Museu Coleccao Berardo also has special exhibitions. The international art world has recognised Joe Berardo’s art collection as one of the best in the world and he wants it to belong to the world through permanent exhibition in Lisbon and Sintra. His ethos that nothing really belongs to us in this life has given us all a great gift of art.

- Philippa B.

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Portugal tours and things to do, Portugal attractions, and Portugal  travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Portugal for a customized tour!

Berardo Museum of Modern Art from Portugal Things to Do

Tram 28 provides a great sightseeing trip around Lisbon. Picture courtesy of Alotor on Flickr.

Perhaps the best introduction to Lisbon is to take a trip on board the famous Tram 28, which departs regularly from Martim Moniz and trundles through cobbled streets, pretty piazzas, and past the Romanesque cathedral to the labyrinthine streets of Moorish Alfama. The route ends at Calhariz, with views across the Tagus River. Tickets are sold at subway stations and news-stands.

Sights not to miss include the ornate Belém Tower, standing proud on the banks of the Tagus, the elaborate gilded mosaics – paid for by colonial gold – in São Roque church, the Gothic cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery, and the innovative Design and Fashion Museum. If time permits, an evening walk along the Tagus as the sun goes down and a side-trip into Bairro Alto to catch a fado performance and sample traditional Portuguese tapas captures the true essence of this romantic city.

Lisbon’s Belém Tower on the River Tagus. Picture courtesy of Martijn vdS on Flickr.

Lisbon is also a jumping-off point for cruise passengers who are looking for day-trips to Portugal’s resort towns of Sintra, with all its palaces up in the hills, or Estoril, near the mouth of the Tagus. There’s even time to make pilgrimages to Fatima and to the world-beating surf at Nazaré. Various tours combine a morning in the city and the afternoon driving along the Atlantic coast to Cascais or inland for wine tasting in Évora.

Check out shore excursions in Lisbon. 

– Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Portugal, Portugal Attractions, and Portugal travel recommendations. Or book a private guide in Portugal for a customized tour!

Lisbon for Cruise Visitors from Portugal Things to Do

Rocky Praia Formosa beach on the Funchal coast, Madeira. Picture courtesy of nuno.nvs on Flickr.

Funchal is the capital city of sunny, lush Madeira, Portugal’s craggy outpost in the Atlantic, and rises from the sea in a half-moon of red roofs that cling to the hillsides around the bay.

The two-mile (3.2 km) Lido Promenade wends along Funchal’s seafront and is backed by tropical gardens; the walkway links bars, restaurants, and swimming pools with the three small, pebbly beaches at Praia Formosa. As Madeira is a volcanic island, the pocket-sized beaches are mostly black sand or stony, although there are two golden sandy beaches at Machico and Calheta (the sand’s imported), and natural rock pools to swim in at Doca do Cavacas.

Funchal’s busy marina is host to a fleet of vessels on which to explore the dramatic coastline and seas warmed by the Gulf Stream. Catamarans, yachts, and inflatables ply their way out to sea to spot whales and dolphins frisking in the waves, or head across to the Desertas Islands to spy on rare monk seals basking in the sun.

Madeira’s Cabo Girao cliffs on the Funchal coast are the highest in Europe. Picture courtesy of Allie_Caulfield on Flickr.

Glass-bottom boats and diving expeditions explore the marine reserve at Garajau on the east coast of Madeira to spot turtles, rays, barracuda, and grouper on the reef. Wreck- and cave-diving trips are also available, along with a raft of water-sports including ski-ing, surfing, wake boarding, and canoeing.

Back on dry land, take the winding road west from Funchal through Câmara de Lobos to the Cabo Girao; these bluff cliffs are Europe’s highest, soaring steeply out of the sea to 1,900 feet (580 meters), with villas spread over their eastern flanks. Here join the paragliders flinging themselves out over the sea or step out onto the glass viewing platform for views over the waves way below.

– Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Portugal, Portugal attractions, and Portugal travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Portugal for a customized tour!

Exploring the Coast of Funchal from Portugal Things to Do

A koala at Lisbon Zoo. Picture courtesy of Sasha Heseltine.

Allow at least four hours to explore Lisbon Zoo, opened in 1883 as the first in Portugal. Largely revamped since 1990, it is accessible on public transport to Sete Rios. It is one of the more progressive of European zoos, having a high success rate with its conservation and breeding programmes. A gorilla and a pigmy hippo were born there for the first time in 2012.

There are more than 3,000 animals at Lisbon Zoo, consisting of some 360 species, including endangered animals specially bred for rehabilitation in the wild. There’s a lot to pack, so be sure to get a map at the ticket office so you don’t the miss reptile house full of snakes and lizards, the small zoo farm for toddlers, monkey village, lions, tigers, coral-colored flamingos, hippos, kangaroos, elephants, brightly feathered parrots in their aviaries, and brown bears in their rocky enclosure backed with waterfalls.

Plenty of family entertainment is factored into each day at the zoo. The sea lions are fed at 10.30am and 2pm; birds of prey fly free at 12.15pm and 4.30pm in the Enchanted Forest; the clumsy pelicans are fed at 3pm, while dolphins also get two spots in the limelight with magical shows of diving and splashing at 11am and 3pm in Dolphin Bay.

A cable-car ride following a circular route over the zoo’s themed enclosures is included in the entrance fee, and a mini-train putters around its highlights in 15 minutes. The Animax amusement park (also included in the entrance fee) has plenty for tiny kids to play on and eating options from Portuguese bifana (steak sandwiches) stands to self-service salads or seated dining; there’s also the Rainbow Play Park for toddlers, only open at weekends.

Contributed by Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Lisbon, Lisbon Attractions, and Lisbon travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Lisbon for a customized tour!

Family Fun at Lisbon Zoo from Portugal Things to Do