91 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Portugal - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Portugal

Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.

Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

Alcains, Portugal

The Village of Monsanto

Houses are tucked between, on, and underneath giant boulders.

Lisbon, Portugal

Carmo Convent Ruins

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

Évora, Portugal

Portugal's Chapel of Bones

A 16th century chapel decorated with bones, skulls, and entire bodies hanging from the wall.

Sintra, Portugal

Pena National Palace

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.

Capela de Ossos Bone Chapel

This small chapel is built of human bones and decorated with a golden skeleton.

Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Bertrand

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.

See All 91 Things to Do in Portugal See All 91 Places

Unique Food & Drink in Portugal

Strawberry Tree Fruit

The lychee-looking fruit appears in everything from jam and liqueur to the Aeneid and Madrid's flag.

Malasadas

These Portuguese doughnuts have a fervent fanbase in Hawaii.

Violet Volcanic Tea

When green tea meets water from the Azores’ hot springs, an unexpectedly colorful brew is born.

Bolo Lêvedo

Portugal's volcanic archipelago is home to addictively sweet and chewy muffins.

See all 21 things to eat in Portugal See all 21 things to eat in Portugal

Atlas Obscura Trips

Lisbon: Tracing the Roots of an Imperial Cuisine

Journey beyond the city’s tiled buildings and narrow streets to discover the long legacy and vibrant present of culinary inventiveness in Lisbon.

Community Forums / Southern Europe / Portugal

Top Discussions in the Portugal Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Portuguese foods	0 August 30, 2019	493	August 30, 2019
Banco de Materiais (Bank of Materials)	2 May 23, 2019	1317	May 23, 2019
Almendres Cromlech	2 July 12, 2019	996	July 12, 2019
CR7 Museum	1 July 10, 2019	587	July 10, 2019
Gorreana Tea Plantation	1 March 25, 2020	88	March 25, 2020

New Post Visit the Forum

Explore Portugal

Launch Map

Portugal Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent Portugal Activity

ccocksedge wants to go to Carmo Convent Ruins

neanderk has been to Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

ElSilencio wants to go to Horse of Mazouco

ElSilencio wants to go to Valongo Sanatorium

ElSilencio wants to go to Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)

Stories About Portugal

While marmalade tastes sharp and even a little bitter, marmelada tastes hyper-sweet.

Why Portugal's Marmelada Tastes Nothing Like Marmalade

The blocky confection took on a very different definition in England.

by Rafaela Ferraz

December 5, 2018

A half-buried bottle of wine of the dead.

Unearthing Portugal's Wine of the Dead, a Relic From the Napoleonic Wars

The invasions led to an unexpected discovery.

by Rafaela Ferraz

Lists Featuring Portugal