These Best Places to See in Portugal

For too many years Portugal was given short shrift by Iberian bound travelers who focused almost entirely on neighboring Spain. That began to change dramatically several years ago during Lisbon’s new renaissance. It was a time when scores of upscale hotels and hip new restaurants took root in the city. As a consequence, the capital that was once an afterthought became a star on the European tourist circuit. Let find out These Best Places to See in Portugal below.

These Best Places to See in Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal’s Capital

The Baixa, Lisbon’s downtown area, is still the traditional center of city life. Also it’s where Lisbon’s oldest and traditional shops still exist. In this heart of the city, is the famous pedestrian only street Rua Augusta. Streets that run parallel to it identify the various tradesmen and craftsmen who have done business there for centuries. You’ll find jeweler’s stores in the Rua do Ouro and the Rua da Prata. Regrettably, the original Baixa was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755. Afterward, it was reconstructed by the king’s prime minister.
As a consequence, it’s still popularly known as the Baixa Pombalina. It has a uniform and rectangular layout that makes no distinction between the various social strata that live in the area. First and foremost, don’t miss visiting the Alfama, the old hilly area of Lisbon. It’s wrapped around the hill below St. George’s Fort.

Beautiful Évora

A unique and historic city, 2,000 years old Evora is labyrinthine of streets and city squares, Renaissance fountains, Moorish courtyards and Gothic doorways and turrets. The Romans created its elegant temple, battlements, and baths, and the Moorish Yeborah influenced the urban network of the Mouraria district. Évora is a beautiful town at the foot of the mountain range of the same name.
Consequently, its unique characteristics led UNESCO to classify it as a World Heritage site. Incidentally, it was even necessary for UNESCO to create a special category, that of cultural landscape. Accordingly, this was to take into account the natural riches of the mountains as well as the historic town. King João II chose it for the wedding of his successor to the daughter of the Catholic Monarchs.

Coimbra, Portugal’s University City

Roughly halfway between Lisbon and Oporto in the north, Coimbra was once the capital of the Portugal. However, it’s most famous for the University of Coimbra, founded in 1290 and one of the oldest universities in Europe. Furthermore, it’s a city of medieval churches and a maze of medieval streets. Presumably, that’s the reason some consider it the most romantic city in Portugal.
Overlooking the city and the Mondego River, the University is a rambling building, constructed around a central courtyard. Its entrance is through the Porta Férrea, an impressive Mannerist work. There one can also see the statues of the University´s patrons, the Kings Dom Dinis and Dom João III. You’ll see students all around the city, identified by the black capes they still wear. The little colored ribbons on their briefcases denoting the school they attend. That is once of These Best Places to See in Portugal.

Porto and Its Wine

The gateway to the north, Porto is both the city that provided a nation with a name and a fortified wine known worldwide as Port. The second largest city in the country, it’s located at the mouth of the Douro River. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city’s Cais da Ribeira riverfront is its center and its most picturesque part. The area has a mix of ancient narrow streets and alleyways with centuries-old buildings.
Old homes of granite and tile loom over the waterfront, that’s filled with Rabelo boats and river excursion ships. The riverfront area comes alive in the evening when numerous cafés, bars, and restaurants open. Couples stroll along the Douro, as a hint of music drifts from the bars and cafes.

Sintra, the Fairytale City

Sintra’s Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal. Set at the top of the Monte da Pena, the palace was built on the site of an old monastery belonging to the Order of St. Jerome. It was the result of the imagination of Dom Fernando of Saxe Coburg Gotha, who married Queen Dona Maria II in 1836. After falling in love with Sintra, he decided to buy the convent and the surrounding land to build a summer palace for the royal family.
This resulted in a somewhat unusual mixture of architectural styles. Moreover, he also established an English style woodland park with a wide variety of exotic trees. The highlight of the palace’s interior is the chapel. Its alabaster altarpiece is attributed to Nicolau Chanterenne, one of the architects of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, in Lisbon.