Move Over Lisbon! These 4 Gorgeous Towns Offer Medieval Charm & Smaller Crowds

House to a picture-perfect Outdated City of rolling hills, Baroque church buildings, and a scenic riverfront, it is protected to say Lisbon is definitely probably the most unbelievable metropolis breaks in Europe.

As charming as it may be, it is also value declaring that Lisbon has now change into one of many most overtouristed cities within the Outdated Continent. With Portugal’s surging recognition, it isn’t just like the numbers are dwindling anytime quickly.

Fortunately, these 4 much-smaller historic cities a brief 1h–2h away are simply as lovely, and full of medieval wonders with much more respiration room:

Óbidos

A small village of about 3,100 inhabitants, a 1h49 practice experience away from Lisbon, or a good shorter 1h driving, Óbidos stands alongside Carcassonne, in France, and Dubrovnik, in Croatia, as one in every of Europe’s best-preserved medieval treasures.

Its Outdated City seems to be copied and pasted straight from a storybook for youngsters: it has a fantastically preserved cobbled middle, with slender alleys organized in a maze-like approach, all lined with whitewashed homes and surrounded by partitions.

Apart from being extremely picturesque, Óbidos is bound to enchantment to the candy fiends on the market: it is the proud residence of Ginja de Óbidos, a singular cherry liqueur served in an edible do-it-yourself chocolate cup. For the perfect cheeky ginjinha on the town, head straight to Bar Ibn Errik Rex.

Alenquer

A hilltop city with over 44,000 residents, a 1h bus experience from Lisbon (there are not any trains working on this route), Alenquer is a kind of uncommon situations of a Portuguese city but to be ruined by the nation’s overwhelming levels of tourism.

Equally to Óbidos, it’s guarded by medieval partitions and dotted with medieval monuments, from the Twelfth-century Fortress of Alenquer, to ornate church buildings like Igreja de Santa Maria da Várzea, characterised by its rib-vaulted ceiling and mix of Gothic and Portuguese Manueline components.

Portugal is broadly celebrated for its wine, and to our fellow oenophiles, Alenquer is formally a wine area. A few of the nation’s greatest reds originate right here, together with the thick, velvety Castelão, and in the event you’re driving, be sure you set out on the Quintas de Alenquer route, visiting 12 close by estates.

Palmela

A handy 37-minute drive from Lisbon, throughout the Tagus, and into the Setúbal District, you will discover Palmela, a 63,000-people-strong fortress city perched on a distinguished hill, searching onto the Atlantic, and even the Portuguese capital far within the distance.

Palmela’s major attraction is its Moorish fort, constructed by Islamic conquerors who have been current in Portugal for plenty of centuries earlier than the Christians took over as soon as once more. The fortress now homes a pousada (Portuguese for guesthouse), and a historic church.

For those who’re coming right here for the wine and meals, it’s best to know Palmela’s Castelão, a fortified wine constituted of a pink grape that thrives in sandy soils, could be present in abundance right here, in addition to Queijo de Azeitão, a signature, tangy sheep’s milk served with cured meats and contemporary olives.

Alcácer do Sal

Relationship again over 2,700 years, which makes it one of many oldest continuously inhabited towns in Europe, Alcácer do Sal was initially established by the Phoenicians, and additional developed by the Romans, and afterward the Moors as a buying and selling publish.

It straddles the necessary Sado River, notoriously recognized for its salt manufacturing and fishing tradition, and between the fairytale medieval fortress and the idyllic stone-paved pathways, peppered with family-run eating places and boutique retailers, Alcácer has so much to supply vacationers.

Most significantly, it is called Portugal’s rice capital, and far of the native delicacies options the staple grain: duck rice, rice with seafood, candy rice desserts… you identify it. On that word, be sure you take a look at the aptly-named O Arrozeiro (the Rice Maker), proper on the banks of the Sado.

Ordering a starter + a major rice dish + dessert and a drink will set you again between $25–$35.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior lead author at Journey Off Path, has over 60+ nations beneath his belt (and presently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative tales that can have you ever packing your baggage.