Óbidos Castle

It's hard to miss Óbidos Castle, given its immense size and grand position in this hilltop town. However, there's very little reason why you should ever want to. Beautifully well-preserved, it dates back to defences first put in place by the Muslim rulers of Óbidos before Portugal's first king, Afonso I, reconquered the region in the 1140s.

The castle was rebuilt again by King Dinis when he gifted the town to his new bride in 1282 as the traditional royal wedding present. 

A worthy setting for any movie or television series involving battle scenes, the castle contains a huge number of rooms ripe for exploration, from ancient dungeons to rooms in the multiple towers, built in 1375.

Within its confines you'll also find the whitewashed walls of the Paço dos Alcaides (Palace of the Alcaldes), which has become one of the most impressive pousadas to stay anywhere in Portugal. The finest accommodation in the hotel is a split level suite set in one of the castle's towers and kitted out in true royal opulence with a canopied bed.