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This section divides Central Portugal into three colour-coded sightseeing areas, as shown on this map. Find out more about each area on the following pages.
Experience Central Portugal
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Experience Central Portugal
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Experience Central Portugal
Breathtaking beaches and fairy-tale castles seem a world away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, but it’s only a 90-minute drive to the Lisbon Coast. The resorts of Costa da Caparica and Sesimbra, sheltered by the verdant Serra da Arrábida, lie to the south, while to the north you’ll find the wooded slopes of Sintra, dotted with stunning summer palaces. It is not hard to see how the town inspired Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales or why Lord Byron proclaimed it a “glorious Eden”. The coast is also a surfers’ paradise as fierce Atlantic waves batter the area around Ericeira.
Best for Hilltop palaces and fashionable resorts
Home to Palácio Nacional da Pena, Palácio Nacional de Queluz, Palácio Nacional de Sintra
Experience Arroz de marisco, a flavoursome seafood rice, at a seafront eatery
Experience Central Portugal
t The old fishing port of Carrasqueira, on the Península de Tróia
Experience Central Portugal
Between the Tagus and the coast lie the rolling hills, rugged cliffs and sandy beaches of Estremadura. In contrast, vineyard-strewn Ribatejo is a vast alluvial plain lying along the riverbanks. Here, Portugal’s finest medieval monasteries bear witness to an illustrious, if turbulent, past. Ancient Tomar and picture-perfect Óbidos are congenial bases from which to visit the great abbey at Batalha or the modern shrine at Fátima. There are beach resorts aplenty, too.
Best for Historic buildings and buffeted beaches
Home to Alcobaça, Batalha’s Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória, Tomar’s Convento de Cristo
Experience A surfing lesson at Baleal, the ideal spot for beginners
Experience Central Portugal
t The picturesque coastline at Nazaré
Experience Central Portugal
Ranging from the Spanish frontier to the sea, the Beiras is a bulwark between the cool green north and the parched south. Here you’ll find the country’s highest mountains in the Serra da Estrela, the flat salt marshes of the Ria de Aveiro and the busy seaside resort of Figueira da Foz. Use stately old university city of Coimbra as a base for visiting the Roman ruins of Conímbriga and the magical forest of Buçaco, with its crumbling grottoes. Inland, the charming town of Viseu is an ideal stopover on the way to the medieval strongholds of Guarda, Almeida and Monsanto.
Best for Unspoilt, mountainous terrain
Home to Aveiro, Coimbra and its university, Buçaco, Serra da Estrela
Experience A boat trip in a colourful moliceiro on Aveiro’s atmospheric waterways
Experience Central Portugal
t Distinctive candy-striped beach houses in Costa Nova