15 Most Charming Small Towns and Villages, Portugal

One of the oldest settlements in southern Portugal. A small town near the border between Spain and Portugal, not far from the province of Badajoz and the Alentejo region, the air is undoubtedly medieval. Because of their location on the border, the Portuguese built a castle here centuries ago to monitor the Guadiana River and protect them from possible Spanish attacks. Megalithic Stonehenge -like monuments from prehistory stand on the outskirts Monsaraz. Like most towns on the Spanish-Portugal border, the castle of Monsaraz was built high on a hilltop for defense. The Moors, Christians and Knights of Templar have all ruled the castle at some point with each leaving a cultural mark. Alentejan cuisine and tourism are now the town’s biggest draws. The ancient streets zig zag past uneven cottages in this sleepy, authentic Portugese city.

Portugal has an incredible tradition of fishing villages, and Ericeira, near Mafra, is one of the most beautiful. You will love to stroll along its cobbled streets and take pictures of its small blue and white houses. In addition to its sea roots and devotion to the patron saint of fishermen, Ericeira is famous for being part of the living history of Portugal: from the port of this town, the Portuguese royal family went into exile in Brazil more than a century ago. In short - ocean waves lure surfers to Ericeira coast, spectacular views from a cliff attract weekend visitors, and the town’s delectable seafood brings in the foodies.

The word Óbidos derives from the Latin and means citadel. The medieval village is particularly famous for its impressive Arab castle, one of the 7 wonders of Portugal, and a ring of medieval walls. Visiting Obidos, it is best to enter the walled city through the door of Santa Maria to really appreciate the impressive array of 18th-century azulejo tiles. Once inside, get ready to go and be amazed by the bright white facades and the scent of bougainvillea. Be sure to visit the the Parish Church of Santa Maria and the Santuario do Senhor Jesus da Pedra.

Located about 30 miles west of the Spanish border near Badajoz, it is a small but charming village. The old town is located on a hilltop, surrounded by picturesque walls and has two entries, Franchina and Santarem. Most of all, the castle and the 28-meter tower stand out in this fence. Estremos is also one of the best representatives of the Alentejo wine-making tradition, which is why it is perfect for relaxing in wine tourism.

Small medieval village, lost in the middle of Portugal, hidden under huge granite boulders. Cobblestones overhanging tiled roofs create amazing landscapes. Architecture of the city, from XII to XIX centuries - is just a continuation of the spaces created by nature. The narrow streets in Monsanto seem to be carved between boulders, and houses are sandwiched between rocky ledges. Over the past eight centuries, the urban landscape has changed little. The boulders scattered around the city still balance on the elephant of the hill, as if at any second they are ready to fall into the abyss. In 1938, Monsanto was recognized as 'the most Portuguese village in Portugal', where either stones are born from houses, or houses made of stones.

Nestled in the mountains of central Portugal, a remote small village has been preserved intact for centuries. It is located in Sera do Asor, a protected nature reserve. Meet Piodao, whose huts are perched on a hill, adjusted by humans as a natural amphitheater. The medieval village has not changed much since its creation until today. Undoubtedly noteworthy to visit is the parish church dedicated to the Initiation of the Virgin Mary, erected at the end of the 18th century and renovated in the beginning of the 19th century. With its white walls it differs from the surrounding stone cottages, but fits harmoniously into the whole atmosphere.

Sintra is a small village just half an hour by train from Lisbon. With its impressive palaces, gardens and walls, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and is worth every minute you spend on its streets. Start your visit from the 16th century National Palace in the center of the village, and make your way outward along colorful houses that will lead you to other monuments of the city: Castelo dos Mouros, built in the 9th century, and Palacio Da Pena, the residence of the Kings of Portugal in the 19th century. Not far from Sintra, in the mountains, is an unusual castle-palace of Pena. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it was built over old monastery, which was in turn built here back in the distant 12th century in honor of the Mother of God. Over time, the temple became desolate The inconspicuous and abandoned chapel, lost in the mountains, was remembered again only in the 16th century, when King Manuel I, being very religious, turned his eyes to this temple and to the rather vast empty lands around it. From that moment, the reconstruction of the sanctuary began - it was rebuilt from stone and stood for about 2 centuries, until a powerful earthquake, known throughout Europe, turned the monastery into ruins. And only in 1838, King Fernando II bought the land together with the ruins of the temple and the picturesque surrounding areas on the mountain. He orders to rebuild the palace on these lands, which later became the summer residence of the royal family. Romantic Fernando contributed a lot to the idea of ​​decorating the castle and its surrounding territories. As a result, a beautiful and magnificent building with an exotic exterior, representing a mixture of several styles, bright facades and an amazing park, with its winding paths, cozy arbors and juicy colors of strange plants, grew up on these lands.

