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• Take in sweeping vistas of Lisbon and the River Tagus (Tio Tejo) estuary on a walk around the hilly capital. Ascend the highest of the seven hills surrounding the city and discover the magnificent 12th-century Castle of St George.
• Get close to the sharks in Europe's largest oceanarium, enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Tagus from the cable car and check out the Knowledge Pavilion at the Park of Nations, 5km (3.5 miles) east of Lisbon (website: www.parquedasnacoes.pt).
• Explore Lisbon's riverside suburb of Belém from where Vasco da Gama set sail in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its must-see attractions are the striking Torre de Belém and the Monastery of the Hieronymites, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the
new Berardo Collection (website: www.berardocollection.com) modern art gallery.
• Experience the magic of Sintra (also a World Heritage Site), a mountain town full of palaces 25km (15 miles) from Lisbon. Do not miss the former summer residence of the Portuguese royal family and the beautiful Monserrate gardens.
• Strike out west from Sintra to the lighthouse at Cabo da Roca and watch the wave pound the rocks below at the most westerly point in Europe.
• Head inland and discover Évora, a virtual museum of a town that reached its golden age in the 15th century, when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. Its monuments had a profound influence on Portuguese architecture in Brazil.
• Travel north to the Monastery of Batalha (Mosteiro de Santa Maria), another World Heritage Site which was built to commemorate the victory of King João I over a Castilian army in 1385, and marvel at its Portuguese gothic and Manueline architecture.
• Visit the nearby Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was founded in the 12th century by King Alfonso I, and be rewarded by a masterpiece of Cistercian gothic art.
• Explore intriguing medieval history at the Knights Templar castle in Tomar; the Convent of the Order of Christ at the heart of the castle complex is one of Portugal's premier artistic and historical structures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Peel back layers of history walking around Porto's UNESCO World Heritage listed old core taking in the Stock Exchange Palace, the Romanesque-gothic Cathedral, the Romanesque church of Cedofeita, the baroque Clérigos tower and the vibrant Cais da Ribeira (old waterfront) (website: www.portoturismo.pt).
• Head northeast to Portugal's medieval capital, Guimarães. This exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town boasts a fine castle and the former palace of the Dukes of Bragança (website: www.guimaraesturismo.com).
• See an exceptional concentration of rock carvings from the Upper Palaeolithic period (22,000-10,000BC) at the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, esteemed by UNESCO as the most outstanding example of early human artistic activity in this form anywhere in the world (website: www.ipa.min-cultura.pt/coa).
• Soak up Portuguese culture in the charming town of Coimbra, home to one of Europe's oldest universities, the old Romanesque cathedral (Se Velha), Jesuit cathedral (Se Nova) and the gothic church and final resting place of Portugal's first king (Santa Cruz).
• Discover one of the Algarve's oldest and least spoiled towns. Constructed on the banks of the River Gilhao the picture-postcard settlement of Tavira boasts an arcaded town hall, seven-arched Roman bridge, old fortifications and an island beach.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Get close to the sharks in Europe's largest oceanarium, enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Tagus from the cable car and check out the Knowledge Pavilion at the Park of Nations, 5km (3.5 miles) east of Lisbon (website: www.parquedasnacoes.pt).
• Explore Lisbon's riverside suburb of Belém from where Vasco da Gama set sail in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its must-see attractions are the striking Torre de Belém and the Monastery of the Hieronymites, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the
new Berardo Collection (website: www.berardocollection.com) modern art gallery.
• Experience the magic of Sintra (also a World Heritage Site), a mountain town full of palaces 25km (15 miles) from Lisbon. Do not miss the former summer residence of the Portuguese royal family and the beautiful Monserrate gardens.
• Strike out west from Sintra to the lighthouse at Cabo da Roca and watch the wave pound the rocks below at the most westerly point in Europe.
• Head inland and discover Évora, a virtual museum of a town that reached its golden age in the 15th century, when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. Its monuments had a profound influence on Portuguese architecture in Brazil.
• Travel north to the Monastery of Batalha (Mosteiro de Santa Maria), another World Heritage Site which was built to commemorate the victory of King João I over a Castilian army in 1385, and marvel at its Portuguese gothic and Manueline architecture.
• Visit the nearby Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was founded in the 12th century by King Alfonso I, and be rewarded by a masterpiece of Cistercian gothic art.
• Explore intriguing medieval history at the Knights Templar castle in Tomar; the Convent of the Order of Christ at the heart of the castle complex is one of Portugal's premier artistic and historical structures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Peel back layers of history walking around Porto's UNESCO World Heritage listed old core taking in the Stock Exchange Palace, the Romanesque-gothic Cathedral, the Romanesque church of Cedofeita, the baroque Clérigos tower and the vibrant Cais da Ribeira (old waterfront) (website: www.portoturismo.pt).
• Head northeast to Portugal's medieval capital, Guimarães. This exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town boasts a fine castle and the former palace of the Dukes of Bragança (website: www.guimaraesturismo.com).
• See an exceptional concentration of rock carvings from the Upper Palaeolithic period (22,000-10,000BC) at the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, esteemed by UNESCO as the most outstanding example of early human artistic activity in this form anywhere in the world (website: www.ipa.min-cultura.pt/coa).
• Soak up Portuguese culture in the charming town of Coimbra, home to one of Europe's oldest universities, the old Romanesque cathedral (Se Velha), Jesuit cathedral (Se Nova) and the gothic church and final resting place of Portugal's first king (Santa Cruz).
• Discover one of the Algarve's oldest and least spoiled towns. Constructed on the banks of the River Gilhao the picture-postcard settlement of Tavira boasts an arcaded town hall, seven-arched Roman bridge, old fortifications and an island beach.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
