City: Central Portugal
Top Things to do in Central Portugal
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Top 10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in Central Portugal, Portugal
1. Quinta do Sanguinhal
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 84 reviews
Tour and wine tasting. Visit a XIX century estate, it's gardens and vineyards, as well as an old pressing-room, distillery and ageing cellar. Lunch and dinner can be included, depending on the numer of participants (min 20). Visits must always be scheduled in advance. Here some fix visit times for your visit: 10:00 12:00 15:00 17:00
Reviewed By Tamitka - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
We booked the tour via airbnb and it included transport, wine tour with wine tasting. It was great! we got explanation about everything we asked about wines but also grapes and how the grow. We really enjoyed it!
2. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum - Founder's Collection
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8,443 reviews
With works ranging from Antiquity to the early 20th century, the Founder’s Collection comprises more than six thousand pieces gathered throughout Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian’s life, including Egyptian Art, Greco-Roman Art, Islamic Arts, Painting, Sculpture and European Decorative Arts. Works by great masters such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Turner, Degas and René Lalique’s largest set of jewels are just a few examples of what can be found in one of the best private collections in the world. Besides the Founder’s Collection, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is also comprised by the Modern Collection, which features the largest and most complete collection of modern and contemporary Portuguese Art. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is surrounded by one of the most emblematic modern gardens in Portugal, open all year. The Museum offers a wide range of facilities to improve the visitor’s experience: three cafeterias overlooking the Garden, a museum shop, free cloackroom service and free Wi-Fi.
Reviewed By bIuetraveler - Menlo Park, United States
The Calouste Gulbenkian collection is a must-see for art lovers and is widely considered one of the best art collections in Portugal. From Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph panels to breathtaking 20th century jewelry, this collection offers some of the finest artifacts, tiles, vases, and paintings. I personally suggest that you bring earbuds, as the museum has a free app that serves as an audio guide. Admission is free on the weekends, but during the weekdays, 12 and under is admitted free, ages below 29 and above 65 are admitted with a 50% discount. The museum also has free WiFi.
3. Museu Nacional dos Coches
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,588 reviews
Located in an 18th-century riding academy attached to the royal palace, the museum features coaches and carriages dating back to the seventeenth century.
Reviewed By JLW1789
National Coach Museum is really a one of kind place. I have always wanted to go was the coach museum in Lisbon. This place did not disappoint! My favorite coaches were the The Ocean Coach, The Processional Coach, The Mail Coach. The Ocean coach was made to represent the power of Portugal in the discovery of new lands and its empire. Fun fact the Mail coach made the run from Lisbon to Porto do you know how long that took? 34 HOURS! Now we have 2 ½ hours by train. The Processional Coach was used on religious feast days and they would take sacred relics that belonged to saint being celebrated through streets of Lisbon. A great place to go to see a part of history that is not looked at very often.
4. Oceanario de Lisboa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39,694 reviews
Opened in 1998, the Oceanário was the centerpiece of the XXth Century's last World Fair, themed "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future", and eternally binds Lisbon to the Oceans.MissionThe Oceanário’s mission is to promote knowledge of the oceans and bring up the public about the duty of protecting natural heritage, through changing their daily habits.While walking through impressive and unforgettable exhibits, visitors are encouraged to learn fascinating things about the oceans and, more importantly, how to make decisions in their daily lives that actively promote the conservation of nature.
Reviewed By southerntraveller49 - Andalucia, Spain
Although tickets are a bit pricey compared to other attractions, the Oceanário justly deserves a visit. Besides its striking contemporary architecture, the contents are also outstanding. The day I went, there was an original and amazing temporary exhibition on undersea forests by a Japanese artist, accompanied by beautiful music from the talented Portuguese composer Rodrigo Leão. Beautiful for your eyes and ears. The permanent exhibition is also impressive and complete. It attracts with its twilight atmosphere every kind of visitor and leaves you with the impression of having had a glimpse of a misterious and riveting world, utterly apart from our daily lives. The Oceanário has a very varied public, but it seems to be focused on families. That implies children, especially if you go there on weekends, but most of them were well behaved, not bothering your visit at all. There are a bunch of other activities run by the organisation, but even if you opt for a single free visit, you´ll notice that this place has the positive trait that you can feel free here to visit the place at your pace. You can go around some sections rapidly if you want, or linger for a while in others and then come back again. It allows a very free vision of the place, it doesn´t give the impression as if there were a prefixed itinerary that you´d have to follow always.
5. Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30,695 reviews
No expense was spared when they built this masterpiece of Manueline and Gothic architecture in 1502, which was inspired by Vasco da Gama who is buried here with other great navigators of the past.
Reviewed By dewdee - Bangkok, Thailand
This 500 year old monastery is absolutely beautiful on the inside out. If you're a history buff, I recommend buying the combo 12 euro ticket which gives you access to the archaeological museum adjoining the monastery as well. Every step is worth a photo and the architecture is really stunning inside. There is also a special exhibit right now on the upper level explaining the historical timeline of the place compared alongside important milestones in Portugal's history. Very informative and educational. This is a worthwhile visit because the surrounding Belem areas are all tourist attractions and is accessible by direct bus or tram from the city center.
6. Museu Nacional do Azulejo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,198 reviews
A must-see for people interested in the history and design of ceramic tiles, this specialty museum houses a splendid collection of decorative tiles dating from the 15th century to the present.
Reviewed By sharonhW264WM - Las Vegas, United States
The amazing museum is located in the former Convent of Madre de Deus (founded in 1509) so the building (the cloister, vestry, upper choir, and St. Anthony’s Chapel) and its original tile work are spectacular examples of 1500’s art and architecture in themselves. In Portugal glazed tiles have been used since the 13th century. Initially tiles displayed plain colors and geometric shapes, but by the 16th century more decorative patterns, based on Hispanic, Moorish, and Islamic knot work and geometric patterns, emerged. These were gradually replaced by European motifs with plant and animal patterns, as well as gothic and romantic motifs. The museum’s collection traces tile development from the second half of the 15th century to present day. It was wonderful to wander from room to room and watch the stylistic changes in the tiles as time progressed. We saw everything from giant religious wall presentations and altarpieces, to fully-tiled rooms and stairwells, to hunting scenes and flowers, to fairytales and legends retold in tiles, to colorful tiled maps of Lisbon. St. Anthony’s Chapel was especially impressive—beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling with a huge dome, blue and white tiled scenes along the back and side walls, and baroque gilding throughout. This museum is truly one of a kind—a Lisbon must see.
7. National Palace of Queluz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,402 reviews
Royal residence of two generations of monarchs, only fifteen minutes away from Lisbon, the National Palace of Queluz is intimately linked with significant figures in Portuguese history. Today it constitutes a major heritage site in Portuguese architecture and landscaping, and contains an important collection which reflects royal taste during the eighteenth and nineteenth century - from Baroque, through Rococo, to Neoclassicism.
Reviewed By Margo7850p
The Queluz National Palace is the residence of several Portuguese kings, such as D. Pedro III, his wife, Maria I and his son D. Pedro IV. It is a heritage in Portuguese architecture. Together with its historic gardens are one of the most unusual examples of the harmonious combination of landscape and palace architecture in Portugal.They illustrate the evolution of court style in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, during the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical periods.A beautiful garden and a beautiful palace.You can relax there .Very good for families with children. Has a cafeteria and toilet. It's very easy to park. It is absolutely worth visiting.