This tiny city with a population of less than 2000 people is located in the central part of the eastern border of the country. But do not let the small size of Almeida fool you. This city was once a very important place at the crossroads of trade routes from Spain. Almeida Castle is still preserved to this day, miraculously avoiding destruction during the war on the Iberian Peninsula of 1810. During the hostilities, the enemy core fell directly into the warehouse with gunpowder and a powerful explosion occurred, which killed 500 defenders of the castle and damaged half of the city. The protection of trade routes was so important for the residents of the city that the Military History Museum was opened here, located in an underground labyrinth.

Absolutely stunning, marvelous medieval frontier village. Sortelha is an excellently reconstructed historical hamlet which maintains all the charm of medieval Portuguese fortresses. This hamlet is the oldest one linked to the strongholds that were used to defend the border... Guarda District - here, in the north of the country, at an altitude of 760 meters above sea level, in a ring of rocks, a small architectural pearl is hidden. A real time machine, transporting anyone who came here to the atmosphere of medieval Portugal. It is not correct to call Sortelle just medieval village: its history began long before the Reconquista, the formation of independent Portugal, and even long before the times of Roman rule. Actually, almost the entire line of fortifications built in this region was erected on the ruins of earlier buildings of ancient Iberian civilizations. So the place that we know as Sortelha was inhabited in the Neolithic era. Living thru the rule of the Celtic Iberians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors, Sortelha eventually fell into the hands of the Portuguese kings and served Portugal well both in the wars with Castile and during the time of the Napoleonic invasion. At times, the village was almost empty, only a tiny garrison consisting of a dozen soldiers remained in the castle, but village not only survived - it has preserved to this day as it was five hundred years ago. Officially, the history of the village has been going on since 1228, when Sortelha became a city directly subordinate to the royal authority, bypassing the local lord. However, the logical center of the village, its core is, of course, the castle, which is much older.

The small village of Castelo Rodrigo is located on a hilltop and dominates the plateau, stretching in the east to Spain itself, and in the north to the deep Douro Valley. According to some sources, this settlement was founded by King Leon of Athos IX and granted to Count Rodrigo González de Giron, from whom his name came. According to the Treaty of 1297 between Portugal and Spain, signed in Alcanis by the king and poet Dinis of Portugal, this village went to Portugal. In Castelo Rodrigo, traces of past territorial disputes still remain. Today Castelo Rodrigo is a quiet place worthy of your attention due to its glorious past, the beauty and purity of the local nature, its houses built into the walls, its pillory in the style of manuelino.

Another hidden gem of Portugal. Elvas is a city and a fortress at the same time. To be exact, the city is located inside the fortress. Without exaggeration, it is the only well-preserved fortress of this type in the world. The appearance of such powerful fortifications precisely on this section of the border between Portugal and Spain is easily explainable: only 8 km in a straight line separate Spanish Badajoz from Elvas. It is enough to capture the border city-fortress, so that the shortest road, on the absolutely flat plain of Alentejo, go to the Portuguese capital and occupy it without much difficulty. In 1581, luck accompanied the troops of the Duke of Alba. As a result, the Spanish monarch Philip II put on the crown of Portugal, and the country of Camoes lost its independence for 60 years. But when it was time for liberation, Elvas did not disappoint. In 1297, the kings of Portugal and Castile agreed on a border between their possessions. From that moment, Elvas turned into the main castle at the gates of the capital of Lusitans. Successive Portuguese rulers perfectly understood the military significance of the city, and therefore did not spare funds for improving its fortifications. The biggest contribution was made by the kings Afonso IV and his heir - Fernando. With them, the city was surrounded by a wall, in which there were 11 gates and 22 towers with a barbican. Today, only one of them “remembers” these fortifications. The remaining towers had to be dismantled in order to build an impregnable fortress of the Renaissance in their place. It was she who defended the city during the memorable siege of 1658, which ended with the victory of the Portuguese army in the battle “Battle of the Lines of Elvas” (Batalha das Linhas de Elvas) in January of the following - 1659. In this battle, the small army of Lusitans utterly defeated the superior forces of the Castilians thereby proving that history is sometimes repeated. Although not in every detail. In honor of the victory at Aljubarrot, the magnificent Batalha Monastery was erected, and only a modest obelisk was erected on the battlefield near Elvas.

