The elegant and historied city of Viseu is less touched by the regular tourist trail, but definitely shouldn’t be overlooked. Perched in a mountainous setting, this small city is home to narrow streets with houses built directly onto boulders and conjoined by ramparts. At the highest point, visitors can find a cathedral, a church, and two museums. Immediately adjacent is a lovely area for wining and dining, extending outwards from Praça Dom Duarte.

Drive time: 38 minutes

Ideal for those who want to get off the beaten track, a day spent meandering to and from these destinations in the Serra da Açor means a gentle, winding drive through some of Portugal’s most scenic mountain roads and villages. Fraga da Pena, close to the village of Benfeita, is a magical valley filled with rock pools, bridges, and waterfalls. Piodão is a fantastically preserved and remote village that is almost entirely constructed of slate or xisto, including not only the walls but also the roofs.

Drive time: Fraga da Pena, 48 minutes; Piodão, 62 minutes

Buçaco forest is home to a 250-acre (105-hectare) nature reserve, a characterful 19^th-century royal summer palace—now converted into a decadent hotel and restaurant—and a 17^th-century monastery that was built using a great deal of cork by barefoot Carmelite monks. Visitors can browse the gorgeously clipped and swan-inhabited palace gardens, or meander through the ancient woodlands to discover grottoes, towers, staircases, and chapels containing life-sized terracotta figures.

Drive time: 35 minutes

Often dubbed as Portugal’s little Venice, the coastal city of Aveiro is set along a lagoon called Ria de Aveiro. Colorful seaweed harvesting boats known as barcos moliceiros can be spotted on the city’s canals, with art nouveau buildings framing its banks.

Drive time: 69 minutes

💡 If here in July, you can also pass through Águeda on your way to or from Aveiro to check out the hanging umbrellas that put this town on the map every summer!

Comímbraga is a vast excavated Roman settlement, just south of the city of Coimbra. Remnants of countless houses, tunnels, columns, an amphitheater, and fantastically preserved mosaics can be seen. Excavation continues, so this one is even worth a second visit!

Drive time: 55 minutes

Many of our visitors fly in and out of the city of Porto, creating a convenient opportunity to take in its sights either on landing in Portugal or just before departing. The historic city center—one of the oldest European centres—is an ultimate expression of baroque grandeur, while the waterfront offers a truly romantic dining setting on the city-side of the Douro river, and a number of tourable port houses on the opposing bank.

Drive time: 96 minutes

If the various river beaches in our Wild Swimming inventory don’t scratch your itch for the seaside, the only thing to do is head to Figeira da Foz for an afternoon of sea and surf! Figueira da Foz is a large beach town on the Atlantic coast, just beyond the city of Coimbra. Here, you’ll find stretches of white sand, countless seafood restaurants serving vast tiered platters, and even a casino for those so inclined.

Drive time: 62 minutes