Cities & Regions in Portugal

Cascais guide - beaches, Boca do Inferno, Guincho, the marina, and how to get there from Lisbon by train in 40 minutes.

Lisbon: Alfama Fado, Baixa, Belem, Principe Real boutiques. Metro €1.61, airport taxi €15-20, Sintra train €2.35 (40min), castles €15.

Setúbal travel guide - Arrábida Natural Park's limestone cliffs, clear water beaches, dolphin watching on the Sado, and Tróia ferry.

Sintra UNESCO palaces guide - Pena, Regaleira, and the Royal Palace - how to get there, book tickets, and beat the crowds.

Braga travel guide - Bom Jesus do Monte baroque staircase, Portugal's oldest cathedral, Holy Week processions, and 55km from Porto by train.

Guimarães travel guide - UNESCO medieval centre, castle where Portugal began, Paço dos Duques palace, and easy day trip from Porto.

Porto travel guide - Ribeira waterfront, Port wine cellars in Gaia, São Bento station tiles, Douro Valley day trips, and where to stay.

Viana do Castelo guide - Santa Luzia basilica hilltop views, Manueline architecture, Cabedelo surf beach, and the August folk festival.

Aveiro guide - canal tours on painted moliceiro boats, ovos moles sweet pastries, striped Costa Nova beach houses, and 1 hour from Porto by train.

Coimbra guide - one of Europe's oldest universities, the baroque Biblioteca Joanina with its resident bats, Coimbra fado, and the Santa Cruz monastery.

Fátima guide: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of the Holy Trinity, pilgrimage dates, and where to stay.

Nazaré guide - record-breaking big waves, the underwater canyon, Sítio clifftop views, and traditional fishing culture. 2 hours from Lisbon.

Óbidos guide - walk the intact 2km medieval walls, drink ginjinha from chocolate cups, visit the castle pousada, and the Christmas market in December.

Tomar guide - the UNESCO Convento de Cristo, Portugal's greatest Templar monument, the Charola rotunda, Pegões aqueduct, and the Festa dos Tabuleiros.

Évora guide - UNESCO Roman city, Chapel of Bones with 5,000 skulls, neolithic Cromlech of Almendres, Alentejo wine and food - 1h30 from Lisbon.

Albufeira guide - Praia de Falésia's red cliffs, old town, the Strip nightlife zone, water parks, and why May–June beats peak summer.

Faro guide - walled old town, bone chapel, Ria Formosa boat trips, flamingos, and barrier islands - the Algarve's capital and airport gateway.

Lagos guide - Ponta da Piedade sea stacks by kayak, Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, old town walls, and the western Algarve's best base.

Portimão travel guide - Praia da Rocha beach, the riverside fish market, boat trips to sea caves, and how to reach it from Faro airport.

Tavira guide - Roman bridge, Moorish castle, Ilha de Tavira barrier island by ferry, Ria Formosa tuna heritage, and the eastern Algarve at its best.

Almada travel guide - Cristo Rei statue, Cacilhas seafood, and the ferry from Lisbon's Cais do Sodré for the best views of the capital.

Beja guide - Moorish castle over the Alentejo plains, cork oak landscapes, the Letters of a Portuguese Nun (17th-century), and 180km from Lisbon.

Carvoeiro travel guide - clifftop village beaches, Algar Seco rock formations, sea cave boat trips, and where to stay in this compact Algarve resort.

Olhão guide - Ria Formosa ferry islands, the 1912 fish market, Moorish-style old town, and why this fishing port stays off the mass-tourism radar.

Vilamoura travel guide - the marina, golf courses, casino, beaches, and what distinguishes this planned resort from other Algarve destinations.