Portuguese coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Portugal, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Peniche
This photogenic Atlantic-facing town on the Portuguese coast in the Oeste region, Peniche has a walkable centre with a real food-and-drink scene and water vi…
Lamego
This compact city in Portugal's Douro wine country, Lamego sits on the Balsemão River with an unusual concentration of churches for its size, a real café and…
Viana do Castelo
Photogenic port town at the mouth of the Lima river in northern Portugal, Viana do Castelo has a walkable centre dense with historic churches and a strong fo…
Faja Grande
The westernmost settlement in Europe, this modest Azorean hamlet on the western coast of Flores island sits directly at the water with mountain terrain close…
Sesimbra
This fishing town on Portugal's Setúbal coast where the Serra da Arrábida mountains meet the sea, Sesimbra has a walkable centre with a dense food-and-drink…
Leiria
A dense sea of terracotta rooftops spreads across this mid-sized Portuguese city, with a walkable historic centre, an exceptionally lively café and restauran…
Nordeste
Little town on the northeastern tip of São Miguel Island in the Azores, Nordeste sits on the Atlantic coast with mountains rising close behind, including Pic…
Alcobaça
The Monastery of Alcobaça, built on the orders of Portugal's first king to mark the 1147 Conquest of Santarém from the Moors, is one of the country's great G…
Ericeira
One of only two European World Surfing Reserves, Ericeira is a modest seaside town on Portugal's western coast, a short drive northwest of Lisbon, widely reg…
Sao Joao da Pesqueira
This tiny Portuguese wine town high above the Douro River, São João da Pesqueira sits within the Alto Douro Wine Region UNESCO World Heritage Site and accoun…
Setúbal
This port city south of Lisbon with a dense café and restaurant scene, historic churches in the centre, and a waterfront position at the edge of the Arrábida…
Santa Cruz (Torres Vedras)
A beach town on the Atlantic coast of Portugal's Oeste region, Santa Cruz is known for its extensive beaches and strong surf conditions, hosting the annual O…
Marinha Grande
Set within a 700-year-old pine forest in Portugal's Leiria District, Marinha Grande sits close to several beaches including Nazaré and São Pedro de Moel, wit…
Ribeira Quente
A compact coastal village on São Miguel island in the Azores, Ribeira Quente sits where a river meets the Atlantic, with a fishing harbour and a compact beac…
Capelas
A coastal village on the northern shore of São Miguel in the Azores, Capelas sits right at the water with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area and a com…
Figueira da Foz Municipality
Coastal city at the mouth of the Mondego River on Portugal's Atlantic coast, Figueira da Foz has several beaches, a walkable centre with a dense food-and-dri…
Santo Antao
This pocket-sized civil parish on the eastern tip of São Jorge island in the Azores stretches from the northern to the southern coast, with shoreline on both…
Estoril
This Portuguese Riviera town on the Atlantic coast is home to Casino Estoril, one of Europe's largest casinos, and has long attracted royalty, celebrities, a…
Vila Praia de Âncora
This pocket-sized coastal town in Alto Minho, Portugal, with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, set directly on the water with mou…
Quinta Grande
Cabo Girão, considered the highest promontory in Europe at 580 metres, sits above this modest Atlantic-facing parish in Madeira's Câmara de Lobos municipalit…
Serra de Agua
Highland parish in Madeira's interior, Serra de Água sits at elevation along the road connecting the island's north and south coasts, with scenic viewpoints,…
Santo Antonio
This parish on the northwestern edge of Funchal extends from the city into the mountainous interior of Madeira, reaching as far as Pico do Areeiro, one of th…
Santa Maria Maior
A parish of Funchal on the island of Madeira, Santa Maria Maior offers lush tropical vegetation, red-tile rooftops cascading toward the Atlantic, and elevate…
Rosais
This little village on the western tip of São Jorge island in the Azores, Rosais sits above dramatic coastal cliffs, with the ruined Rosais Lighthouse at Pon…
Arco de Sao Jorge
Small wine-growing hamlet on Madeira's north coast, Arco de São Jorge sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains to the south.
Achadas da Cruz
Modest Atlantic-facing parish on the north-western coast of Madeira, Achadas da Cruz sits where the ocean meets the mountains that rise to the southeast.
