Lisbon and Porto may steal the spotlight, but Portugal is much more than its big cities. Venture along the coast or inland, and you’ll encounter a string of rural villages where folk festivals have been preserved, creativity thrives, and tight-knit communities have developed their own dialects.
From schist cottages cascading down the mountains to tiny medieval huts featured in fantasy sagas, Portugal has plenty to explore.
Fancy the hills, starry skies, or the sprawling Atlantic? Here are our 12 picks for the most charming villages in Portugal.
While you’re visiting Castro Laboreiro, check out the nearly 300-square-mile Peneda-Gerês National Park.
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1. Castro Laboreiro
• Location: Minho, 90 minute-drive from Viana do Castelo
Castro Laboreiro, located near Portugal’s northern border, is one of the many remote villages dotted around Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only national park. It is the birthplace of the Castro Laboreiro dog breed, a Portuguese breed known for guarding cattle; you may spot a few of them around as you hike through the town’s surrounding fields or up to its medieval castle.
Beyond its shepherding traditions, Castro Laboreiro is known for prehistoric rock carvings and Roman stone bridges crossing over the Laboreiro River. When the water levels are high, this becomes a prime spot for canyoning (an activity that involves descending in a canyon). If that’s too extreme, you can always kick back with a glass of Alvarinho, the region’s favorite wine at one of the town’s restaurants.
2. Rio de Onor
• Location: Trás-os-Montes, a 35-minute drive from Bragança
Named after the river that flows alongside it, Rio de Onor sits right on the northeast border with Spain (you can cross over on foot). Its remote location has led to a communal lifestyle: Land and resources are shared between residents on both sides. The local dialect is known as riodonorês, and very few still speak it. Many houses have been abandoned, but those still occupied have been decked out with rows of colorful flowers.
Learn about its local history at the Casa do Touro museum, and in July, Rio de Onor and Rihonor (on the Spanish side) join forces to host Festival D’Onor, a cultural event filled with traditional dances and bagpipe performances.
The Carnival celebration in Podence, one of the most important traditional events of northern Portugal, is recognized by UNESCO.
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3. Podence
• Location: Trás-os-Montes, a 30-minute drive from Bragança
For outsiders, Podence’s street murals of devilish figures with colorful, fringed suits offer a glimpse of what goes down during its annual carnival celebrations. Between the Sunday and the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, this northern Portuguese town comes alive with a giant folk parade. Locals dress up in the depicted costumes, roaming the streets with cowbells to catch the attention of passersby. This traditional festivity was inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019, as its pagan roots are among the few remaining in Portugal. You can learn more about it at the Casa do Careto museum or stop by Oficina de Artesanato to see residents prepping the custom-made wool outfits.
The historical village of Piódão is nicknamed by many as “nativity scene village.”
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4. Piódão
• Location: Centro, a 90-minute drive from Coimbra
Like a large-scale nativity scene, Piódão emerges between the slopes of the Serra do Açor. About 60 people live here in scattered cottages, some of which have been turned into guest houses for travelers who come to see its schist (brownish metamorphic rocks) buildings. As you wander through its alleyways, you’ll notice pretty much every building features a blue door: Legend says it was once the only color available in the village store, and it’s since been the norm. The only exception is the parish church, which stands out with its whitewashed facade and castle-like turrets.
Cerdeira offers international artist residencies.
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5. Cerdeira
• Location: Centro, a 50-minute drive from Coimbra
Art meets nature in this secluded village amid the Serra da Lousã. Cerdeira is part of Portugal’s schist village network, a sea of schist rock cottages hiding in the mountains. Having lost many of its inhabitants in the 20th century due to emigration, Cerdeira was at risk of fading away. But thanks to projects such as the Cerdeira: Home for Creativity, it’s been brought back to life. Houses have been restored and turned into artist ateliers and a craft school hosting regular workshops; take classes ranging from pottery to basketry and wood carving.
