Top 5 places to visit in Portugal

Portugal is a very beautiful country and since covid, traveling to other nations has become a challenge. Luckily there are a lot of awesome places to visit right here, in Portugal. Most of these places are good for a long weekend visit or mid-term break.

1. Arouca

Arouca is located on the metropolitan area of Porto. It is a small town but has a lot of wonders to see. For example, it is located very near the Paiva river, where tourist can do all sorts of activities like, rafting, Canoeing and a beautiful hike called passadiços do Paiva. Another must see in Arouca is the World’s longest suspense pedestrian bridge. With a glass floor and about 517 meters above the river, it provides both an adventure for those who like adrenaline and a gorgeous view of the Paiva river.

2. Guimarães

The land where Portugal began. In Guimarães there are gorgeous parks and of course the iconic castle where Portugal’s first king, D. Afonso Henriques lived and the land where he fought against his mother’s army to declare independence from Spain. But that’s obvious. The real gems are the hidden areas, there are amazing lakes and beaches in Guimarães that almost no one goes to, it is hard to find better than that.

3. Estói

Another hidden gem. Estói is in Faro, near Algarve. It is a great place to rent a house and spend a few weeks during the summer but there are also amazing places to visit, like the garden of the palace of Estói or the roman ruins of Milreu. And soo much more it might seem like very little but it is sucha gorgeous and calm area. Definitely worth visiting.

4. The ruins of Conimbriga

Old roman ruins, they are incredibly well preserved and are a nice outdoors activity for adults and kids alike. A part of the tour is a very interesting museum with even more roman things and some amazing statues

5. Monsanto

“The most Portuguese village in all of Portugal”. It is amazing to visit the castle and the small village inside the wall. Its also an amazing place to eat some traditionally Portuguese food. With a lot of restaurants and hotels, it is the perfect place to spend the long weekend!