In Lamego, one can wander through the picturesque streets, visit the unique museum, see the amazingly beautiful churches, and enjoy the picturesque views. In that provincial Portuguese town one plunges into the atmosphere of calm and pleasure. This former episcopal city with a powerful cathedral is very picturesque at the foot of a hill with a famous shrine. Lamego was founded by the Celts. It is believed that here, in that place, were meetings of the Cortes, which in 1143 recognized Afonso Enriques as the first king of Portugal. In the XVI century, the importance of the city increased again - already as a center for the production of textiles and wine-making, as a result - beautiful baroque buildings appeared in it. The main attraction is the shrine of Noss-Senora-dos-Remedius (Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies) on Mount Santo Estevan. The small chapel on the top of the mountain, dedicated in 1391 to St. Stephen (Estevan), began to attract pilgrims worshiping the Mother of God, and in 1761, on this picturesque spot, the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies with two towers was built, which became the most important shrine. The cascade of double stairs of 686 steps leading to it has nine terraces decorated with luxurious azulejo panels. The staircase and the church seem to be a single ensemble, but the staircase was created only in the 19th century.

One of many Portuguese cities in which, over a long, eventful history, special miracles took place. Officially, the city received this name only at the beginning of the 20th century. It united several settlements, including the Sitio da Nazare (Place Nazare). This is the upper part of the city where important historical monuments are located. One of them is the Church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré , where the sacred image of Our Lady of Nazareth is on display, otherwise it is called the Black Madonna. It is in honor of her that the city is named. What else is Nazare famous for? Huge waves. The highest in Europe. Thanks to the underwater canyon, with a depth of 5,000 meters, they are gaining power and rise off the coast to incredible heights. They begin in late autumn, when serious storms play out on the Atlantic Ocean. It was at this time that championships were held among surfing professionals. But the ocean in Nazar is not always harsh. In summer and early autumn you can have a nice rest here. The sun, beaches, a refreshing breeze, excellent healthy food at reasonable prices.

Wonderful medieval town .In the central square located the Igreja de Santa Maria da Devesa church. Not the most outstanding from an architectural point of view, but visible from almost everywhere and dominating the city. The town was on the 'Jewish way' - the road along which the Jews left Spain after 1492, after the expulsion. More than 500 years have passed since then, the Jews never returned, but there is still a Jewish quarter and a synagogue. Moreover, the Jewish quarter (Judaria de Castelo) is undoubtedly the most beautiful and authentic district of the city.

The medieval settlement of Marvão is located on a picturesque slope, at an altitude of 862 meters at sea level. The walls of the Marvão Castle imperceptibly merge with the granite of the mountains, which makes a feeling of complete impregnability. They are so high that when you look down from its bastions and towers, the illusion of flight arises. The first to settle on this territory were the Romans,. Then, as throughout Portugal, power in the town passed to Swabians, Visigoths and the eventually to the Umayyad Arabs (to the Moors), who were expelled only in 1166. Historians believe that the name of the city could be associated with the name of the leader of the Moors - Ibn Marwan, who began to dwell in the castle between 876 and 877. Now days, the walls of the castle are completely hidden by picturesque white houses, the ancient Church of Our Lady (Convento de Nossa Senhora da Estrela) and the rest of the city's monuments. Inside the castle, there are two preserved reservoirs for storing water supplies in case of siege, and a museum with an exposition of historical weapons. And if you do not mind looking into Spain, then it is also perfectly visible from here!