Things to do in Portugal

25 things to do in Portugal

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Watch sunset from Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

  The highest viewpoint in Lisbon offers a sweeping panorama over the castle, river, and red rooftops as the sun melts into the Atlantic.

  Lisbon

• Explore the Jerónimos Monastery

  A masterpiece of Manueline architecture in Belém, its ornate cloisters and soaring nave embody Portugal’s Age of Discoveries.

  Lisbon

• Taste pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém

  Savor the iconic cinnamon-dusted custard tart fresh from the secret family recipe at the legendary bakery where it was first sold in 1837.

  Lisbon

• Sail along the Douro River under Porto’s six bridges

  Glide past the colourful Ribeira district, port lodges, and the Dom Luís I Bridge on a traditional rabelo boat while sipping a white port.

  Porto

• Visit Livraria Lello, the spellbinding bookshop

  A neo-Gothic interior with a crimson staircase and stained-glass ceiling that inspired J.K. Rowling, filled with rare editions and literary charm.

  Porto

• Discover the Benagil Sea Cave

  Paddle inside a colossal sea-carved dome with a natural skylight and hidden beach that glows golden under the Algarve sun.

  Algarve (Carvoeiro)

• Hike the Levada das 25 Fontes

  Follow an ancient irrigation channel through laurel forest to a cascade of 25 springs that tumble into an emerald pool on Madeira’s misty plateau.

  Madeira (Rabaçal)

• Climb to the fantastical Pena Palace

  Perched atop a Sintra hill, this Romanticist castle bursts with pastel terracotta and whimsical towers, offering dizzying views of the lush forest.

  Sintra

• Devour a Francesinha at Café Santiago

  Bite into Porto’s monstrous sandwich — layers of cured meats, steak, melted cheese, and a beer-and-tomato sauce — at the no-frills local institution.

  Porto

• Attend an authentic Fado performance in Alfama

  Feel the soul of Portugal as a vocalist and Portuguese guitar fill a candlelit cellar with mournful melodies in the city’s oldest neighbourhood.

  Lisbon

• Stroll through the Ribeira District at golden hour

  Wander narrow cobbled lanes and past laundry-hung balconies along the Douro riverfront, alive with buskers, cafés, and tiled facades.

  Porto

• Soak in the steaming caldeiras of Furnas Valley

  Walk among bubbling fumaroles and iron-rich hot springs in the crater of a dormant volcano, then taste cozido das Furnas cooked by geothermal heat.

  São Miguel, Azores

• Surf at Praia do Norte, the giant wave spot

  Watch (or brave) the towering walls of water at the underwater canyon that produces the biggest surfable waves on Earth, right off Nazaré’s lighthouse.

  Nazaré

• Tour the port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia

  Cross the Dom Luís I Bridge to learn age-old methods, taste ruby and tawny varieties, and inhale the heady oak aroma of centuries-old lodges.

  Porto

• Step inside the Joanina Library in Coimbra

  A baroque jewel of gilded shelves and frescoed ceilings housing 70,000 books, with a resident colony of bats that protect the manuscripts from insects.

  Coimbra

• Walk the cobbled medieval lanes of Óbidos

  Enclosed within crenellated walls, this chocolate-box town of whitewashed houses and geranium-covered windowsills feels frozen in the 13th century.

  Óbidos

• Watch the sunset over the cliffs at Cabo da Roca

  Stand at continental Europe’s westernmost point where dramatic granite cliffs plunge into the wild ocean under a blazing orange sky.

  Sintra

• Ride the vintage Tram 28 through Lisbon’s hills

  Clatter through Alfama, Graça, and Baixa aboard a polished wooden 1930s tram, squeezing past flower-draped balconies and miradouros.

  Lisbon

• Discover the open-air Palaeolithic rock art of Foz Côa

  Marvel at thousands of engravings of horses, aurochs, and ibex scratched into schist along the Côa River by Stone Age artists over 20,000 years ago.

  Vila Nova de Foz Côa

• Kayak through the grottoes of Ponta da Piedade

  Paddle into towering golden sea stacks, arches, and translucent grottoes carved by the sea, with light reflecting on brilliant turquoise water.

  Lagos, Algarve

• Marvel at the azulejos in São Bento Station

  Step into Porto’s train station to see 20,000 hand-painted tin-glazed tiles depicting epic scenes of Portuguese history, bathed in dusty light.

  Porto

• Hike the Rota Vicentina’s Fishermen’s Trail

  Trek dramatic clifftop paths along the unspoilt Alentejo coast, with the scent of wild herbs and the crash of Atlantic surf soundtracking every step.

  Alentejo Coast

• Savor garlicky tiger prawns at Cervejaria Ramiro

  Join the queue at Lisbon’s legendary seafood beer hall for platters of scarlet carabineiros, percebes, and prego steak in a buzzy, no-nonsense room.

  Lisbon

• Join the São João Festival street party in Porto

  On the night of 23 June, the city erupts in bonfires, paper lanterns, and the playful ritual of tapping strangers’ heads with soft plastic hammers.

  Porto

• Explore the windswept Castle of the Moors

  Walk the granite ramparts of an 8th-century hilltop fortress, gazing down on the fairy-tale Pena Palace and the dense Sintra mountains.

  Sintra