8. Monastery of Alcobaca
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,243 reviews
Reviewed By VadimM67 - Murmansk, Russia
There are two reasons to visit the monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça: to see one of the seven wonders of Portugal and the embodiment of the terrible love story of Pedro and Ines in stone. Despite the unusually beautiful baroque facade, reconstructed at the beginning of the XVIII century, mnastir itself is very modest, which corresponds to the price of an entrance ticket of 6 euros. The reason for the modesty is that the monastery belonged to the Cistercian order, whose main principle was to live by their work, and not to accumulate wealth. Naturally, the energy of messianism supplanted them. Including in Portugal. The asceticism of the order is reflected in the architecture of the monastery, founded in 1178-four years after the canonization of Bernard of Clairvaux, the main ideologue. The monastery of Alcobaça in the Early Gothic style reflects the way of life of the Cistercians. Simple lines, without unnecessary decorations and gilding. Most of the monastery's statues are made by the monks themselves. Tourists love manual work. Even this little was lost during the third French campaign in 1810. For example, the wooden choirs burned down and the church stands without them. But Portugal's largest library was looted. As the French say: a la guerre comme a la guerre.But the kitchen has been preserved! It is equipped with a water supply system, in the mechanism of which water still circulates. The water came through an artificial drainage system from the Alcoa River (hence the name of the city). The chimney, under which the fire was built, and the stone table for cutting food were preserved..There are as many as five cloisters in the monastery, although I did not see all of them during my visit. It is interesting that in the monastery of silence it was forbidden to talk, and in the monastery of reading the monks did not read, but listened to the readings. Some believe that the monasteries are not one, but five-according to the number of cloisters. But the most interesting thing is not in the monasteries, but in the royal tomb. The practice of collective burials of crowned heads was widely practiced in Europe: . in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, in the Medici Chapel in Florence, of course, in the Escorial. The main thing in Alcobas is the tombs of Ines de Castro and King Pedro I (1320-1367). Their sarcophagi are decorated with stone carvings that reflect both biblical stories and scenes of everyday life. Their story is often compared to Romeo and Juliet, but even Shakespeare's imagination could not make up this story of love and medieval cruelty. This story is told by all the guides.The heir to the throne, Pedro, in addition to his wife Constance, had a mistress, a Castilian noblewoman Ines de Castro, who gave birth to four illegitimate children . Father Pedro Afonso IV, fearing that the Portuguese throne would fall into the hands of the Castilians (as happened in the XVI century), ordered Pedro to abandon Ines. As Shakespeare's Romeo Pedro refused, then the king's assassins killed Inez in front of one of the children. Then comes the story "King Lear" Pedro rebelled against his father, who died during the war, and Pedro became king. Then a modified "Hamlet". Pedro obtained the extradition of two murderers from Castile and personally tore out their hearts. One through the chest, the other through the back, this doesn`t yet explain why we see the sarcophagi of Pedro and Ines next to each other in the monastery. Pedro ordered Ines's remains to be removed (after 6 years!) from the tomb, dressed the skeleton in royal robes and a crown, and forced the courtiers to swear an oath to the new queen by kissing the hem of her dress. Almost like Pope Stephen VI in 897. The king buries the queen with honors, and nearby builds a sarcophagus for himself to see his beloved at the Last Judgment. We see the inscription on the sarcophagus: Até o fim do mundo.. "Until the end of the world.".."
9. Igreja e Mosteiro da Santa Cruz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 673 reviews
Reviewed By Margo7850p
The Church of Santa Cruz is located in the center of Coimbra, the historic center, in a very charming place. A very nice church. It was erected in the first half of the XII century. Lots to see, lots of history. The heart of the Romanesque church is an unusual altar without a statue, and two amazing tombs of Portugal's first rulers: Alphonsus I the Conqueror and Sancho I. The blue azulejos tiles are a characteristic feature of the church. The interior of the temple is decorated with a huge organ with fantastic Japanese works of art. A monastery is a real gem. A must visit if you are in Coimbra. Next to it is a square with a number of cafes.
10. University of Coimbra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,454 reviews
The Tourism Circuit of the University of Coimbra unfolds in different centers: - The Palace of Schools where you can visit the Royal Palace that includes the Grand Hall of Acts, the Private Exam Room and the Armillary Room; The Royal Chapel of Saint Michael and the Joanine Library where you can visit the Noble Floor, the Middle Floor and the Academic Prison (with limited access for the preservation of the building). - The Science Museum where you can visit the 18 th and 19 th Century Physics Cabinets, the Natural History Galleries and the Chemistry Laboratory. - The Botanic Garden where you can travel around the world through botanic.
Reviewed By Wortleberry
I think we paid 12.5 Euros to visit a fascinating science museum in the old science faculty, the amazing gilded library, historic lecture theatres and other stunning university buildings. This is the cultural highlight of Coimbra.
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