In the town centre, the grandest castle on the sand is 17th-century Fortaleza de Santiago, once part of Portugal’s coastal defences and the summertime retreat of Portuguese kings. It was reopened to much fanfare in 2014 and now includes the stunning Tap House, a small maritime museum (€3), tourist information and the renovated governor's quarters.
Audio tours are available for €3.
18.46 MILES
Belém’s undisputed heart-stealer is this Unesco-listed monastery. The mosteiro is the stuff of pure fantasy: a fusion of Diogo de Boitaca’s creative…
29.05 MILES
The star of Sintra-Vila is this palace, with its iconic twin conical chimneys and lavish, whimsical interior, which is a mix of Moorish and Manueline…
18.77 MILES
Towering dramatically above Lisbon, these mid-11th-century hilltop fortifications sneak into almost every snapshot. Roam its snaking ramparts and pine…
18.58 MILES
Wander downhill (to save your legs) through Alfama's steep, narrow, cobblestoned streets and catch a glimpse of the more traditional side of Lisbon before…
18.33 MILES
Set in a lemon-fronted, 17th-century palace, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is Lapa’s biggest draw. It presents a star-studded collection of European…
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian – Coleção do Fundador
20.54 MILES
Famous for its outstanding quality and breadth, the world-class Founder's Collection at Museu Calouste Gulbenkian showcases an epic collection of Western…
29.15 MILES
This magical villa and gardens is a neo-Manueline extravaganza, dreamed up by Italian opera-set designer, Luigi Manini, under the orders of Brazilian…
18.88 MILES
Don't leave the city without riding popular tram 28E from Largo Martim Moniz. This rickety, screechy, gloriously old-fashioned ride from Praça Martim…
0.74 MILES
For sweeping views over dale and coast, roam the snaking ramparts of the Moorish castle, rising 200m above Sesimbra. It was taken by Dom Afonso Henriques…
6.14 MILES
Local honey is delicious, especially that produced in the gardens of the whitewashed, red-roofed Convento da Arrábida, a 16th-century former monastery…
11.61 MILES
Worth the 500m schlep uphill to the west, the castle was built by Filipe I in 1590 to fend off an English attack on the invincible Armada. Converted into…
12.59 MILES
Setúbal’s man-made wonder is this sand-coloured stunner, the first known example of Manueline architecture, adorned with gargoyles and twirling turrets…
12.61 MILES
This newish art space has a packed cultural calendar. Wander through changing exhibitions on the main floor, or stop in for an evening concert of jazz…
12.62 MILES
All streets in the pedestrianised old town seem to lead to this mosaic-cobbled square, presided over by the arcaded bright-purple town hall. It’s a sunny…
7. Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia
12.76 MILES
This small, rambling museum showcases prehistoric, proto-historic and Roman collections as well as traditional artefacts of fishing, gathering and salt…
8. Museu do Trabalho Michel Giacometti
12.88 MILES
How does the sardine get in the tin and 1001 other fishy mysteries are solved at this quirky, rarely visited museum, set in a former sardine-canning…