Lisbon

Castelo de São Jorge

Sits atop Lisbon's highest hill with panoramic city views. One blogger calls it slightly overpriced, so weigh it against the free miradouros if you're on a budget.

Alfama

The oldest neighborhood — the only district to largely survive the 1755 earthquake, with roots claimed back over two millennia. Wander its narrow cobbled lanes, visit the Sé Cathedral (Lisbon's oldest church, 1150) and the Fado Museum, and hit the twin viewpoints Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Miradouro das Portas do Sol in late afternoon when the light hits the orange rooftops.

Baixa & Chiado

Praça do Comércio (the giant riverfront square that was once the city's entrance), pedestrianized Rua Augusta and its arch, Rossio Square, the Santa Justa Elevator (admire it, but skip the long line to ride it, per Go Ask A Local), Convento do Carmo earthquake ruins, and the ornate 1500s São Roque Church.

Miradouro Hopping

Senhora do Monte (highest, 360°, great at night), Miradouro da Graça (sunset), São Pedro de Alcântara (Bairro Alto, next to the graffitied Glória funicular). Multiple blogs rank Graça and Senhora do Monte above the paid castle views.

Belém

Jerónimos Monastery (UNESCO Manueline masterpiece — buy timed tickets in advance at patrimoniocultural.pt and arrive at the 9:30 opening), Belém Tower, Monument to the Discoveries, the National Coach Museum's gilded carriages, MAAT (futuristic museum with walkable rooftop), and the Quake interactive earthquake museum.

Getting there — tram 15 or the commuter train, ~30 min from the center.

Historic Funiculars & Trams

Ascensor da Glória (Restauradores→Bairro Alto) and Ascensor da Bica (the most photographed, steepest hill). Tram 28 runs Martim Moniz→Campo de Ourique through Alfama, Graça, Baixa and Estrela — see Practical Notes for the crowding and pickpocket caveat.

Museums

National Tile (Azulejo) Museum (€5, in a 1509 convent — widely recommended), Gulbenkian Museum and gardens, National Museum of Ancient Art, Museu do Fado. Most museums close Mondays; the Gulbenkian closes Tuesdays instead.

Sintra

Every blog's pick: direct trains from Rossio station every ~20 minutes, ~40 minutes. Go early and pre-book Pena Palace. See the dedicated Sintra page.

Cascais

~40–60 min by commuter train from Cais do Sodré; Art Nouveau resort town with town beaches. Bloggers advise giving it its own day rather than tacking it onto Sintra. See the Cascais page.

Évora

~1.5 h by train from Entrecampos; Chapel of Bones, Roman temple, Almendres Cromlech. See the Évora page.

Óbidos

Rodotejo "Rapida Verde" bus from Campo Grande Terminal 2, ~1 h, ~€8 one-way, hourly — arrive early as it fills up. See the Óbidos page.

Arrábida, Setúbal & Sesimbra

The car-free way to Portugal's most Mediterranean-looking coast is a Lisbon-based tour — sea kayaking and snorkeling trips with transport included (The Restless Adventurer) or Sado-estuary dolphin watching with Sesimbra's medieval castle and beaches (Julie Dawn Fox). The scenery centers on Portinho da Arrábida, an azure cove beneath a 17th-century fort, with Praia dos Coelhos a 20-minute hike away; José Maria da Fonseca in Azeitão (est. 1834) covers the wine angle, and O Farol's grouper stew with clams (reserve ahead) is the meal worth planning around. Drivers note: the park's cliff road runs one-way in summer from the Setúbal end and parking fills by mid-morning — another argument for the tour. Celebrity rice-field beach village Comporta lies across the Sado but is effectively car-required.

Knights Templar Circuit

Tomar's UNESCO Convent of Christ — the Templar headquarters whose 16-sided Charola rotunda was modeled on Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre, "rare in Europe" (~€6, or a €15 combo ticket covering Batalha and Alcobaça too; allow 2–3 hours for the labyrinthine cloisters) — plus riverside Constância and the island fortress of Almourol Castle. Typically an organized day tour without a car (Julie Dawn Fox), though Tomar itself has a direct regional train from Lisbon (~2 h); bloggers call it Sintra-grade architecture at a fraction of the crowds.

Silver Coast Combo

Fátima, Batalha Monastery, Alcobaça, Nazaré and Óbidos are commonly bundled into one guided day tour; by bus, use Campo Grande for Óbidos and Sete Rios for Fátima/Alcobaça/Nazaré (Julie Dawn Fox). Nazaré is the standout stop: ride the funicular up to clifftop Sítio (azulejo-lined church, vendors in traditional seven-layer skirts, the view over the crescent bay), and visit the red lighthouse on the old fort at Praia do Norte — home of the 100-foot winter waves (Garrett McNamara's 2013 world record) and a surfing museum. Waves run roughly November–February; summer brings calm swimming. Restaurante A Tasquinha is the reserve-ahead seafood pick if you linger (Ferreting Out the Fun).