Top Ten Famous Tourist Attractions in Portugal

Setubal

Setubal is a city located on the Atlantic coast of southwest Portugal, located on the north bank of the Sadu Estuary. Due to its proximity to Lisbon, Setubal has huge economic and trade value. The port and military industry are important in the city. Due to its location in the coastal area, the city used to be a small fishing village and has developed into Portugal's third largest port over the years.

Almost all of the ancient buildings in the Laocheng District of Setúbal were destroyed by the 1755 earthquake, but there are still relics of the ancient city of the Roman era nearby. The Jesuit Church is an early building in the Manuel style, and its ornate columns are made of spiral marble from Mount Arabida. The church's cloister has now been converted into a city museum, with a collection of 15th and 16th century Portugal paintings, Frundler tapestries and paintings, 17th century jewelry and unearthed relics found on the outskirts of Setubar. There is a nature reserve near Setubar, the Satou Bay Nature Reserve, where you can see free dolphins, herons, flamingos, storks, etc. Some unique biological species can be viewed in the unique Arabida Natural Park.

The beautiful beaches of Setubal are very worthy of attention and visit, including Figulina Beach, Galaps Beach and Arabida Gateway Beach. In addition, it is easy to reach the other side of the Sado River by ferry. There are beaches and a golf course about 18 kilometers away from the Troy Peninsula, which is a great place for sports and entertainment.

Hero Port in the Azores Islands Hero Port was established in the second half of the 15th century. It is located in the middle of the Azores in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. A series of mountains protect it from prevailing winds. Hero Port is connected to two natural bays in the Gulf of Tesera, and the harbor is on a trans-Atlantic route. Historically, it played a defensive role and was a trade center. It is now the capital of Tesera Island.

Hero Port is located on one of the many islands in the Azores. From the 15th century AD to the advent of steamships in the 19th century AD, ships docked here. The 400-year-old fortress of San Sebastian and San Juan Bautista on the island are two unique examples of military architecture. Like the Madeira Islands and the Cape Forde Islands, the Azores were discovered during the great ocean expedition led by the navigator Prince Henry during the Aziz Dynasty of Portugal. The Azores Islands are volcanic islands with rugged terrain, dense forests, many lakes and clear water, and rich geothermal resources.

The island of San Miguel in the east is densely forested and shrouded in clouds. From the top of the mountain, you will have a bird's eye view of the lake and the settlements located on the lake. You will fantasize and forget everything in the world. When you come to the lake, you can't help but exclaim loudly. What is presented in front of you is a wonder of the world-there are countless pools on the ground, and there are countless small holes in the pool. Clear spring water with bubbles bursts out of the small holes and floats on the water surface, releasing a cloud of steam floating above the pool.

Guimaraes

Guimaraes is located in the Braga district of northern Portugal. It is a historic city and is known as the "Cradle of Portugal." In 2006, UNESCO listed the ancient city of Guimaraes as a World Cultural Heritage Site. In May 2009, the Council of EU Culture Ministers selected Guimaraes as the European Capital of Culture in 2012. Guimaraes is one of the most important historical cities in Portugal and played an important role in the formation of Portugal. The ancient buildings preserved in the historical center make it the most famous tourist destination in Portugal.

Stroll through the historical center of Guimaraes, on the beautiful iron balconies, on the granite verandas and porches, on the outlines of the crenellated towers of aristocratic mansions, on the arches that connect the narrow streets, on the slates on the ground that have been polished for centuries, and on the cool corridors, all retain the mark of history.

There are more than 30 scenic spots and historic sites in the city. Among them, the Guimaraes Castle complex, built in 996 AD, has a dangerous terrain and its main building is built of granite. The Palace of the Duke of Braganza was built in the 15th century at the will of King Joao I of Portugal. Its style was influenced by Norman-style architecture. In addition to the ancient buildings, visitors can climb Monte da Penha by electric cable car, which can see the whole city from another angle, waiting for visitors to one of the most breathtaking views in the whole north of Portugal.

Evora Historical Center

The history of Evora, the "city of museums", dates back to the Roman period. In the 15th century AD, Portugal kings chose to live here, bringing the city of Evora to its heyday. The distinctive style of Évora lies in its white houses decorated with glazed tiles and wrought-iron balconies built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The city's monuments have a profound influence on Portugal architecture in Brazil.

