I only went to São Vicente de Fora monastery because I’d heard it had a good viewpoint. “It’s the best view of Lisbon,” promised the man on reception, “But before the view, there is all this to see,” he said, waving his hand towards a faded poster showing the highlightsRead More →
With so many fun things to do in Braga, it’s well worth incorporating into your Northern Portugal itinerary. The former Roman city of Bracara Augusta is now the capital of Northern Portugal’s Minho region and is well and truly steeped in history and architectural treasures. Try to allocate at leastRead More →
Over the years, I’ve written about some of my favourite traditional villages in Portugal, most of which are actually part of a network called Aldeias Históricas de Portugal. Under this official umbrella, there are 12 villages, all within the Centro region of Portugal. Most of them used to be borderRead More →
If you visit any tourist destination in Portugal, you’ll undoubtedly find at least one version of the cheerful Barcelos cockerel dominating most souvenir shops. But what on earth does a cockerel have to do with Portugal? I hear you ask. Well, there’s a legend about that… As the story goes, backRead More →
One of Mértola’s merits is its location. Ensconced within the Guadiana Valley Natural Park, the alluring medieval village is also a convenient base for nature lovers wanting to go on walks or adventures in the countryside (see my hotel picks at the end of the article). The historical centre of Mértola village is builtRead More →
There’s more to Évora than the chilling Chapel of Bones.Read More →
Did you realise that there are no less than four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Central Portugal, all less than an hour’s drive from each other? These remarkable buildings contain tales of Portuguese history dating back to the the earliest days of Portugal as a country. With the Knights Templar,Read More →
Carved into the rugged rocks of the Côa Valley near the town of Vila Nova de Foz Côa you’ll find the very origins of animated art. The two-headed animals scratched into these ancient stones weren’t monsters roaming the Portuguese countryside. The extra heads represent movement, pretty clever for rock artRead More →
![Bom Jesus in Braga Portugal. Monumental staircase and sanctuary. By PMRMaeyaert (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://edh9qmimf4g.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Braga_Bom_Jesus_do_Monte_PM_33856-420x290.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
This guest post about the monumental sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga is by Sara Riobom, a blogger at Portoalities. Based in Porto, she organises private tours not only in Porto but also in Braga and Guimarães, in the Douro Valley and in the Vinho Verde Wine Region.Read More →
