Praia da Ursa on the Sintra coast gets its name from a striking rock formation that resembles a giant bear, sometimes described as a bear with her cub. The surrounding coastline is marked by impressive sea stacks and basalt dikes, vertical rock columns formed by volcanic activity.
Francesinha is a hearty Portuguese sandwich from Porto, layered with cured ham, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat, then covered in melted cheese and drenched in a rich, spicy beer-based tomato sauce. It was created in the 1950s as a local twist on the French croque-monsieur and soon became a beloved symbol of Porto’s tavern and comfort food culture.
The Castle of the Moors in Sintra, perched atop a rugged ridge of the Sintra Mountains, was built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries as a strategic fortress to control and defend the surrounding territory. After the fall of Lisbon in 1147, it surrendered to Christian forces and played an important role during the Reconquista. Today, it stands as a UNESCO‑listed National Monument, offering panoramic views of forested landscapes, the town below, and the distant Atlantic Ocean
The Unfinished Well
At the bottom of the well are two main tunnels. The first of these leads to an exit underneath the Portal of the Guardians, the other splits into three separate tunnels. One of these sub-tunnels leads to a second well, the “Unfinished Well”. Its aspect is simple and unadorned, its wall looking much more like that of a regular well.
Last sunset in Lisbon, May 10 2025
The Convent of the Friars Minor Capuchin, popularly known as the Convent of the Capuchos (Portuguese: Convento dos Capuchos), but officially the Convento da Santa Cruz da Serra de Sintra ("Convent of the Holy Cross of the Sintra Mountains"), is a historical convent consisting of small quarters and public spaces located in the civil parish of São Pedro de Penaferrim, in Sintra Municipality, Portugal. Its creation was associated with the Portuguese Viceroy of India, D. João de Castro, and his family, but became a pious community of reclusive clergy that continued to occupy cramped humble spaces in the complex until the religious orders were abolished in Portugal.
Convent of the Capuchos side view.
One of the many decorative towers in the gardens of Sintra
The Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Portuguese: Convento da Ordem do Carmo) is a former Catholic convent located in the civil parish of Santa Maria Maior, municipality of Lisbon, Portugal. The medieval convent was ruined during the sequence of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, and the destroyed Gothic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Portuguese: Igreja do Carmo) on the southern facade of the convent is the main trace of the great earthquake still visible in the old city.
The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.
The Tower of Belém, formerly the Tower of Saint Vincent a Par de Belém , officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a fortification located in the parish of Belém, municipality and district of Lisbon , Portugal . On the right bank of the Tagus River , where Belém beach once stood, it was originally surrounded by water around its entire perimeter. Over the centuries, it was surrounded by the beach , until it is now incorporated into the mainland. One of the city's landmarks , the monument is an icon of the architecture of the reign of King Manuel I, a synthesis between the traditional medieval keep and the modern bastion, where artillery pieces were placed.
Portuguese artist Bordalo II, born in Lisbon, uses mixed media to create huge colorful animals in three dimensional effect. He works with end-of-life materials as well as car bumpers, door panel, tires and all recycled objects to build animal sculptures.
The Cabo da Roca Lighthouse (Portuguese: Farol do Cabo da Roca) is a beacon/lighthouse located 165 metres (541 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean, on Portugal's (and continental Europe's) most westerly extent. It is located in the civil parish of Colares, in the municipality of Sintra, situated on a promontory made up of granite boulders and interspersed limestone. It is a third-order lighthouse, which originally began operating in 1772. It was the first new purpose-built lighthouse to be constructed in the country; the older lighthouses in existence at that time were constructed on existing platforms or from pre-existing beacons.
Azulejos are a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, being produced without interruption for five centuries. They are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars, and even railway and subway stations. They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history