Castanheira de Pera
This tiny Portuguese town in the Beira Litoral hills, where sailboats dot a calm riverside marina, palm-lined waterfront promenades back onto forested slopes…
Marmelete
A compact Algarve village of whitewashed houses with terracotta rooftops set among orchards and scrubland, backed by forested hills, offering a quiet rural c…
Torres do Mondego
Sandy river beach curves below a wooded hill dotted with white houses, offering calm-water swimming and a local café scene within easy reach of Coimbra and t…
Palmela
A wine-country town south of Lisbon on the Península de Setúbal, Palmela sits among vineyards with scenic viewpoints across the surrounding landscape and a w…
Santo Isidoro
This modest coastal town in the Mafra municipality north of Lisbon, Santo Isidoro sits in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and a modest central cor…
Forjaes
Tiny Portuguese village in the Esposende municipality, Forjães rewards visitors with handsome early-twentieth-century civic architecture, cobbled streets, pr…
Vila Boa do Bispo
Tiny parish in northern Portugal's Marco de Canaveses municipality where the Tâmega river forms a riverside beach — the Praia do Ribeiro de Baixo — and power…
Sao Marcos da Serra
A pocket-sized village in the Algarve's inland mountain terrain, São Marcos da Serra sits within the municipality of Silves and lends its name to the São Mar…
Altares
This rural coastal parish on the northwest shore of Terceira island in the Azores, Altares sits at the water's edge with the mountains of the Caldeira de San…
Ribeira Grande
This small town on the north coast of São Miguel island in the Azores, Ribeira Grande sits directly on the Atlantic with scenic terrain rising inland toward…
Ribeiras
A coastal parish on Pico Island in the Azores, Ribeiras sits directly on the water with the island's volcanic mountains rising close behind.
Terroso
Modest Portuguese village rising above tilled farmland, its whitewashed church with twin bell towers anchoring a compact cluster of red-tile houses backed by…
Afife
A compact coastal village in northern Portugal's Viana do Castelo municipality, where a weathered Baroque church tower rises above forested hills, with the A…
Norte Grande
Small coastal village on São Jorge island in the Azores, where densely forested upland slopes drop to a compact settlement of white houses spread across dark…
Fontinhas
A tiny Azorean village on Terceira Island where a striking white baroque church with dark volcanic-stone trim anchors the community, set against green upland…
Moita dos Ferreiros
This compact Portuguese village in the Lourinhã municipality, where a striking whitewashed twin-towered church with blue trim and azulejo tilework anchors th…
Esposende
Coastal town in northern Portugal's Cávado region, Esposende sits at the water's edge with a walkable centre carrying a solid food-and-drink scene.
Canhas
This pocket-sized coastal parish in Madeira's municipality of Ponta do Sol, Canhas stretches from the Atlantic shore in the south up toward the mountains of…
Praia do Almoxarife
This civil parish on the island of Faial in the Azores, Praia do Almoxarife sits on a long black sand beach that has made it a summer destination for the wid…
Santo Amaro
This coastal parish on São Jorge island in the Azores, Santo Amaro stretches from the southern shore across the island's interior to the north coast, with a…
Ferreira do Zezere
A reservoir town in Portugal's Ribatejo region where locals swim from floating platforms on calm blue water, backed by pine-forested hills and a graceful arc…
Porches
A pocket-sized Algarve village where a whitewashed baroque church with an orange-tiled roof stands above palm trees, with coastal beaches and rolling hills c…
Sao Martinho do Porto
This tiny Portuguese beach village on a sheltered bay in the Oeste region, São Martinho do Porto has a café and restaurant scene that outpunches its size, ma…
Sao Bartolomeu
This coastal parish on Terceira island in the Azores, São Bartolomeu de Regatos stretches from the shoreline up the eastern slopes of the Serra de Santa Bárb…
Agua de Pena
A modest coastal village on Madeira's south-east coast, Água de Pena sits right on the water within the municipality of Machico, with scenic viewpoints nearb…
Criacao Velha
This civil parish on the island of Pico in the Azores, Criação Velha sits within one of Portugal's most distinctive wine-growing landscapes, where vineyards…
Praia do Norte
This little coastal parish on the northern shore of Faial in the Azores, Praia do Norte sits between the villages of Cedros and Capelo within the Capelo volc…
Gafanha da Boa Hora
A compact Portuguese coastal village with a broad cobblestone square, open-air café seating, and a walkable town centre, sitting close to the water and withi…
Castelo Branco
This modest coastal village on Faial island in the Azores, where green terraced farmland drops sharply to dramatic Atlantic cliffs, a rocky offshore islet pu…
Peso da Régua Municipality
Sitting on the Douro River at the heart of Portugal's demarcated Port wine region, Régua is a little city with a café and restaurant scene that punches well…
Feteira
Coastal parish on the southern slopes of the Caldeira Volcano on Faial island in the Azores, Feteira sits where vineyards meet the Atlantic shoreline.
Olhos de Agua
A small beach town on the Algarve coast, Olhos de Água sits within the municipality of Albufeira and offers a café and restaurant scene that punches above it…
Salao
A modest coastal parish on Faial island in the Azores, where wind-swept upland pastures drop toward dramatic sea cliffs and an open Atlantic horizon, with th…
Norte Pequeno
This small coastal parish on the northern shore of São Jorge island in the Portuguese Azores, Norte Pequeno sits directly on the water with mountains close b…