Portuguese mountain villages off the beaten path.
Less-touristed mountain villages in Portugal, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
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…
Porto de Mos
Porto de Mós, a small town in Portugal's Leiria region, sits at the edge of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, with scenic surroundings, vineyards…
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…
Tarouca
A pocket-sized Portuguese city in the Douro region, Tarouca sits directly on the water with scenic surroundings that reward photography, and a compact centra…
Góis
This tiny mountain village in central Portugal's Coimbra region, set right on the water and surrounded by scenic highland terrain.
Vila Verde
Small town in the Minho region of northern Portugal with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, set alongside water and within reach of moun…
Vila Nova de Cerveira
This modest riverside town in the Alto Minho region of northern Portugal, Vila Nova de Cerveira sits along the water with mountain terrain rising behind it a…
Loriga
A pocket-sized village in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park in central Portugal, Loriga sits alongside a mountain stream with scenic viewpoints in the surrou…
Póvoa de Lanhoso
A modest town in the mountains of northern Portugal's Braga district, Póvoa de Lanhoso sits on the water and offers a café and restaurant scene, a concentrat…
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…
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…
Poco do Canto
A small parish in Portugal's Mêda municipality, set in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and close to mountains.
Ansiao
This compact Portuguese municipality in the Leiria district with water access, several historic churches for its size, and a modest but real café and restaur…
Lousã
This small town in central Portugal's Coimbra district with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, set close to mountains with scenic viewpo…
Figueiro dos Vinhos
This small Portuguese village in the Leiria district sits alongside the water and carries an unusually dense cluster of churches and cafés for its size, maki…
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,…
Mondim de Basto
A pocket-sized town in northern Portugal's Vila Real district with a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, vineyards in the surround…
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.
Penafiel
Modest town in northern Portugal's Tâmega e Sousa region, Penafiel sits in mountain terrain at the edge of the water, deep in wine country, with a compact ce…
Santo Antonio dos Olivais
This eastern parish of Coimbra forms the most populated part of a city already dense with historic churches, walkable streets, and a strong food-and-drink sc…
Cedovim
Little wine-country village in the municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa in northern Portugal, Cedovim sits alongside the water in a region ringed by UNESCO W…
Vilar Formoso
Portugal's main land border crossing with Spain sits at Vilar Formoso, a small town in the Almeida municipality whose railway station is lined with azulejo t…
Montalegre
This mountain town in northern Portugal's Alto Tâmega region, Montalegre sits close to the Spanish border with a café and restaurant scene that would suit a…
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…
Celorico de Basto
A modest wine-country town in Portugal's Braga District, Celorico de Basto sits along the water with a central core of cafés and restaurants and mountain ter…
Taide
Modest wine-country village in the Póvoa de Lanhoso municipality of northern Portugal, Taide sits alongside water and within reach of mountain terrain.
Pitoes das Junias
A high-elevation village in the heart of Peneda-Gerês National Park, Pitões das Júnias sits at around 1,200 metres in one of Portugal's highest parishes, wit…
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…
Freixo de Espada à Cinta Municipality
This small Portuguese municipality on the Douro River, close to the Spanish border in the northeastern corner of the country, with UNESCO World Heritage site…
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…
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…
Caxarias
This small village in the municipality of Ourém, Portugal, sits close to water and vineyards, with a handful of cafés and restaurants that punch above its size.
Vilar de Mouros
Vilar de Mouros, a small parish in the Caminha municipality of northern Portugal, is home to the oldest rock festival in the country — the Vilar de Mouros Fe…
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…
Vieira do Minho
This little mountain village in northern Portugal's Braga district, Vieira do Minho sits alongside the water with an unusually lively café and restaurant sce…
Azeitão (São Lourenço e São Simão)
Wine and cheese country parish on the Península de Setúbal, Azeitão clusters several tiny villages — among them Vila Fresca de Azeitão and Vila Nogueira de A…
Chaviaes
A small settlement in the municipality of Melgaço, in Portugal's Viana do Castelo District, set in mountain terrain with vineyards nearby.