Even the town hall and the admin buildings in Sintra, Portugal, look like something out of a fairytale.
If I think about the one word that I found myself saying over and over again while in Portugal, that word was ‘magical’. (Usually with an exclamation mark or two.)
Every time I turned a corner, visited a different city, drove to a new region, or even walked into a train station in Portugal, there seemed to be something that deserved to be described as ‘magical’. But to whet your appetite, here is a small sampling of the embarrassment of riches this country has to offer and at least 5 reasons to visit Portugal.
Fantasy Beaches in the Algarve
The Algarve may be the one region that most people think of when Portugal comes to mind, because as the playground for both locals and foreigners, this Mediterranean coastline boasts an incredible beauty that needs to be seen to be believed. With turquoise waters lapping secluded golden sand beaches, taking a hike here will test your camera memory card’s capacity.
Breathtaking beauty is the norm along the Algarve Coast of Portugal
But it was a particular beach cave that I had seen in photos that drew me to Benagil, a tiny community near Lagoa. Reached only by boat, Benagil cave needs few words to describe it’s beauty and you can probably see why I organized our visit to include this piece of paradise. (You can read more about Benagil sea cave here.)
Yes, it looks just like this. Absolutely stunning! (Check out the people in the ‘skylight’ for scale)
Purple Explosions in Alentejo
The Alentejo is to Portugal what the prairies are to Canada: both the breadbasket and rural heart of the country. In fact, everyone we met in Portugal spoke longingly about the bucolic lifestyle of this, the largest but least populated region in the country. Most of the year this is a dry, hot place characterized by rolling fields of hay-coloured grain crops, studded with cork trees that provide one of the important crops for which this province is known. But we had the good luck to visit the Alentejo in May, and a particularly rainy May at that, and were rewarded with an explosion of wildflowers that turned these normally beige fields into a canvas spattered with purple and gold!
Normally dry Alentejo was painted with purples and golds in May.
Fleeting and beautiful, these fields would soon look entirely different, but for us, they were decked out in these regal colours for as far as the eye could see.
Palaces Fit for Royalty
Whimsical, sumptuous, exotic, impressive…these words only begin to describe the palaces and castles we found not just in a couple of towns in Portugal, but everywhere we went. Whether they are ruins left by the Romans, fortifications built by the Moors, private residences built by inspired aristocrats, or summer getaways for the ruling family, Portugal’s palaces are something you need to see to believe. And the absolute best part is that you can actually stay in some of them – and not for a King’s ransom, either.
Complete with a wisteria-covered promenade, Bussaco Palace near Coimbra is a work of art.
For every child who has dreamed about being a prince or princess, Portugal has a palace to make even a grownup’s wishes come true. If you don’t believe me, check out Bussaco Palace!
Settle in for at least one night at Bussaco Palace.
Towns That Defy Imagination
You see photos of some places and think, no way, that was photoshopped. Or you get there and are disappointed that it doesn’t live up to your expectations. Not so with Monsanto, a tiny town that is built on the top of a hill, between, around, and literally under, giant boulders.
Monsanto is built around the boulders that are strewn all across the top of this hilltop.
The best part of this town is that despite its bizarre and unique appearance, it is not a freak-show destination filled only with tourists and entrepreneurs taking advantage of hordes of gawkers. Genuine, welcoming and peaceful, like the people who live here, Monsanto is off the radar of most visitors to Portugal. And I sincerely hope it stays that way (in fact, I’m almost hesitant to share it here!)
Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place.Yet charming nonetheless.
Pagan Festivals
Stroll the cobbled streets in costume, refill your wine goblet at one of the temporary Tavernas (taking the party to the streets is encouraged during Braga Romana), or try your hand at archery competitions. Throw in a few buskers, falcons, gladiators and fire, and you’ve got all the makings of a magical festival.
Magic happens with fire and dance at Braga Romana.
Magical Portugal
Take a small but diverse country. Add that special something that comes with stunning geography, rich history and a multi-cultural past, and what you get is an expression I must’ve said a dozen times during our visit, and something I’ve come to use as my summary of our visit: “Portugal is Magical” (which I think should definitely be its next tourism campaign.)
Jane Canapini is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She established GrownupTravels.com in 2014 to share information and tips based on personal experience so her readers could get the most out of their travels.
Absolutely amazing, I love the house between two rocks, it’s beautiful!
That house was one of many squeezed between, under and around boulders! I have to give those builders credit – they had some perseverance and imagination to decide they could build there!
Beautiful photography—-I was especially taken in my the wildflowers!
Thank you Irene! We were so incredibly lucky in terms of our timing to see the Alentejo in bloom – the fields looked like they were filled with lavender they were so purple! This country really was a photogenic one – but then again, which one isn’t?
Fabulous photos, Jane and you have me thinking we need to stop lazing around in the Algarve Region and venture north! So glad you loved your time in Portugal and I’m sure you can fully understand many of the reasons we decided to live here full-time and become residents in this “magical” country!
I can completely understand the ‘lazing around the Algarve’, Anita. Every time we looked around there was another piece of gorgeous coastline, and we honestly didn’t spend as much time there as we would have liked. We’ll have to do a little more slow travel there in the future (and I can definitely see why you chose Portugal as your home.)
I’ve had the privilege of visiting Portugal half a dozen times, each time a different corner of the country. It’s incredibly diverse, much more so than I ever expected. This is a lovely overview, thank you for a great introductory piece – I may not be a first-time visitor but I learned a few things!
I feel like every time you go to a place, no matter how many times you’ve been before, you always learn something new about it. We’re looking forward to the time when we can go back to Portugal and do a little ‘slow travel’!
Thanks for the look at Magical Portugal. It is one of the few places in Europe that we have not spent any time. Obviously that needs to change.
We didn’t really have Portugal on our ‘must see’ list either, but it was such a delightful surprise! Definitely a country that is highly underrated.
I couldn’t agree more with your Portugal is Magical phrase. You’ve been to some of my most favourite places, including Monsanto and Bussaco. And don’t get me started on the wildflowers of the Alentejo. Gorgeous!
We couldn’t believe how everything we saw over-delivered on any expectations which we might have had – and our timing for the flowers everywhere couldn’t have been better. Even at Bussaco, the wisteria was just dripping from the vines, and magnolia petals were carpeting the grounds! I have you to thank for the suggestion to go to Monsanto, too – I read it in one of your blogs, and it was one of the coolest places we’ve visited, with the warmest welcome from the people where we stayed. I think you’re onto something, living in Portugal!!!