6. Monsanto
• Location: Centro, an hour-long drive from Castelo Branco
Featuring houses built between giant granite boulders, this village near Castelo Branco looks pretty surreal. (It was even a chosen location to film the House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones.) In 1938, Monsanto clinched the title of the most Portuguese village in the country and was awarded a silver rooster, a replica of which still stands above the village’s clock tower. Other noteworthy sites you can visit while walking around the town include a medieval castle erected by the Knights Templar and the ruins of a Romanesque chapel.
Dornes sits by the Zêzere River.
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7. Dornes
• Location: Ribatejo, a two-hour drive from Lisbon
The Knights Templar once based themselves in this village, a couple hours’ drive northeast of Lisbon. Its privileged location on its own peninsula made it a coveted spot for the order’s defensive line in Portugal. You can still find traces of them in the town’s well-preserved pentagonal tower. Don’t forget to also check out Dornes’s 15th-century church and river beach.
Azenhas do Mar means “watermills of the sea.”
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8. Azenhas do Mar
• Location: Lisbon region, a 45-minute drive from Lisbon
Just a short ride from Sintra and its monumental palaces is Azenhas do Mar, a humble seaside town. A row of whitewashed houses with terracotta roofs tumble down to meet the edge of a cliff where the waves crash below. It’s worth taking in the views from the Miradouro das Azenhas do Mar viewpoint before heading down for a swim. While you’re here, you may want to splurge a little on a seafood meal at the Azenhas do Mar restaurant.
The majestic Marvão Castle offers panoramic views over the Alentejo region.
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9. Marvão
• Location: Alentejo, a 90-minute drive from Évora
Clinging onto a cliff overlooking Spain, Marvão once belonged to the Taifa of Badajoz, an independent Moorish kingdom that included parts of southern Spain and Portugal. The best way to enter this fortified village is from Porta do Rodão national monument. From there, you can climb onto the battlements and gaze at the greenery stretching as far as the eye can see. Eventually, you’ll end up at the castle, a stage for the town’s international music festival. But there’s much more to do: Pedal on old train tracks with Rail Bike Marvão, ride horses in the wild, and sample Fago’s micro seasonal fine-dining menu paired with a local ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur).
Monsaraz is by the Guadiana River.
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10. Monsaraz
• Location: Alentejo, an hour-long drive from Évora
It’s hard to beat the views from Monsaraz in the heart of the Alentejo region. Standing atop its medieval walls, you can see the glimmering Alqueva, Europe’s largest artificial lake. It’s worth catching the sunset from one of the town’s numerous terraces (say, at the wine shop Ervideira) or sticking around till the evening for a shot of the starry skies. The low light pollution has made this a prime spot for stargazing, with guided observations occurring regularly at the Observatório do Lago Alqueva. If you fancy a swim, the nearby river beach is just the ticket.
11. Alte
• Location: Algarve, 45 minutes from Faro
The Algarve may be known for its beaches, but there are mountains here too. Take Alte, a hilltop village set along Serra do Caldeirão, home to waterfalls and natural springs. Come summer, the village streams turn into a swimming complex surrounded by a handful of cafés and a picnic area. In the town center, the Germano biciArte Café is the meeting point for cyclists who sign up for the annual Volta ao Algarve race. That’s just one of the many attractions that draw visitors here, along with the artisan workshops, hiking trails, urban art murals, and cultural festivals such as Carnival, where every float and costume is made by the village residents.
Burgau lies in the west of the Algarve region.
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12. Burgau
• Location: Algarve, one hour from Faro
On Portugal’s southern coast, Burgau was once a popular port for tuna fishing. These days, most people come to the small seaside village to unwind by its gold beach and wander through its whitewashed streets that recall a Greek island. It’s one of the Algarve’s best-kept secrets, but it’s slowly attracting young crowds thanks to places like Sul serving a twist on the region’s traditional dishes, as well as a great stock of natural wines. What’s more, it sits right on the Fishermen’s Trail, one of Europe’s most picturesque coastal hikes.
