Things to do in Portugal

As a base for exploring the region of Beira Litoral, Coimbra can’t be beat. It’s a wonderfully moody place of ancient alleys and lanes, twisting and climbing around the country’s oldest university (est. 1290). Oxford and Cambridge, eat your hearts out.

If you’re vying for views, it’s Sintra you want. This hilltop retreat near Lisbon is one of the most scenic in the country, surrounded by opulent palaces and country estates. The cooler air of the sky-high town made it the preferred summer retreat for Portugal’s royalty - over the years it has also attracted the rich and famous, including one Lord Byron.

Anyone with a sweet tooth will want to gorge on the delicious flaky custard tartlets for which Portugal is famed. Belém’s versions have been made and served warm with cinnamon and icing sugar sprinkled over them for more than a century at the Pastéis de Belém . Don’t miss out on them.

Trás-os-Montes literally means “Behind the Mountains” - and was once indeed Portugal at its most remote. You can still witness Portuguese tradition in action in these beautiful and isolated farmlands. Highlights include spectacular views from Vila Real, a boat trip from Miranda do Douro and the ancient citadel at Bragança.

Alfama in Lisbon was made for getting lost in. It’s like a village in the heart of the capital, with streets so narrow and precipitous that few cars can enter. It’s the street life that’s of interest here, continuing in the same way it has for centuries - children playing in the squares and alleys, and families cooking fish on tiny grills outside their houses. There are plenty of jaw-dropping places to stay in the capital. Or, for something kinder on the purse strings, check out cheap holidays to Portugal.

If you're looking for a place of pilgrimage with a stairway to heaven to boot, look no further than the Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga. Rising from the mountains of the Minho, this is the ultimate spot for a picnic - bring your own food and drink in the views.

If you’re after the Portugal of the popular imagination, make for the Algarve without delay, where the Mediterranean climate and golden beaches have turned the area into the country’s top destination for sunseekers. Pop the picnic, slather on the suncream and focus on soaking up those rays. Pure. Beach. Bliss.

Float like a barrel of port down the Douro Valley to enjoy one of Portugal’s prettiest regions. The Douro river route is one of the great European journeys: you can visit wineries along the way and stay in rural quintas, hanging around at the majestic dams to watch the boats come through the locks.

A head for heights? Boots made for walking? You’ll find hikes aplenty and fantastic scenery in Portugal’s highest mountains. The range is a high alpine plateau cut by valleys, from within which emanate two of the country’s greatest rivers, the Mondego and Zêzere - the only rivers to begin and end in Portugal rather than crossing the border into Spain.

If you’re still wondering what to do in Portugal, do as the Romans did and make for Évora. You won’t be surprised that the city’s earned itself UNESCO status: there’s a Roman temple, Moorish alleys, a circuit of medieval walls, an ensemble of 16th-century mansions and ochre-trimmed, whitewashed houses.