-
Sé Nova
The large, severe new cathedral, started by the Jesuits in 1598 but only completed a century later, dominates the square of the same name high in the old town. Its sober Renaissance lines contrast with the gilt side panels and ornate baroque altarpiece. Down the side is a gallery o
-
Museu do Évora
Adjacent to the cathedral, in what used to be the archbishop’s palace (built in the 16th century), is this elegant museum. The cloistered courtyard reveals Islamic, Roman and medieval remains. In polished rooms upstairs are former Episcopal furnishings and a gallery of Flemish pain
-
Jardim Botânico Tropical
Far from the madding crowd, these botanical gardens bristle with hundreds of tropical species from date palms to monkey puzzle trees. Spread across 7 hectares, it’s a peaceful, shady retreat on a sweltering summer’s day. A highlight is the Macau garden, complete with mini pagoda, w
-
Igreja de São Bento
Bragança’s most attractive church has a Renaissance stone portal, a wonderful trompe l’œil ceiling over the nave and an Arabic-style inlaid ceiling above the chancel.
-
Monte Palace Tropical Gardens
One of the highlights of any visit to Monte is a wander round the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens. This former hotel began life in the late 18th century as a private residence belonging to the British Consul Charles Murray. In the late 1980s it was purchased by local entrepreneur Jos
-
Museu Etnográfico
The village of Vilarinho das Furnas was for centuries a remarkably democratic and fiercely independent village, with a well-organised system of shared property and decision-making. But the entire town was submerged by the building of a dam in 1972. In anticipation of the end of the
-
Núcleo Museológico da Rua do Sembrano
Opened in 2008, this modern museum contains than meets the eye – the exhibition is underfoot and displayed through a glass floor. Iron Age finds were discovered here during building works in the 1980s, and the site was deemed important enough to excavate and protect. Peer through t
-
Querença
Though perhaps a little over-restored, this is one of the regions prettiest villages, with whitewashed buildings set around a pretty square dignified by a lovely church. There are plenty of good walks hereabouts; you can grab map pamphlets in the Pólo Museológico da Água , a small
-
Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval
Just northwest of the Igreja de São João is the 17th-century facade of a much older palace and castle, as revealed by the two powerful square towers that bracket it. The Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval was given to Martim Afonso de Melo, the governor of Évora, by Dom João I, and it a
-
Igreja da Nossa Senhora
Some 68 stone steps climb dramatically to the doors of one of Madeiras finest churches, Montes Igreja da Nossa Senhora. Rising in eye-balancing baroque symmetry, it was built in the wake of the 1748 earthquake which destroyed the original. The huge baroque altar bears the tiny stat
-
Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo
Built in Gothic style over a mosque, but rebuilt by an Italian neoclassicist following earthquake damage 500 years later, this church by the castle retains original elements – namely the main doorway, two side chapels and Arabic-style windows in the clock tower. Inside is a plaque
-
Casa Museu Colombo
The only bona fide sight on Madeiras little sister is the Casa Museu Colombo just off Largo do Pelhourinho. Its claimed Cristopher Columbus lived here with his wife Dona Felipa Moniz in the late 1470s while still a sugar trader. The museum contains exhibitions on the colonisation o
-
Museu Amadeo de Souza
Hidden in one of the Mosteiro de São Gonçalo’s cloisters is this delightfully eclectic collection of modernist and contemporary art, a pleasant surprise in a town of this size. The museum is named after Amarante’s favourite son, artist Amadeo Souza-Cardoso (1889–1918) – one of the
-
Mira de Aire
Portugal’s largest cave system, 14km southeast of Porto de Mós is very touristy and old-fashioned, although the caves themselves are impressive. The 45-minute tours spiralling 110m descent leads through psychedelically-lit chambers to a final cavern containing a lake with a rather
-
Castelo & Torre de Menagem (Nucleo do Castelo)
Above the parish church looms Mértola’s fortified castle, most of which dates from the 13th century. It was built upon Moorish foundations next to an Islamic residence, the alcáçova (citadel), which itself overlaid the Roman forum. For centuries the castle was considered western Ib
-
Museu Municipal de Arqueologia
Below the cathedral is the impressive, well laid out town archaeological museum. In the centre is a well-preserved 4m-wide, 18m-deep Moorish well surrounded by a spiral staircase, which was discovered during excavations. The museum exhibits prehistoric, Roman and Moorish antiquitie
-
Paço dos Duques de Bragança
Looming over the medieval city on Guimarães’ hilltop, with its crenulated towers and cylindrical brick chimneys, Paço dos Duques was first built in 1401 and later pompously restored as a presidential residence for Salazar. Today its open to visitors who can wander through the rooms
-
Museu Arqueológico Martins Sarmento
This fantastic collection of mostly Celtiberian artefacts is housed in a former convent and named after the archaeologist who excavated Citânia de Briteiros in 1875. Hefty stone artefacts, including thick Roman columns and milestones, and a mossy Celtic sarcophagus, are spread arou
-
Igreja da Misericórdia
The 16th-century Igreja da Misericórdia, opposite the Arco da Vila that gives entry to the old town, was originally built in Manueline style, but is now nearly all baroque, after the destruction of the 1755 earthquake.
-
São Bento Train Station
One of the worlds most beautiful train stations, São Bento evokes a more graceful age of rail travel. Completed in 1903, it seems to have been imported from 19th-century Paris with its mansard roof and imposing stone facade. But the dramatic azulejo panels of historic scenes in the
Total
723 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
29/37 20-travel/Page GoTo Page:
