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The charming fishing village of Ferragudo sits at the mouth of the Arade River in the Algarve. It faces the eastern edge of Portimão, the region's second-largest town.
The landmark 14th-century Palácio Nacional de Sintra, with its remarkable twin conical chimneys, is just one of the historic crowd-pleasers found in Sintra, near Lisbon. Sintra was once a favorite summer retreat for the kings of Portugal.
Located in Portugal's Alentejo province near the border with Spain, medieval Monsarez is a regional pinup, its ancient church and castle and jumble of whitewashed cottages hemmed in by time-worn 13th-century walls.
Remote Talasnal is one of central Portugal's celebrated schist villages, the so-called aldeias do xisto. Nestling deep in the Serra da Lousã hills, this mountain hamlet is constructed entirely out of schist, a rock similar in composition to slate.
Literally built out of the granite hillside on which it perches in the country's Idanha-a-Nova region, Monsanto's houses lie squeezed between huge granite boulders while its streets blend into the gray rock. Back in 1938, Monsanto was voted "most Portuguese village in Portugal." Over 80 years later, this unique destination has changed little.
Estremoz is another wonderfully attractive Alentejo hilltop town. It's topped by the Torre das Três Coroas, the Tower of Three Crowns, a marble keep that dates back to the 13th century. Estremoz is synonymous with wine, and the entire town is surrounded by carefully embroidered vineyards.
Commanding one of the most dramatic locations in the country, the serene medieval hamlet of Marvão is found perched on an escarpment facing Spain across the remote Serra de São Mamede hill range in the Alentejo.
Set in the Serra de São Mamede hills in the Alentejo, inviting Castelo de Vide is a spa town once favored by the Romans. The town's curative waters still attract visitors today.
Mértola has a fascinating history, occupied first by the Phoenicians and later the Romans, then the Visigoths. The Moors built the town's castle. As such, this charming Alentejo destination is known as a vila museu, or a museum site.
Tranquil Ponte de Lima takes its name from the ancient Roman bridge spanning the Lima River to connect this Minho town with the church of Santo António. The distant peaks of the Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês provide a suitably dramatic backdrop.
Cradled deep in the Serra do Açor is another one of Portugal's handsome schist villages, Piódão. The houses are recognized for their traditional blue trim.
The frontier village of Lindoso in the Parque Nacional de Peneda-Gerês is famous for its collection of historic espigueiros (pictured), tomb-like granaries where maize and grain is stored.
Carvoeiro on the Algarve coast is one of southern Portugal's favorite family vacation destinations. Besides a wonderful beach, visitors can take advantage of excellent watersports facilities and a lovely clifftop walk.
Sesimbra has always been an important fishing town. But its position overlooking picturesque Setúbal Bay near the mouth of the Sado River also makes it a popular tourist destination, especially as it lies just a one-hour drive south of Lisbon.
Thirty minutes by train along the Lisbon coast brings you to the colorful resort town of Cascais. Blessed with its own beaches and peppered with villas dating back to the 19th-century, Cascais still manages to retain a yesteryear charm, though in summer it can get very crowded.
Tomar in the Santarém district of Portugal is always worth exploring, not least for the outstanding Convento de Cristo (pictured), a 12th-century Templar stronghold and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sited where a 1st-century Roman city once stood, Idanha-a-Velha, in the Beira Baixa region of Portugal, is one of the oldest villages in the country (velha translates into English as "old"). Over the centuries it's also been home to the Visigoths and the Moors. The Ponsul River runs past the cluster of low granite houses and a weatherworn Romanesque cathedral.
The pleasant market town of Barcelos in the Minho region has many claims to fame, including the beautiful old church of Senhor Bom Jesus da Cruz, built around 1705. The town is also the source of the legendary Barcelos rooster, the unofficial symbol of the country and found typically in ceramic form as well as embroidered on towels and aprons. In any shape, the colorful bird makes an ideal souvenir.
Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2012 for its fine examples of trace italienne (star fort) in military architecture, the frontier town of Elvas in the Alentejo lies just 8 km (5 mi) from the Spanish town of Badajoz.
Make the effort to visit the tidy town of Vila Viçosa in the Alentejo and you'll be met by the dazzling Paço Ducal, a royal palace that was for many centuries the seat of House of Braganza, one of the most important noble houses in Portugal.
The whitewash smudge of a village known as Arraiolos in the Alentejo is known for its handwoven rugs. Some of the finest and most decorative carpets in Portugal are made here. It's a traditional cottage industry that dates back to the 13th century.
The Alentejo is not all endless sunbaked plains. On the west coast, where the Mira River meets the sea, is Vila Nova de Milfontes. Blessed with a series of golden beaches, Milfontes sits under the tourist radar except for high summer when surfers flock here to try and tame the wild Atlantic rollers the destination is famous for.
High up in the Serra da Monchique is the pretty market town of Monchique. From here the views stretch out to the horizon and take in much of the Algarve's southwestern coastline. Below the town sits the delightful spa village of Caldas de Monchique, famous since Roman times for its wholesome spring water.
The Gilão River cuts a smile through Tavira, a picture-perfect town in the western Algarve full of historic churches and fine mansions. An arched bridge of Roman origin links both banks of the river, which flows through the protected Parque Natural da Ria Formosa to meet the sea.
Clinging to the cliffs west of Colares on the Lisbon coast is the attractive village of Azenhas do Mar. The destination is known for its natural pools in the rocks, which are filled by seawater at high tide.
Spectacularly located at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers, charming Pinhão is surrounded by the steep terraced vineyards that characterize the UNESCO-protected Douro Valley—the oldest demarcated wine region in the world, and where the celebrated port wine is produced.
Blink and you could miss Constância. A small town set on the banks of the Zêzere River in Portugal's Santarém region, Constância is where the great Portuguese poet Luís de Camões (1525–1580) briefly lived. The Casa-Memória de Camões, the poet's home on the river bank, can be visited. Camões is best remembered for his epic work 'Os Lusíadas' ('The Lusiads').
Sources: (UNESCO) (Portugal Things) (Decanter) (Britannica)
See also: Why tourism is booming in this small European country
Amarante in northern Portugal woos with its film set looks. Rows of 17th-century mansions are set on the banks of the Tâmega River, along with a church and a collection of spruce gardens. The beautiful Ponte de São Gonçalo bridges the river.
Portugal occupies most of the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. Besides a long, windswept Atlantic Ocean coastline, the country offers a wonderfully attractive interior, the regions of which are immensely varied and appealing. Characterizing this small but diverse European nation are numerous historic towns and villages, places noted for their visual beauty, welcoming vibe, and romantic allure.
Click through and travel through some of Portugal's picture-perfect destinations.
Portugal's picture-perfect towns and villages
The cheapest European country to live in, according to Forbes
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Portugal occupies most of the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. Besides a long, windswept Atlantic Ocean coastline, the country offers a wonderfully attractive interior, the regions of which are immensely varied and appealing. Characterizing this small but diverse European nation are numerous historic towns and villages, places noted for their visual beauty, welcoming vibe, and romantic allure.
Click through and travel through some of Portugal's picture-perfect destinations.