Hidden Portugal - special and forgotten places tourists don't know about (yet)

It is known Portugal is on everyone's wish list. World travel awards, high safety, Michelin stars and low cost of life makes it a wonderful travel destination. Now the film industry also has its eye in Portugal. According to this article, there are 5 hidden gems which may well be featuring in the next Hollywood productions.

The world’s oldest bookshop

Livraria Bertrand first opened its doors in 1732, in capital Lisbon. It was destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1755 but it soon reopened in the heart of chic district Chiado. It remains in the same place until the present day. Its bookshelves are filled with old and new books. Its corridors are filled with city habitants and many many tourists, which like to visit the beautiful store.

Photo in bertrand.pt

Coimbra, students' city

This city sits between capital Lisbon and cosmo Oporto. Which makes it still somewhat out of the travel circuits and, therefore, very worthwile a visit. It has the second oldest university in Europe and many gothic buildings. The Santa Cruz Monestary holds the remains of the first two kings of Portugal and was built in 1131. Also, it is the only place in Portugal where you can listen to the university students singing a specific type of fado music.

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

The largest zip line in Europe

Pena Adventure Park is located in the North of Portugal, between Serra do Alvão and Peneda-Gerês. Here you can travel at 130 km/h at 150 meters high. Just imagine the view from the top! You can also visit Vila Real, the nearest large city. If you manage to get tired of the air and the view on the mountains...

Photo in penaaventura.com.pt

The Algarve's Eye

The Algarve region is no hidden gem, since it was the first region to atract many tourists, on summer season, for its beaches. However, if you would like to escape the most crowded places, The Eye is one good (and breathtaking) place. It is a cave, located at the beach of Benagil and, well... the picture speaks for itself.

Photo in walkalgarve.com

Luxurious Troia

This peninsula is linked to mainland by a narrow band of land coming from the Alentejo region. It is a luxurious area, with many hotels, villas and even a casino. It is also possible to arrive by boat, from the city of Setúbal. You may even have luck and see one of the Sado dolphins, a protected species native to this area.

Photo in onetroia.com

If you look outside the obvious choices of Lisbon, Oporto and the Algarve, we are sure you won't be sorry. And these examples are just a few from everything Portugal has to offer.

Joana Vasconcelos' Castles of Portugal

oana Vasconcelos is our most renowned plastic artist, currently holding an individual exhibition at the Guggenheim in Bilbao. She takes inspiration from arquitecture in general and especially Castles and Palaces. Her exhibitions are proof of that, since she often displays her giant and modern masterpieces in wonderful heritage buildings.

This is an adaptation of what she told the national newspaper Expresso, for a special Castles and Palaces' Guide Edition.

These buildings have not only the ability to reveal our story as people and society, but also have contributed to our dreams of a happy ending, through fairy tales of princes and princesses. It is from these stories that we have formed our romance concepts and behaviours. A great deal of childrens' tales are about a princess which is saved by prince charming. All this happening in a wonderful castle and palace, leading them to a rich and fulfilled life. So we, as a society, always long for something great. It's no wonder Joana Vasconcelos takes inspiration from Portugal's Castles and Palaces. And while some make the headlines, others are hidden gems. So we're going to explore these and bring our castles to you.

Photo by Francisco Antunes [2] - Flickr [1], CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2283573

25 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Portugal

#1 - Quinta da Regaleira

Eccentrically decorated palace and gardens replete with grottoes, fountains, underground tunnels, caves, and numerous statues.

#2- Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides an Neo-Gothic interior behind a Art-Nouveau facade.

#3 - The Village of Monsanto

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

#4- Portugal's Chapel of Bones

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

#5 - Pena National Palace

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

#6 - Drowned Village of Vilarinho da Furna

A submerged village appears when dam levels drop.

#7- Carmo Convent Ruins

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

Walls built of femurs

#8- Capela de Ossos Bone Chapel

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

#9 - Livraria Bertrand

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.

#10- Boca do Inferno

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.

#11 - Convento de Cristo

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.

#12 - Belem Tower Rhinoceros 

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

#13 - Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors)

An ancient and majestic fortress that played an integral role in Portugal's road to independence.

#14 - Capela do Senhor da Pedra

Picturesque intersection of witchcraft and ancient Christianity.

#15 - Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias

This fairy-tale, neo-Gothic church in the Azores is a world of magical realism.

#16- Igreja de São Francisco

The stunning interior of this Gothic church is covered in ornate gold details.

#17 - Stone House

A small Portuguese cottage formed between boulders in the countryside.

#18 - Santa Justa Lift

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”

#19 - Jerónimos Monastery

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

#20 - Bom Jesus do Monte

A stunning 18th-century site where pilgrims ascend by a series of punishing stairs only to return via funicular.

#21 - Fort of Graça

This star-shaped military outpost is now simply trying to protect itself from neglect.

#22 - Mina de São Domingos (Sao Domingos Mines)

An abandoned mine now resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape of derelict buildings and blood-red pools of water.

#23 - Bordallo Pinheiro Garden

A garden in Lisbon filled with giant porcelain creations.

#24 - Ponte da Misarela (Misalera Bridge)

Local lore says the devil built this beautiful medieval bridge to help a fleeing bandit.

Montemor-o-Novo Castle

#25 - Montemor-o-Novo Castle

This crumbling Portuguese ruin overlooks the populace it once ruled.

Source: Atlas Obscura | See more hidden things to do in Portugal here.