Are you searching for where to go when you visit Portugal and what to do? Check out the best places to visit in Portugal.
Portugal won several awards as a tourist destination, most recently World’s Leading Destination 2019 and Europe’s Leading Destination 2020. With a lot to do and see, and with many destinations choices with different environments. From beach coasts to mountain hills, islands, and even plains, Portugal offers lots of places to visit and things to do. Discover the best options:
Madeira
Madeira is a special place. Well, that’s an understatement. Madeira is a magical place that should not exist. It’s a protected natural park in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Inhabited with welcoming people, Madeira is a place that will make you feel that it’s your second home. You will find lots of things to do in the capital Funchal, but exploring its fantasy wilderness interior, will make you feel that there’s no one else in this world but you. And if you don’t believe us, Madeira won the World’s Leading Island Destination 2020 by the World Travel Awards!
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Lisbon
Lisbon, the largest city and capital of Portugal, is where you find all the things you can do in Portugal in one marvelous place. From the diverse culture that has always been present in Lisbon, you will discover beautiful historical monuments, awarded beaches, fado singing, modern street-art, outstanding food, great wine, and diverse nightlife.
Lisbon is an awarded destination, more recently won the World’s Leading City Break Destination 2020 and Europe’s Leading City Tourist Board 2020.
No matter what you are looking for, you will always discover great things to do in Lisbon and visit.
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Sintra
Probably the most magical place in Portugal. In a natural park with a microclimate, the Romanticist architecture historical center becomes a place of fantasy. And this wonderful place is only a 30 minutes drive away from Lisbon.
Cultural Landscape of Sintra won the classification of UNESCO World Heritage Centre in 1995. With its castle and palaces, you will feel like you are in a time where life was more romantic.
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Oporto
Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal, located in the North of the country, alongside the Douro River. It became very famous due to the birthplace of Port Wine. Porto is an excellent tourist destination choice for wine experience, food tasting, and marvelous architecture. And it’s a great starting point to visit the Douro.
The Historic Centre of Oporto was recognized as a World Heritage Centre by Unesco in 1996.
Read our Oporto guide to discover the best things to do in Porto.
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Douro Valley
The Douro is worldwide known for the Douro River, which runs along the entire region. Douro region is mountainous and with its river, creates amazing views and viewpoints of the North of Portugal. For wine lovers, this is the best place to be: from world-famous vineyards that produce Port Wine, Red Wine, White Wine, Green Wine, fortified wine, etc. It’s a beautiful place for relaxation, eating and drinking.
Here you will find some of the best tours in Portugal. By train, by car, by boat, or on foot, you will experience the best of Portugal.
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Coimbra
Once the capital of Portugal, Coimbra is the biggest city in the central region of Portugal. It’s now a city of students and tourists, full of historic sites from the Roman era, like the aqueduct and cryptoporticus, and the oldest University in the Portuguese-speaking world.
With many historical buildings, the University of Coimbra was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2013.
Coimbra is also known for the tradition of Fado music, the Portuguese music about Saudade – a melancholy mix of the feelings of needing and missing someone.
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Nazaré
Nazare, the best-kept secret of Portugal, was recently uncovered by the world. This small seaside fishing village still keeps many traditions of its traditional way of living. It recently became world-famous due to the international surf competitions and because it is one of the few places in the world that there are gigantic waves. The current world record of the Largest Wave Surfed held at 24.38 meters (79.99 feet) in November 2017.
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Évora
The most underrated region in Portugal has its unique personality that you can’t find anywhere else. With a lot to do, Evora will take you back to the past to a simpler time.
Although Evora is a bit known during the summer, the most beautiful time to visit this region is spring. Its famous Sahara lookalike landscape is covered with wildflowers, giving you the feeling of being staring at a real scale “fresco” painting.
Evora’s historic city center has the status of UNESCO World Heritage Center since 1986. But, its gastronomy is why Evora is an excellent choice for food and wine lovers.
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Algarve
If you are looking for beaches and relaxation, Algarve is the place in Portugal. Bathed with the Mediterranean waters when they meet the Atlantic Ocean, Algarve has a lot to see. From crowded beaches to hidden beaches that you can only reach by boat. In Algarve, you will always find a spot to lay your towel on the sand and enjoy the magnificent sun of this region.
Algarve won the award of the World’s Leading Beach Destination 2020 by the World Travel Awards.
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Azores
The Azores is an archipelago formed of nine small volcanic islands on the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Lisbon. As a tourist destination, it is excellent for nature tourism with outdoor activities, such as hiking, diving, whale watching, among others.
Here you can find unspoiled nature, with breathtaking panoramas, unbelievable lagoons, extinct volcanic craters, hot water waterfalls, fumaroles, and much more!
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Conclusion
As you can see, Portugal has a lot to offer. Pick your next place to visit and explore our blog and our services, to help plan and enjoy your next Portugal tour.