Top 5 Places in Portugal To Visit in 2024
Portugal has a broad variety of tourism places to visit depending on what you’re looking for.
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Here I’m going to show you 5 amazing places for you to travel to in 2024 in Portugal besides Lisbon that have just as much charm and are definitely worth the visit.
Portugal is divided into 5 main regions. The north of Portugal, the center of Portugal, Lisbon and surrounding area, Alentejo, and Algarve. To add to these regions we have 2 island archipelagos that you most probably heard of before, Madeira and the Azores. Each region has its beauty and its gems but I’m going to give you a smaller list of one-of-a-kind places for you to explore in Portugal starting at:
#5 Aveiro:
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It’s only 68km away from Porto and it’s known as “the Portuguese Venice” due to all the canals, bridges, and boats used around the city. Aveiro is known for its beaches, salt explorations, canals, and natural parks. Don’t skip on trying Aveiro’s typical sweet pastry called Ovos Moles because you’ll be crying for more. Around the city, you have other destinations that you can look into like the outdoor walking path of Paiva, and Mealhada which has some of the best gastronomy in the region and as well is known for its thermal hospitals.
#4 Comporta:
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Only 120km away from Lisbon located in the Alentejo region of Portugal and it’s a complete hidden gem. Over the last few years, it’s been expanding in Airbnb’s and local guesthouses focused on combining the surroundings of rice paths, sand dunes, the Atlantic ocean, and the pine forest. When you come to Comporta the point is to relax and enjoy nature, perfect for surfers and trail hikers alike, the gastronomy here is amazing and, it’s been considered one of the best places to work as a freelancer or digital nomad, so you don’t want to miss it.
#3 Caldas da Rainha:
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My city! It’s 88km away from Lisbon, located on the Portuguese Silver Coast it’s known for its beautiful beaches, amazing coastline, and fishing, between the sand and the mountains and with loads of historically marked areas. Besides the amazing things I already talked about in my intro, Caldas has some amazing historical villages around it. one of the historical villages around is Obidos known for its castle dating from 1148 and as one of 7 Portuguese wonders. The other one is Alcobaca known for being one of Portugal’s biggest and most beautiful monasteries. Just a 20 minute drive up the coast we can go to Nazaré known for being one of the world’s biggest waves, you definitely don’t want to miss this small fishing village with a strong personality and kick-ass waves. We have two beautiful natural parks and nature reserves of Serra do Montejunto and Serra dos Candeeiros, both have beautiful walking and biking trails, loads of wildlife, and scenic views to enjoy year-round.
#2 Évora:
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Located 130km away from Lisbon and it’s located halfway from the capital and halfway to Spain. It’s the only Portuguese city in the chain of the oldest European cities. Evora has some of the oldest and biggest amounts of monuments in one city some dating back from Roman times in 1500 and still standing today. Evora is a college city, a tourist-filled city in the summer but if you can come in low season you’ll get to experience it without the noise of the tourists and you can hang with the locals. The food here is something to die for, literally anywhere you go you eat amazing food so if you’re a foodie it’s a must-stop and as well Alentejo is known for some of the best Portuguese wines both red and white so you don’t want to miss it.
#1 Sintra:
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The closest to Lisbon just 30km away from Lisbon, and I know we were talking about cities and towns that are not tourist-filled but I couldn’t end this episode without talking about Sintra. It’s the storybook kingdom of our children books town, filled with palaces and castles and the most beautiful palace in all the land by the name of Palacio da Pena, standing right on top of the mountain that in the winter if it’s cold and foggy you will find yourself floating in between the land and the clouds. The amount of history and fairytale around this village makes it one of the most sought out places to visit in Portugal. If you come in the low season you’ll be able to beat the traffic and wait around to enter the palaces but you can’t come to Portugal and not go to Sintra.
Mark all of these places in your Google Maps and be sure to visit them when you come to Portugal.
Let’s go to our next destination!
