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Forte de São Francisco
Reached by a drawbridge and bordered by a park with floral designs, hedges and grand old oaks, the 17th-century Forte de São Francisco is the centrepiece of Chaves’ old town. The fort, with its thick walls, was completed in 1658 around a 16th-century Franciscan convent. These days
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Fonte do Ídolo
Another Roman ruin recently opened to the public, this spring is set underneath a mod lobby. An essential community water source, it was carved into a fountain during pre-Roman times by Celicus Fronto, an immigrant from the city-state of Arcobriga. One carving is of a toga-clad pil
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Casa do Infante
Just back from the river is this handsomely renovated medieval town house where, according to legend, Henry the Navigator was born in 1394. The building later served as Porto’s first customs house. Today it houses three floors of exhibits. In 2002 the complex was excavated, reveali
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Henriques & Henriques
Widely regarded by those in the know as the islands best wine producer, Henriques & Henriques only use grapes from their own vineyards in Quinta Grande and Câmara de Lobos and finish off the wine in huge barrels at their modern, specially designed headquarters. Visitors can try
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Madeira Film Experience
Funchals newest attraction ambitiously promises the history in 30 minutes and, it must be said, doesnt disappoint. With a soundtrack in several languages fed to headphones, this superbly produced and animated film takes you through the main periods of the islands past in a dramatic
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Sobreiro
At the village of Sobreiro, 4km northwest of Mafra (take any Ericeira-bound bus), sculptor José Franco has created an enchanting miniature, vaguely surreal craft village of windmills, watermills and traditional shops. Kids love it here; as do some adults, especially when they disco
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Museu da Guarda
The museum occupies the severe, 17th-century Episcopal Seminary, adjacent to the old bishop’s palace. The collection runs from Bronze Age swords to Roman coins, from Renaissance sculpture to 19th- and 20th-century Portuguese painting.In the adjacent, 18th-century courtyard, the han
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Museu Nacional dos Coches
Cinderella wannabes feel right at home at the palatial Museu Nacional dos Coches, which dazzles with its world-class collection of 17th- to 19th-century coaches. The stuccoed, frescoed halls of the former royal riding stables display gold coaches so heavy and ornate, it’s a wonder
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Grutas e Centro de Vulcanismo
Top billing on Madeiras north coast goes to this two-for-one attraction just south of São Vicente. The first part of the experience is a guided tour of the local caves – 900,000-year-old lava tubes studied by English geologist James Johnson in the 1850s. The second part is the Cent
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Igreja & Museu São Roque
The plain facade of 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque belies its dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos – bankrolled by Brazilian riches. Its star attraction is Capela de São João Baptista , a lavish confection of amethyst, alabaster, lapis lazuli and Carra
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Berlenga Grande
Sitting about 10km offshore from Peniche, Berlenga Grande is a spectacular, rocky and remote island, with twisting, shocked-rock formations and gaping caverns. Its the only island of the Berlenga archipelago you can visit; the group consists of three tiny islands surrounded by cle
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Centro Ciência Viva
The Madeira branch of a national museum which covers a wide range of scientific topics in an imaginative, hands-on way. Here the focus is on Madeiras Unesco-listed laurisilva forests, their climate, biodiversity and the human relationship with it. Interactive exhibits include a bar
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Museu do Chiado
Contemporary art fans flock to Museu do Chiado, housed in the strikingly converted Convento de São Francisco. Temporary exhibitions lean toward interactive multimedia installations, while the gallery’s permanent collection of 19th- and 20th-century works features pieces by Rodin, J
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Rosa dos Ventos
Inside the gate of the Sagres fortress is a huge, curious stone pattern that measures 43m in diameter. Named the rosa dos ventos (literally, a pictorial representation of a compass), this strange paving pattern is believed to be a mariner’s compass or a sundial of sorts. Rediscover
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Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Francisco de Arruda designed this sturdy fortified church in the early 16th century, and it served as the town’s cathedral until Elvas lost its episcopal status in 1882. Renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, it retains a few Manueline touches, such as the south portal. Inside i
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Biblioteca Municipal Álvaro de Campos
Aspiring architects or anyone who appreciates modern design should pay a visit to Tavira’s municipal library, which was originally the town prison. Architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça sympathetically and cleverly converted the former prison’s facade and cells into a modern, harmo
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Bairro dos Pescadores
To the northeast of the centre is this fishers quarter, a knot of whitewashed, cubical houses, often with tiled fronts and flat roofs for drying nets. Narrow lanes thread through the bairro (neighbourhood), and there’s a definite Moorish influence, probably a legacy of long-standin
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Grutas de Alvados & Grutas de Santo António
These caves are about 15km southeast of Porto de Mós, and 2km and 3.5km, respectively, south of the N243 from Porto de Mós to Mira de Aire. Discovered in 1964, they are the spiky smaller cousins of Mira de Aire, with similarly disco-flavoured lighting.Buses between Porto de Mós and
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Museu da Electricidade
On the riverfront, this red-brick building and former power station dates from 1900, with original machinery and interactive exhibits providing a window into its coal-burning past. More appealing for non-science nerds are first-rate temporary exhibitions (like the World Press photo
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Termas Romanas
Inside the entrance hall of the câmara municipal on Praça de Sertório are more Roman vestiges, discovered only in 1987. These impressive Roman baths, which include a laconicum (heated room for steam baths) with a superbly preserved 9m-diameter circular pool, would have been the lar
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