The 15 Prettiest Places in Portugal

Welcome to Portugal, the destination that has all kinds of attractions for the most varied styles of traveler: adventurer, beach lover, wine&food lover, for those who want to go hiking, and for those who just want to enjoy. One thing we can guarantee, whoever comes never forgets the Portuguese wonders, and whoever hasn't come dreams intensely about the day they'll have the chance to discover it!

To keep you thirsty for travel, today we bring you 15 places in Portugal that are worth every mile in between:

The prettiest places in Portugal

The main objective of the project was to maintain the character, lines, and rural atmosphere of the building while adapting the annexed structure to a completely new typology and contemporary regulations. New openings were carefully torn out in the colored facades as well as in the stone wall, and a new volume was added to the main building, allowing a second, smaller residence to emerge integrated into the whole.

New elements, such as the exterior stairs connecting the outdoor terrace or the use of bleached wood in the interiors, are reinterpretations of the Azorean vernacular architecture, which was important to dignify the project. The aged shades of pink and ocher are the main identity of the area where the building is located. Ocher was traditionally used to frame windows and doors and in this residence it was used on the interior tables of bedrooms and the kitchen, adding a new kind of relationship between interior and exterior views.

CASA M / Vincent Van Duysen, Melides

Vincent Van Duysen is the mastermind of this project. The architect responsible for the home of countless famous people such as Kim Kardashian took three years to complete this "work of love". It pays homage to design camouflaged by hills and traditional Alentejo landscapes! Marked by minimalism, the "house is designed to absorb the elements - sand, light, wind, sun, air, fog and the ocean in the distance - with a non-ornamental attitude, allowing the sculptural and umbrella-like canopies of the pins to be the center of attention".

Casa M’s architectural core is in a continuous dialogue with the outside where sand is allowed to be part of the house itself, blurring the distinctions between indoor and outdoor. The interiors, rendered in Brazilian ipe wood, brown terracotta tiles in a nod to the Portuguese tradition, and sparse furniture, reinforce how the warm Brutalist monolith is hard at its core but soft and welcoming in character. The colors of concrete and cork trees are actually reprised inside with each detail, from the wooden ceilings to fixtures and panels, all the way to custom-made furnishings. In the living quarters, an 11.8-meter glass sliding door, disappearing into the walls, opens onto the central columned space, riad-like, horizon and Ocean in the distance, only a little farther to grab.

COMPORTA

Quinta da Comporta

One of the most popular places in Portugal at the moment, and vacation spot to some of the most famous like Madonna, George Clooney, Vincent Van Duysen, and of course, the vacation spot of many famous for its quiet, extensive sand and preserved natural space. Its coast has a huge variety of beaches for all types of tastes, from the most deserted and difficult to access to the most touristy and with more infrastructure. Praia da Comporta is one of the tourist beaches in Setúbal, with many services on the beach, good cafes, and restaurants, small shops with cool local brands, and interesting people.

CAIS PALAFÍTICO DA CARRASQUEIRA 

This is one of the not typical places but that we highly advise those who visit us, it is a place that is not swamped with tourists and it is a traditional place, after all, it is a place that was created by fishermen over time! Watching the sunset here is a magical experience.

PORTO COVO

Porto Covo, 170 km south of Lisbon, is part of the municipality of Sines and is a popular destination for Portuguese tourists who are seduced by the magnificent beaches of the Costa Vicentina. This is a charming little village of just over a thousand inhabitants - The setting is breathtaking - on one side, whitewashed houses with colorful doors and windows, few streets and squares full of charm…

ALENTEJO’S SUNFLOWER FIELDS

© Mauricio Abreu 

It's true, Alentejo has much more than cork oaks, rice fields, wine, and olive oil. Sunflowers are exciting summer phenomena: they reach almost two meters and are hundreds. They are attracting thousands of tourists who visit the region of Cuba and Aljustrel that also enjoy the lavender-scented fields.

BENAGIL CAVES, ALGARVE

Located in the southernmost region of Portugal, Benagil is one of the favorite areas of the moment. It is a small fishing village on the south coast of the Algarve that has gained fame in recent years thanks to its incredible marine cave, however, there is much more than just a cave to explore in this picturesque Algarve destination.

BERLENGAS ISLANDS, PENICHE 

The Berlengas archipelago is a wild paradise of nature. With calm and crystalline waters, unexplored caves, and inexplicable beauty, the Berlengas are a must-go place! They were classified as a Nature Reserve on September 3rd, 1981, and, since 2011, UNESCO has included the Berlengas in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). It's a unique place you should visit, and have it on your bucket list: thank us later! 

PALÁCIO NACIONAL DE MAFRA

The Royal Convent of Mafra, later named Mafra National Palace, is the most important symbol of Baroque architecture in Portugal. In total, there are more than 40,000 m2 and 1200 rooms that include spaces and instruments that are unique in the world. In addition to these unique characteristics, the Palace-Convent of Mafra has accumulated several distinctions over the years. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, it was a finalist in the election of the Seven Wonders of Portugal in 2007 and has been, since 2019, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

PALÁCIO DA PENA, SINTRA

The Pena National Palace is a painting that surrounds the Sintra Mountains and is, for many, like a sacred jewel that crowns the area. The colorful tones of the palace, the greatest exponent of Romanticism in Portugal, open doors to the imagination of all who arrive there. As if coming out of a fairy tale, this place makes dreaming of all the generations who pass by and who are dazzled by it.

DOURO VALLEY VINEYARDS

Our readers know that Douro Valley is one of the regions we most value. Here, where the terraces kiss the river is where Port Wine is produced, a wine that represents Portuguese Wine thought the world. Besides, it's a place you can't miss, I read somewhere that the Portuguese novelist José Saramago called this beautiful northern region the eighth wonder of the world, and the reality is that there is something undeniably hypnotic about the Douro's terraced topography.

COSTA NOVA, AVEIRO

In Costa Nova, the houses with colored stripes stand out, in a row of houses in front of the Aveiro estuary. Picturesque and inviting, Costa Nova do Prado, in Ílhavo, is the chosen place, due to its proximity to the beaches, for the holidays of many. There are also many restaurants here with fish and seafood as specialties.

THE ISLETS OF THE AZORES

The islet of Vila Franca do Campo is a volcanic crater surrounded by underwater caves and by the waters of the Atlantic and connected by a small channel called Boquete. It is less than a kilometer from the island of São Miguel and the only inhabitants of the nature reserve are sea birds such as herons. TIP: The clear lagoon is perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving

Inverted House, Furnas, São Miguel Island

When architects have an excess of imagination or a sense of humor, different constructions emerge. Maybe that's why, in Furnas, São Miguel Island, Azores there is a house turned upside down. In fact, it's not really a house, it's a transformation post for EDA, the Azores Electricity Company. And it's not the other way around, it was made anyway. This house quickly became a tourist attraction, alluding to the island's constant mobility due to volcanism. This is one of the most curious monuments found on the island of S. Miguel, located in Furnas.

Casa do Penedo / Penedo House, Fafe 

Penedo House, Hobbit House, or Flinstones House was elected as one of the least conventional places in Europe and brings a lot of fans to Fafe, a place in the North of Portugal! With a strange architecture, using the granite of the cliffs as walls, its construction is entirely made of rock, with the exception of the doors, windows, and roof. That is why it is known as Casa do Penedo, having been built between 1972 and 1974.

If this doesn't make you want to travel to Portugal, we don't know what will! Talk to our travel advisers, they can help you design your dream trip!