Portugal map & highlights
The famous beaches of the Algarve and cities of Lisbon and Porto are beautiful, yes... but there’s more to see beyond. In the south-west, the Costa Vicentina’s deserted golden shores contrast with the seaside towns of the Costa da Prata. Natural parks encompass the soaring peaks of the Serra da Estrela, the history-laden Sintra hills and the rural beguilements of Alentejo. Cycle paths and walking trails link distinctive country inns called quintas. Portugal’s interior remains peaceful yet accessible by improved transport links, with comfortable trains linking Lisbon and Porto to inland gems like Evora, Coimbra and Guimaraes (Portugal’s 12th-century first capital).
1.
Alentejo Natural Park
2. The Azores
3. Cape St Vincent
4. Coimbra
5. Costa da Prata
6. Costa Vicentina
7. Lagos
8. Lisbon
9. Madeira
10. Porto
11. Serra Da Estrela
12. Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
2. The Azores
3. Cape St Vincent
4. Coimbra
5. Costa da Prata
6. Costa Vicentina
7. Lagos
8. Lisbon
9. Madeira
10. Porto
11. Serra Da Estrela
12. Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
Alentejo Natural Park
1. Alentejo Natural Park
The Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina is the largest protected coastal natural park in Europe - a rolling sea of verdant hills, river valleys, dramatically eroded cliffs and beaches. This is the haunt of rare fishing eagles, the world’s only shore-living white storks and sea otters, while unique indigenous plants offer botanical treasure.
The Azores
2. The Azores
The Azores - a rugged Portuguese archipelago 1,500km out in the Atlantic – are an eco-tourism beacon for walkers and wildlife watchers. On land, active volcanoes and crater lakes vie with moss-draped forest and dramatic lava-shaped shores, while the surrounding ocean teems with A-list sealife – blue whales to the fore. Distinctive island culture and food await back ashore.
Cape St Vincent
3. Cape St Vincent
The Romans considered Europe's most southwesterly point sacred, a view bolstered when 8th-century Christians deposited relics of the eponymous saint. Be awe-struck today by a dramatic headland whose towering cliffs - topped by Europe's most powerful lighthouse – provide twitcher nirvana: eagles and peregrines, storks and rock doves. A 6km cliff walk links Sagres and its 15th-century memorials to Henry the Navigator.
Coimbra
4. Coimbra
This 12th-century university town, with its fado-singing black-caped students and ancient alleys twisting moodily between grand architecture, is one of Portugal’s four historic capitals, along with Lisbon, Guimaraes and Porto. It’s also an atmospheric base for the nearby Silver Coast sands plus the hills of the Beira Litoral, home to Roman ruins at Conimbriga, the pretty spa town Luso and magical medieval Obidos.
Costa da Prata
5. Costa da Prata
The Silver Coast is far more than beaches. Historic towns wait just back from the sea – Gothic Batalha, artistic Caramulo, pilgrimage site Fatima and the canal-crossed lagoon beauty Aveiro. On shore, Peniche and Nazare are surfer beacons drawing pros from around the world to hang ten – no wonder, when the largest wave ever surfed rolled in here in 2013.
Costa Vicentina
6. Costa Vicentina
The Costa Vicentina enthralls with wild beaches and the 120km Fishermen's Trail, the shoreline-hugging section of the breathtaking 350km Rota Vicentina. Colours enchant - turquoise sea, honey-hued cliffs, red and blue fishing boats, emerald-carpeted cliff tops. In spring, wildflowers carpet the dunes, while storks perch on precarious cliff nests. Pause in sleepy fishing villages like Azenha do Mar or laidback resorts like Milfontes.
Lagos
7. Lagos
Founded by the Phoenicians, Lagos was an important Moorish port until captured by Christian armies in 1241. Despite summer crowds, it stills feels like a fishing and market town inside medieval walls. Boat trips venture to startling purple-tinted rock formations rising from the Atlantic, complemented by atmospheric sea caves piercing rugged sea cliffs.
Lisbon
8. Lisbon
Portugal's capital is one of Europe's loveliest cities, draping contrasting neighbourhoods across historic hills by the wide Tagus estuary. Bairro Alto clusters chic boutiques and bars above the cosmopolitan bustle of Baixa, grandly rebuilt after the city's devastating 1755 earthquake. Alfama is a medieval melange of ramshackle cobbled streets enlivened by fado bars and outdoor markets – the vast Feira da Ladra (Tuesdays and Saturdays) is a Lisbon institution.
Madeira
9. Madeira
Over 1,000km from mainland Portugal, the Madeiran islands – Madeira, Porto Santo and the uninhabited nature reserve of the Desertas – were claimed in 1419 by Henry the Navigator. Today these lush islands are famed for flowers, laurel forests, whale watching and historic viaducts (levadas) – plus New Year celebrations featuring some of the world's biggest firework displays.
Porto
10. Porto
Porto’s multicoloured old quarter tumbles to the Douro riverfront, where historic warehouses sell wine from the surrounding Minho region as well as the eponymous port. Porto’s hard-working reputation belies an atmospheric beauty and cultural clout from outstanding modern architecture alongside fine museums. It’s also a springboard for pretty northern coastal resorts like Vila do Conde and inland gems like Guimaraes – Portugal’s beguiling first capital.
Serra Da Estrela
11. Serra Da Estrela
Portugal's highest range mixes craggy peaks (with winter skiing), alpine plateaux, hilly woods and deep-carved river valleys. It's a landscape tinged with history: Neolithic megaliths; Roman bridges; legends of "a lake in which the wrecks of ships floated up to the surface" (from Moby Dick). Look out too for its unique giant shaggy mountain dogs.
Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
12. Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
Full of fairytale 19th-century architecture, this UNESCO World Heritage natural park is 30 minutes from Lisbon. Contrasting towns – historic Sintra and cosmopolitan Cascais – nestle amid lush hills and aristocrat estates such as Castelo dos Mouros, Pena National Palace and folly-ringed Quinta de Regaleira. Wilderness stretches from the Serra de Sintra mountains to heart-stopping Cabo da Roca, Europe’s most westerly point.
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Portugal travel times
The following times give you a rough idea of the travel times between the main attractions in Portugal.
Lisbon - Porto: 2hrs 45 mins by train
Lisbon – Evora (Alentejo): 1hr 30 mins by train
Porto – Coimbra: 1 hour by train
Faro – Lagos: 1 hr 30 mins by train or car
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