Best of Portugal: Great Diversity of a small Country

This town saw the arrival of Phoeni­cians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Moors and Arabs. All of these people groups left behind traces of their culture, but the regis­tered historic old town is predom­inantly Gothic. At its center stands the late Gothic church of Igreja da Graca, the final resting place of the man who discov­ered Brazil, Pedro Alvares Cabral. There is even a statue of him in front of the church. A partic­u­larly beau­tiful spot only a short walk away is the Portas do Sol, the former site of a Moorish fortress and today a small park with a pano­rama terrace.

The Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Vitória near Batalha is a magnif­i­cent monastery dating from the tran­si­tion period from Gothic to Renais­sance. It was built in thanks for Portugal's victory over the kingdom of Castile; its construc­tion took 150 years. Today, the gem of Portuguese Gothic is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This city was named after a Moorish princess and, after the alleged appear­ance of the Virgin Mary on May 13, 1917, it became one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, four million pilgrims visit the town each year, including many sick people hoping to be mirac­u­lously healed. Across from the old cathedral, the new church of Igreja da Santis­sima Trindade opened its doors for the first time in 2007. With its 9,000 seats, it is the fourth-largest Catholic church in the world and is currently the largest church to have been built in the 21st century. Between the two churches lies the largest church court­yard in the world.

Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman – Vinhos, S.A. (Taylor for short) is prob­ably the best-known producer and trader of port wines and is closely linked to the history of port wine. The company was founded in 1692 and is still family-owned today. The winery offers tours and tast­ings, also for private groups.

The small chapel stands on a rock directly on the beach near Porto. It was built in 1686, but the place was already used as a sanctuary in pre-Chris­tian times. One can wonderfully combine the visit of the romantic little church with a beach excur­sion. Those who want to leave the car can take the train to Miramar and take a nice walk from there.

This stone circle was constructed by a megalithic culture during the tran­si­tion from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age and is esti­mated to be between 4,000 and 6,000 years old. Some of the stones have been adorned with eyes, circles, zigzags and repre­senta­tions of the sun and moon. There is also a single standing stone 2.5 kilome­ters from the stone circle that can be reached via the hiking trail at the parking lot. Unlike Stonehenge, visitors are free to walk around the Cromeleque dos Almendres and even touch the stones.  

This Moorish forti­fied village lies in the sparsely-popu­lated border­lands and was recon­quered by the Portuguese king Alfonso III in the year 1167. Today, the village still has a complete town wall and numerous historic build­ings. A partic­u­larly beau­tiful time to visit this sleepy hamlet is in the evening, when the setting sun bathes the Alentejo region and the Rio Guadiana with its arti­fi­cial lake in an enchanting light.

This rural town lies at the base of a castle that was built in the 13th century by the Portuguese king Dinis after the Reconquista. The royal family of the Bragança then took control of the castle and the town. The top of the castle offers a lovely view of the surrounding country­side.

This provin­cial town boasts a long history going all the way back to Roman times, when Julius Caesar made the town of Beja the regional capital. The ruins from that era testify to the wealth and importance of the city. When the Moors took over in the 8th century, they had the streets paved with cobble­stones, and some of their graceful build­ings have survived as well. The castle of Beja is a vivid reminder of the city's conquest by the Portuguese kings. The pillory with a cross in the pede­s­trian area testi­fies to the gloomy period that followed.

In the incomparably beau­tiful landscape at the northern edge of the Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana, the Guadiana River falls over a rocky slope. It is the greatest differ­ence in alti­tude that the 850 kilometre long river overcomes on its way from the inte­rior of Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. The waterfall is called Pulo do Lobo, which means “wolf's jump” because the cliffs are so close together on both sides that a wolf could jump over them. But you shouldn't try it your­self. Instead, a path leads along the bank above the falls. On the way back you can pass Anta das Pias, a prehistoric burial chamber, the age of which is esti­mated at about 6000 years. (Round trip: 3.5 kilome­ters, 2 hours, up and down: 120 meters)

The lagoon islands known as the IIha de Tavira are located south of Tavira and can be reached via a ferry. The low dunes and the several kilome­ters of sandy beaches are ideal for a day in the water. There is also a pede­s­trian bridge to the island further to the west.  

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This interna­tional sand sculp­ture festival is the largest of its kind in the world. The exhibit covers an area of 15,000 square meters and has a different theme every year. Artists from a number of countries work for months to construct a city using 35,000 tons of sand. You can admire the sculp­tures during the day and then enjoy an evening program of live music, theater and dance. There is also an area where anyone can try their hand at making a sand sculp­ture.

This small town surrounded by cork forests is located in the sparsely popu­lated Baixo Altenjo region and not far from Ourique, where the deci­sive battle between the Moors and the army of King Alfonso is thought to have taken place. The Royal Basilica of Castro Verde was built as a monu­ment to this historic victory. Scenes from the battle can still be seen depicted on the painted tiles (Azulejos) lining the church's inte­rior.

This town near the scenic Serra de Grândola belongs to Alentejo, which was home to many farm workers during the 19th and 20th centuries. The region was known for its choral songs, which were often sung by the workers while in the fields. The singer Zeca Afonso composed his song “Grândola, Vila Morena” in this style and had it broad­cast during the night of April 25, 1974. This was the secret starting signal for the Carna­tion Revo­lu­tion, which made the city famous throughout the world. Franz Joseph Degenhard later trans­lated the text into German. When entering the town from the direc­tion of Lisbon, you can still see a monu­ment displaying the song's lyrics.

Alfama was once the center of Lisbon in Moorish times. The city center was later relocated further to the west in today's “Baixa.” While the wealthy moved to Belém and Cascais, fish­ermen and people from the lower classes stayed behind. In contrast to the downtown area of Lisbon, Alfama suffered little damage during the Great Lisbon Earth­quake in 1755. This allowed the neighbor­hood's orig­inal jumble of narrow alleyways to survive to this day. Towering above the quarter stands the Castelo de São Jorge, which served as the resi­dence of the Portuguese king until the 16th century. There are also a number of places in Alfama from which you can enjoy a scenic view of the Tejo.  

The Praça de Dom Pedro IV, as this square in downtown Lisbon is called, is a popular gathering place. This is partic­u­larly due to the two tram lines that meet here and the trains heading to Sintra. At the center of the square stands a 23-meter-high marble column and a bronze statue of King Pedro IV. He is depicted with four women at his feet repre­senting justice, wisdom, strength and temper­ance, which were virtues attributed to the king. The square is lined with lovely street cafés where you can sit and observe the vibrant city life.

This elevator joins two parts of Lisbon with each other: Baixa and Chiado, which is higher up. This dist­inc­tive steel struc­ture was built in 1902. It was orig­inally powered by a steam engine, but this was replaced with an electric motor in 1907. The impres­sive struc­ture is 45 meters high. Its two cabins are adorned with wood paneling and brass fixtures and have room for 24 people each. If you take the elevator one level higher than the upper exit, you will get to see two orig­inal elevator machines in action. The next level up opens to a café with a spectac­ular view over­looking Baixa, Chiado and Castelo de São Jorge.