Regular urban planning and design, which had been established in the 16th century, developed radially along the tops of the hills. In the ancient and irregular city center, some urban squares extended to the starting point of the planning axis, integrating the building into a whole. Between these axes is a road network of narrow streets, most of which are straight lines, extending from one building group to another in different directions. Three consecutive city defense systems (Roman, medieval and Vauban-style) guarded the city.

Between the brick walls and brick remains surrounded by gardens, low white-powder houses with sloping roofs form a unified building, made more prominent by cast iron and tiles. The construction of many Manuel-style palaces and monasteries (built in some places of granite) dates back to the 15th century AD. However, large-scale buildings and urban plans such as canals built as early as 1537 and numerous fountains were already visible in the 16th century.

Human Bone Chapel

The Human Bone Chapel is located in Evora, Portugal. It was built in the 17th century. It is part of the Catholic Church of St. Francis and is one of the most famous Human Bone Chapel in Europe. Compared with the Human Bone Chapel in the Czech Republic, the Human Bone Chapel is more mysterious, making tourists who come here can't help but find out.

The Human Bone Chapel is a Baroque building founded by a semi-blind monk. In 1511, he built this chapel with about 5,000 bones from the church cemetery in order to convey the religious idea that "life is short." The chapel is 60 meters long and 11 meters wide. A chilling slogan is engraved on the beam at the entrance,"Our bones are here waiting for your bones", which makes people shudder. The church is made of human bones from the walls to the pillars. The dim light shines on the walls, and there are neatly arranged human bones or heads, which is creepy.

The two walls and eight pillars of the church are entirely made of human bones, and the white arched ceiling is painted with a death-themed pattern and dotted with skulls. The wall is mainly made of limb bones inlaid with cement. There are two arrangements: limb bones are inserted into the wall or inlaid across the wall, and many skulls are also inlaid irregularly. The column of the hall is a square column. The column is made up of limb bones horizontally. The skulls are arranged lengthwise along the column. The skeletons of an adult and a baby boy hang on the right wall of the room, which is extremely scary.

Porto Historical Center

The city of Porto is built along the mountains and can overlook the mouth of the Douro River. This city has an unparalleled urban landscape that has a history of thousands of years. Porto's development is closely related to the sea (the Romans called it Botus, or port), and the city's numerous and diverse monuments tell us this, whether it's a cathedral with a Roman-style choir, a neoclassical stock exchange, and the typical Portugal Newman's Santa Clara Church.

The well-known Porto Antonio Canero studio is now open to visitors except on Mondays and public holidays. Antonio Canero was born in 1872 and died in 1930. He was a famous painter in Porto. Most of his works were created here, and later his works were included in local museums. Also in Porto, the painter established his studio (the studio now open to visitors), where some of his oil paintings, watercolors, and pencil sketches are displayed.

Porto's Romance Museum is open to visitors except on Mondays and statutory holidays. In the Crystal Palace behind the museum, there are some Latin American style villas built in the early 19th century. The Roman Museum is famous for its efforts to imitate a bourgeois villa built in the 19th century. This villa has unusual historical significance that King Piedmont of Portugal lived here for two months during his exile.

National Carriage Museum

The National Carriage Museum is located on the east side of the gate of Belém Palace in the Belém district of Lisbon. It is one of the best museums for collecting carriages in the world and one of the most visited museums in Lisbon. The museum's predecessor was the Royal Portugal Horse Training Range built in 1787. It was opened as a carriage museum in 1905 to collect and display various carriages used by the vineyard royal family.

The National Carriage Museum is a museum that allows people to understand the history of carriage development in Portugal from the 16th century to the 19th century. It displays about 50 special carriages of modern Portugal royal family or aristocrats. They are luxurious, noble and different in shape. Their decorations are distinctive and pleasing to the eye. In addition to carriages from Portugal, carriages from Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries are also collected. The rarest carriage in the museum is the carriage used by King Philip II of Portugal in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In addition, 18th century Baroque carriages have also attracted much attention because they are decorated with superb paintings and gilded woodwork. It is gorgeous. Speaking of the most impressive carriage in the museum, it is the carriage presented to John V by Pope Clement XI in 1715. Its shape and craftsmanship are amazing. In addition to carriages, the museum also displays various horse harnesses, bows and arrows, saddles, etc., and oil paintings of the Portugal king, queen, royal celebrities and carriage owners are also hung on the walls.

