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Jardim do Palácio de Cristal
Sitting atop a bluff, this gorgeous botanical garden is one of Portos best-loved escapes, with lawns interwoven with sun-dappled paths and dotted with fountains, sculptures, giant magnolias, camellias, cypress and olive trees. Its actually a mosaic of small gardens that open up lit
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Museu Etnográfico do Trajo Algarvio
This constantly expanding and beautifully maintained museum, 300m east of the Largo, is a labour of love for the curator and Friends of the Museum. It’s housed in a former cork magnate’s mansion (stunning in itself – note the original kitchen). The building displays a rambling coll
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Museu da Terra de Miranda
This modest but attractive museum sheds light on a unique culture that has preserved millennial traditions into the 21st century. The handsome 17th-century building (formerly Miranda’s city hall) houses a fascinating collection of local artefacts: ceramics, textiles, clothing, furn
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Catedral
Tucked into a corner of the walled town sits the 6th-century Visigothic cathedral, surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of scattered archaeological remains. The church has undergone heavy restoration, but its early roots are evident everywhere: foundation stones bearing Latin inscriptions
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Poço do Inferno
In springtime, this waterfall in a craggy gorge makes a beautiful sight. From Manteigas, drive approximately 4km along the signposted main road towards Torre. Just beyond Caldas de Manteigas, turn left for Poço do Inferno (Hell’s Well) and climb a further 6km to the falls through l
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Alfandega Resia Museu da Construção Naval
Shipbuilding has been in Vila do Conde’s bones since at least the 13th century. This museum on the banks of the Rio Ave, just west of Praça da República, has exhibits on trade and models of hand-built nau (a sort of pot-bellied caravel once used for cargo and naval operations). The
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Museu Militar
The stout Torre de Menagem now houses a lacklustre Museu Militar , but the price of admission is well worth the chance to climb storey after storey and take in its rooms and halls. The military artefacts themselves bring home the impact of the first Republic’s choice to join Allied
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Palácio Nacional de Ajuda
Built in the early 19th century, this staggering neoclassical palace served as the royal residence from the 1860s until the end of the monarchy in 1910. You can tour through private apartments and state rooms, getting an eyeful of the crystal chandeliers, Flemish tapestries, fresc
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Castelo, Walls & Aqueduct
You can walk around the unprotected muro (wall) for uplifting views over town and surrounding countryside. The walls date from Moorish times (later restored), but the castelo (castle) itself is one of Dom Dinis’ 13th-century creations. It’s a stern edifice, with lots of towers, bat
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Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado
This natural reserves protects the Sado Estuary, a biologically rich area of wetlands extending east and south of Setúbal. With over 250 avian species, this is a prime spot for birdwatching. The little-visited Moinho de Maré das Mouriscas , located 8km east of Setúbal, has short w
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Jardim Dr Santiago & Spa
The lovely, shady Jardim Dr Santiago, at the eastern end of Praça Sacadura Cabral, is a delightful place. There are good views, a bandstand, shady, flowering trees and it’s a favourite spot for elderly men to sit and chat. At the thermal spa , at the entrance to the garden, you can
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Faro Jewish Heritage Centre
The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at the extraordinary Jewish cemetery, which has 76 beautiful marble gravestones. The small site also has a tiny museum and recreated synagogue (complete with a reconstructed wedding). Knowledgable
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Cristo Rei
Visible from almost anywhere in Lisbon, the 110m Cristo Rei is a statue of Christ with outstretched arms. The slightly more baroque version of Rio de Janeiros Christ the Redeemer was erected in 1959 to thank God for sparing Portugal from the horrors of WWII. A lift zooms you up to
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Museu de Design e da Moda
Baixa’s star is the Museum of Design and Fashion, a cavernous concrete-walled space – set in a former bank – that contains furniture, industrial design and couture dating from the 1930s to the present. Highlights include iconic furniture by Arne Jacobsen, Charles Eames and Frank Ge
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Village
Since winning a competition in 1938 as the country’s most ‘Portuguese’ village, Monsanto has been largely shielded from modernisation. Several houses are surprisingly grand, some sporting Manueline doorways and stone crests. Halfway to the castle you’ll come across the gruta , a sn
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Quinta de Marim
Three kilometres east of Olhão is the beautiful 60-hectare Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim (commonly known as Quinta de Marim). A 3km nature trail takes you through various ecosystems – dunes, saltmarshes, pine woodlands – as well as to a wildlife rescue centre and a historic wa
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Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Like a caravel frozen in mid-swell, the monolithic Padrão dos Descobrimentos was inaugurated in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator’s death. The 52m-high limestone giant is chock-full of Portuguese bigwigs. At the prow is Henry, while behind him are explorers Vasco
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Parque da Pena
200m up the road from Castelo dos Mouros is Parque da Pena, filled with tropical plants, huge redwoods and fern trees, camellias, rhododendrons and lakes (note the castle-shaped duck houses for web-footed royalty!). It’s cheaper to buy a combined ticket if you want to visit Palácio
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Igreja de Santa Cruz
From the trendy shops outside, this church plunges you back to Portugals past. Step through the Renaissance porch and flamboyant 18th-century arch to discover some of the Coimbra Schools finest work, including an ornate pulpit and the elaborate tombs of Portugals first kings, Afons
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Casa da Cultura
Opened in 2012, this sparkling new art space has a packed cultural calendar. Wander through changing exhibitions on the main floor, or stop in for an evening concert of jazz trios, classical quartets, world music and the like, which are held on the open-air Pátio do Dimas. The cine
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