Portugal - The hidden gem - photos of sightseeing in Portugal on Worldisround

Portugal - The hidden gem

Portugal is a hidden gem of Western Europe. People often give it a miss when they are on a grand tour of Europe as it is somewhat out of the way, and they settle for Portugal's greatest rival - Spain. This makes Portugal less commercialized, and its beauty undiscovered.

I went on a 5 days whirl-wind tour of Portugal, covering the Duoro valley down to Lisbon, the thriving capital of Portugal.(Tips: Ryan Air flew from London to Porto at a VERY low fare!)

The scenic train ride from Porto, hugging Duoro River to Pocinho is ... (more)

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Duoro River seen from Ribeira District
Early morning scene of Duoro seen from Ribeira District of Porto

Se of Porto
The interior of the famous Se(cathedral) in Porto

The famous old bookshop in Porto
Worth visiting!

The bookshop interior
The beautiful staircase of this old bookshop in Porto makes it look...

Christmas lights
Taken in the shopping district of Porto

The delicious custard tart
This custart tart bought in Pasteis de Belem is an absolute must-try....

Monastery of Jeronimos, Belem
This is one of the many landmarks of Belem, just a tram ride away from Lisbon.

Another view of the Monastery
The sky was incredibly blue. Mind you, it was winter and quite chilly with...

Interior of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
Don't miss the cloister. I heard that it is the most interesting...

Monument of Discovery
Henry the Navigators looking out to the sea, taken in Belem, Lisbon.

Santa Justa Elevator
A structure that serves no purpose except offering a birds eye view of...

View from Castello Sao Jorge
The giant christmas tree at Plaza Commercio in Lisbon, seen from top...

Castle entrance
The entrance to the Castello Sao Jorge in Lisbon. Take some time to stroll in...

Sweeping view from top of Moorish Castle
As seen from the highest vantage point of the Moorish Castle in Sintra,...

Moorish Castle in Sintra
A lot of climbing to do at the Moorish Castle. Much better view and size than...

Fairy-tale Palace of Pena
The top attraction of Sintra - Pena Palace. Sitting comfortably on top of a...

Giant christmas tree at Lisbon
Christmas lights in Lisbon is amazing!

Reflection
Seen this on a postcard,so I purposely made another trip to Belem from...

Obidos
The walled city of Obidos, a wedding gift for the queen. It's...

Alcobaca
The interior of Alcobaca cathedral

Batalha
The beautiful cathedral in Batalha

Fatima
The famous pilgrimage site in central Portugal

Nazare
The small fishing village - it does not look like one though as I did not see...

Duoro Valley Scenic Train Ride
See how the train hug the river at the narrow gorge near Tua.

Early morning mist
Taking this scenic train ride is an experience of its own no written...

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article published 7/27/2006

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