Central Portugal

Looking up R. Manutenção Militar in Coimbra, past the Central school (Santa Cruz school) building. Designed by architect Arnaldo Redondo Adães Bermudes in 1904 this notable building, with its in a neo-Romanesque style façade, sits on the corner with Rua Sá da Bandeira. 

This church is dedicated to Saint Peter (São Pedro) and replaces an earlier one that was all but destroyed by the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Taking a relatively simple outer form, the short bell tower to one side of the main entrance is believed to come from the original structure alongside its internal spiral staircase.

The Museu Municipal de Óbidos, or Óbidos Municipal Museum, can be found occupying the rooms of the town's old town hall on Rua Direita.

It's collection primarily comprises statues brought to life between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, alongside artworks by Josefa de Óbidos. A rare example of a known female religious artist, she died in the town in 1684. Many of her works that are not should here have found there way to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon.

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. 

The picturesque little village of Piodão clings to a steeply terraced mountainside deep within the foothills of the Serra de Açor range in central Portugal. This is a protected landscape of deep river valleys, pine & eucalyptus forests and craggy peaks. It is also one of the remotest areas in Portugal and until the 1970s the only way to reach Piodão was on foot or by horse.

Despite being located right next door to the busy resort town of Santa Cruz, Praia das Amoeiras is a world apart. You won't find much in the way of facilities here but what you will find is a beautiful stretch of golden sand backed by tall ochre cliffs.

The Capela de São Miguel (Chapel of St Michael) in the University of Coimbra. Part of the original old university buildings the chapel lies next to the famous library.

It dates back to 1517 but much of the interior you see here was added in the 17th and 18th centuries. The almost overwhelming decor consists of elaborate azulejo wall tiles, an exceptional Mannerist altar and an equally ornate Baroque organ replete with trumpeting angels.

The Hermitage of Our Lady of Nazareth (Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré) stands in an imposing hilltop position in Sitio, overlooking the town of Nazare in Western Portugal. The original Ermida da Memoria (Memorial Chapel) close by was built in the 14th century but was too small to accommodate the many pilgrims who were drawn to the site, so the much larger Ermida da Nossa Senhora da Nazare was built in 17th century.   

Porto das Barcas is a large sandy beach near the town of Lourinhã and about 15km south of Peniche. Within about an hour's drive of Lisbon the beach here was once very popular. However, things have quietened down over the years and the beach has something of a wild feel most of the year.

The beach is backed by high cliffs for most of its length. These rocks are of some interest to paleontologists with several fossils of dinosaurs being found here.

Many years ago the little fishing town of Nazaré started to grow as a popular holiday resort. Whilst not known to many outside of Portugal the resort has grown some might say to its own detriment. In the summer the main beach in front of the town can be absolutely heaving. However, over recent years it is not the town beach that has become internationally famous but the long stretch of virtually empty coast to the north of the towering headland of Sitio.