Portugal is a country full of History and culture, represented mainly by historical beautiful monuments, offering a wonderful landscape. Nowadays, there are about 803 national monuments in Portugal. Indeed, we cannot talk about all of them but here are the most popular and the most beautiful ones of the country.

Torre de Belem

Photo by Bernt Rostad

The Torre de Belém (Belem Tower) was built on the Tagus’ edge in 1515 by the King Manuel I of Portugal to guard the Lisbon port’s entrance. It has been classed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 as well as the Hieronymites Monastery.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos

Photo by Manfred.d

The Hieronymites Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) is located in the municipality of Lisbon. Built in 1496 under King Manuel I reign, the monastery is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline-style architecture in Lisbon. One year later, when Vasco da Gama came back bringing with him samples of gold he discovered, the monastery became a representation of Portuguese expansionism, and the church became a house of prayer for seamen leaving or entering port.

Padrao dos Descobrimentos

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) is located in Belém district in Lisbon. This caravel-shaped monument was built in 1960 to celebrate the 500^th anniversary of Henry the Sailor’s death and the Portuguese Age of Discoveries.

Mosteiro da Batalha

Photo by Amainos

The Mosteiro da Batalha is a monastery constructed after King João’s demand to commemorate the victory over the Castilians at Aljubarrota (15 August 1385).Starting in 1386, the construction only ended in 1517 but it is one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art. Five Portugal’s Kings and their wives are buried in this monastery of whom João I and also Henry the Sailor. The Batalha convent was designated in 1983 a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Palacio Nacional de Queluz

Courtesy of Estoril Live- Flickr

The Queluz National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Queluz) is a Portuguese 18th-century palace located at Queluz, in the Lisbon District. The palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza, it served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria as her descent into madness continued. Queluz Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese prince regent, John VI, and his family and remained so until the Royal Family fled to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal. Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles.

Following a serious fire in 1934, which gutted the interior, thepalace was extensively restored, and today is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. One wing of the palace, is now a guest house allocated to foreign heads of state visiting Portugal.

Palacio Nacional da Pena

The Pena National Palace (Palácio Nacional da Pena) is a Romanticist palace in São Pedro de Penaferrim, municipality of Sintra, Portugal. The palace stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials. The palace's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, the construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary.



Universidade de Coimbra

Photo by Inês Saraiva

The University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra) is a Portuguese public university in Coimbra. Established in 1290, it is one of the oldest universities still in operation in the world, the oldest university of Portugal, and one of its largest higher education and research institutions.  The University of Coimbra has about 20,000 students and hosts one of the largest communities of international students in Portugal, being the most cosmopolitan Portuguese university. On June 22, 2013, it became a UNESCO a World Heritage Site.

Convento de Cristo

Photo by Inês Saraiva

The Convent of the Order of Christ (Convento de Cristo) is a religious building in Tomar, Portugal built in the 12th century. After the dissolution of the Order of the Knights Templar in the 14th century, it was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, which supported Portugal's maritime discoveries. This Convent is one of Portugal's most important historical and artistic monuments and was classed in 1983 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça

Photo by Rui Ornelas

The Alcobaça Monastery (Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Mediaeval Roman Catholic Monastery located in Alcobaça, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153.

The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal and was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal. Thanks to its artistic and historical importance, it became in 1989, an UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Templo de Diana

Photo by Guy MOLL

The Roman Temple of Évora (Templo romano de Évora), also called the Templo de Diana (after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity) is located Évora. It is one of the most significant monuments relating to the Roman and Lusitania civilizations of Évora, in the Portuguese territory. The temple is part of the historical centre of the city, which is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As well as Évora, Porto and Guimarães have their historical centre classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just like Alto Douro wine-producing region and Sintra’s cultural landscape. Consider using this space to introduce your page. Just click to add your own content. You can use this page for anything you like, but we recommend focusing on one or two related topics to avoid confusing your readers. Remember that you can always add more pages if you need them.

Convento-Palacio de Mafra

Photo by Gabriel Perazzo

The Convento-palacio de Mafra is a Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal. The palace was built in 1711 during the reign of King John V who promised to build a convent if his wife, the Queen Mary Anne of Austria, gave him descendants. This is the most magnificent Baroque buildings in Portugal and one of the biggest monuments built in Europe. The library is one of the most beautiful in the whole Europe with its marble floor and its some 36.000 books including a second edition of Luís de Camões’ “Os Lusíadas”.

Torre dos Clerigos



The Torre dos clerigos (the clerics tower) is the highest tower in Portugal with its 76 meters high and soi s visible from almost everywhere in Porto. In 1910, the Architectural Heritage Portuguese Institute classed it as a National Monument.