Best Places to Visit in Portugal in 2025 : 12 beautiful and unknown places to travel to Portugal that leave you speechless.
Because the neighbouring country is still a mystery for travelers, and these corners to discover on a getaway confirm it
We are among those who think that travelling to Portugal is always a success. Because it never fails to be on the lists of the best destinations in Europe (as they have recognized in several editions of the so-called ‘Oscars of Tourism’, the World Travel Awards) and because it is so close that not going to visit it would be a crime. What do you need to travel to Portugal?
Little more than a passport or ID in order, and a great desire to discover a unique country, no matter if it is for a romantic getaway or a weekend trip with friends. The best thing is that, despite its proximity, many of the corners of Portugal remain a mystery even for those who think they already know everything about the neighbouring country.
Here are the Best Places to visit in Portugal for your next trip :
1. Parque Natural da Arrábida
Just over half an hour from Lisbon (about 40 kilometers), just before entering the Alentejo region, is the gateway to Setúbal, a municipality hidden behind the mountains of the Arribada Natural Park. A winding, panoramic road welcomes you, while leaving behind some of the most beautiful views of the area: its 17,000 hectares hide more than 40 kilometers of trails and beautiful beaches such as Gala Pinhos, a refuge of calm, crystal-clear waters accessible only to locals (and to the best-informed travelers).
And places as breathtaking as the Convento da Arribada, founded in the 17th century and perfectly blending into its surroundings, where it almost disappears, creating one of the most fascinating postcards of the park.
2. Monsanto
This cobbled village, literally dug into the rocks, is worth seeing: it is in Castelo Branco, in the middle of the landscape of the Pena Macor Granite Batholith (20 minutes east of the border with Spain from Coria, Cáceres). And it is something of a perfect example of urban integration: its houses and even its castle (at 758 meters above sea level) do not avoid the granite masses, but rather lean on them or even rise above them. A place as magical as it is authentic, which boasts of being the most Portuguese village in Portugal since 1938.
3. Piódão
Remote, hidden between mountains and only accessible by winding roads. Perhaps that is why Piódão, with barely 200 inhabitants and in the Acor mountain range (at the foot of the highest point in the country, the Serra da Estrela), is still a great unknown. Its cobbled streets, its black slate facades and the landscape drawn by its houses arranged like a cascade on the hill, are the image that makes it one of those picturesque places that you should not miss (whether or not you are an adventurous traveler).
4. Carrasqueira
The northern coast of Alentejo (the most elegant and wild region of Portugal) is much more than Comporta (its most chic destination). Between beautiful beaches that look out to the Atlantic are hidden constructions as curious as the Carrasqueira stilt harbor. A ramshackle sea of old wooden stakes in the Sado estuary (south of Setúbal) that seems to be abandoned… until the tide comes in and its boats stop resting on the mud to float again. Something so unheard of that there is no other like it in the rest of Europe. Do you want an idyllic photo? Go at sunset.
5. Caldas da Rainha
There is life beyond the Algarve and Alentejo. Just an hour and a half from Lisbon is this spa town, a unique destination where the world’s first thermal hospital (1845) is hidden, an architectural gem now in ruins. And that’s not the only secret: here is the Fábrica de Fiancas founded by Bordallo Pinheiro, a 19th-century artist of costumbrismo, a caricaturist of everyday life and the greatest exponent of Portuguese ceramics.
Today the factory is also a museum and shop (with an outlet of the brand at bargain prices) dedicated to this master of sarcasm and plant-inspired pottery (his are the iconic cabbage-shaped salad bowls and tomato soup tureens). If you want to learn more about its history and legacy, take the urban route to discover all of Bordalo’s works that dot the city.
6. Azenhas do Mar
Suspended between the sky and the sea, this picturesque village, which extends in terraces along the cliff, was a holiday destination for Portuguese monarchs. Today, it is a postcard setting, with the houses hanging in a cascading effect, which flows into the Atlantic, and the bay where the ocean pool of the Azenhas do Mar restaurant was built. Less than an hour from Lisbon by car, it also stands out for its vineyards on sandy soil. Its buildings in the so-called soft Portuguese style, that is, with tiles on the facades, as is the case of the school and the teachers’ residence, will leave you speechless.
7. Serralves Foundation
It is possibly one of the most important cultural centers in Porto, and yet what the Serralves Foundation hides remains a mystery. In addition to the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Manoel de Oliveira Cinema House or the Casa de Serralbes, the Foundation is home to one of the most spectacular gardens in Porto, due to its size (18 hectares surrounding the museum) and because it hides a wooden path that meanders through the treetops of the park. It is the TreeTop Walk, a secret walkway of about 250 meters in length that starts at a height of one and a half meters and reaches 15 meters at its highest point. Amazing.
8. Carvoeiro
If there is a ‘hype’ among the destinations of Portugal, that is the Algarve. And if you already know Tavira, Olhao or Faro, it is time to discover Carvoeiro. This fishing village stretches along a rocky cliff with its own name: the dry algar, a meandering layout of caves, grottos and paths formed naturally in the rock. Getting there is easy: just follow the wooden walkways from the parish of Nuestra Senora de la Encarnación. However, finding the beach bar hidden in the Algar is something to write home about. A clue? It’s called Boneca.
9. Costa Nova
Pure fairy tale. There is a place facing the waters of the Atlantic, just under an hour from Porto, where the houses are striped with colour and the atmosphere is very seaside. Like a cardboard set but very real. This is Costa Nova, the most desirable residential area for summer holidays in the province of Aveiro, where the houses of the old fishermen, formerly known as ‘palheiros’ (they kept their fishing gear and painted them like this so they knew which one was theirs when they returned from work on the high seas), are now the object of all eyes and the envy of those who go to spend a few days on holiday.
You can find them on Avenida José Estevão, something like the most seafaring walk of fame in Costa Nova. And very close to Costa Nova beach, Barra, which is reached by a wooden walkway that runs parallel to the sea and leads directly to the highest lighthouse in Portugal.
10. Arouca
This site has been awarded several times as the best site in Portugal. It is the Arouca Geopark, very close to Porto, in the district of Aveiro. Here you will find the paçadizos over the Paiva River, eight kilometers of winding walk on a wooden footbridge that runs through this almost virgin natural sanctuary.
11. Bom Jesus do Monte
It is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Portugal, and yet the significance of this sanctuary located on top of a leafy hill on the outskirts of Braga has barely crossed the border (just over an hour from Vigo). The most striking image is that of its very steep staircase, divided into several sections that ascend to its neoclassical church. The views from up there are the best incentive to climb on foot; although those who do not want to make such an effort can use the funicular.
12. Manteigas
Skiing in Portugal? Of course. It is possible in the Serra da Estrela, which is not only the highest point in continental Portugal but a still remote enclave for many travelers who are unaware of the wonders hidden in our neighbour. Here you will find the only ski resort in Portugal, the Pico la Torre (its radar stations with a deco aesthetic are the protagonists of many selfies) and Manteigas, the most rural and oldest region of the Serra, a place where tradition and design coexist: it is the cradle of the burel industry, a typical wool fabric (similar to felt and brightly coloured) with which blankets have been made since the 20th century. Okay, they also sell them in Lisbon, but you will regret not having bought them in Mantegias (due to local tradition, and because in the capital you will pay much more).