Pottery Museum

The Pottery Museum is located in the city of Caldasda Reina in the Leiria district of Portugal. It was established in 1983. It is a museum dedicated to collecting, protecting and displaying ceramic art. It is the most important pottery museum in Portugal. The building in which the Pottery Museum is located was built in the 1890s and was built by well-known local ceramic artist collectors in a post-romantic architectural style.

The museum has a collection of pottery from different regions and ages around the world. Each piece of pottery is a masterpiece of ceramics, which is amazing. The rich and colorful ceramic collections in the museum are dizzying. Among them, the most popular ones are the locally made ceramics in the city of Caldasda Reina. They are extremely exquisite. They include collections from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as collections from the early 20th century.

There are also a large collection of modern ceramics in the museum, with about 1205 pieces. The collection contains works by artists from Artigas and other artists, mainly describing the design and production of ceramics and glass products in the 20th century. Another major feature of the museum is the collection of ceramic tiles about Portugal. It contains various styles of ceramic tiles from the 16th century to the 20th century. There are about 1200 ceramic tiles and more than 40 tiles, which is amazing.

Electricity Museum The Electricity Museum is located in the Belém district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on the north bank of the Tejo River. It was established in 1990. It is a scientific and industrial archaeology museum with energy evolution as its main axis. It was formerly known as the Tejo Power Generation Center and is the most inaccessible part of Lisbon. As a cultural exchange center, the Electric Power Museum presents visitors with the past, present and future of electric power development. As a supplement to the Industrial Building Science Museum, visitors can see the specific application of various industrial concepts and experimental analysis methods. Each display is closely related to the corresponding culture.

The Electric Power Museum not only has various tangible exhibitions, but also has a rich collection and technical materials. The museum prioritizes the restoration and improvement of various exhibition objects through major repairs and other activities, and improves the museum's collection by purchasing, storing, and counting new accessories, introducing accessory materials from other power plants in Portugal, especially those with precious value.

The museum currently collects a large number of mobile equipment assets, such as boilers, turbine generators and condensers produced from 1930 to 1950. In addition, it also collects important power generation equipment and accessories related to the end of the 19th century to the present. Among them, special emphasis needs to be placed on generator sets, electronic terminals, public and domestic lighting wooden or iron modules and parts, laboratory equipment, valves, covers, etc. Over the years, the Electric Power Museum has carried out a large number of colorful activities indoors and outdoors, such as various temporary exhibitions,"Science Month", concerts, seminars, etc. A series of Science Month activities are held in May every year, and a variety of scientific lecture activities are held in a concentrated manner to review the past power science one by one.

Belen Palace

Belém Palace is located on a hill in the Belém district of Lisbon, close to Alfonso de Albuquerque Square, close to the historical center of Belém and the Geronimus Monastery. It was once the royal palace of the Portugal monarch and was established as the official residence of the President of Portugal after the founding of the Vineyard Republic.

Belém Palace was built in 1559 and renovated by King João V in the 18th century. In 1755, the sudden earthquake did not have a great impact on the palace. The high walls and exquisite tiles were completely preserved and later renovated. Belen Palace is shaped by the letter "L". It is a building complex with a courtyard and a garden. It is built against a mountain and has a wide view. You can look up to the blue sky and white clouds under the sky and overlook the green mountains and clear waters at the mouth of the Tejou River. There is a small square in front of the palace. The garden in the square is crowded with flowers and is full of vitality.

Currently, there is a Presidential Museum in Belen Palace, which collects and displays the history and culture of the national flag and national anthem, focusing on the important position and historical role of the president in the country of Portugal. There is a room dedicated to displaying portraits of every president in Portugal, and the other room displays various gifts given to the president by other leaders or well-known figures from various countries around the world. Many tourists visit every day.