What better plan than to enjoy it with “your loved ones”?

Children like to hear stories, and grandparents love to tell them…

Bonds are strengthened and memories are created… FAMILY stories are made!

And speaking of history… Here are some tips for historical places in Lisbon and its surroundings.

Travel to a time of knights, discover mysterious places, imagine how princes and princesses lived…

Come with us, bring along parents and in-laws, children and nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters or godchildren and get ready to smile!

São Jorge Castle

Dominating the city, from the top of one of the highest hills in Lisbon, São Jorge Castle is the most emblematic monument and one of the most visited in the city.

On Sundays, from 11:00 am, inviting children and families to experience activities such as interaction with falcons, 15th century dances and games from other times… 

Pena National Park and Palace

An undeniable reference of Portuguese Romanticism, the Park and Palace of Pena is an unforgettable experience for any visitor. Built at the top of the mountains, on the ruins of a 15th century convent that was acquired by King Fernando II, the original summer residence of the royal family has become a palace with an exuberant mixture of Moorish, Gothic and Manueline elements.

Águas Livres Aqueduct

With a total length of 58 kilometres, the aqueduct built in the 18th century collected water from several springs located northwest of Lisbon and carried it to the fountains of the capital. The most visible and imposing section of the aqueduct is known as the arcade of Alcântara Valley, with arches reaching 65 metres in height. This section of the National Monument is now visitable all year round.

Queluz National Palace and Gardens

Ordered to be built in 1747 by the future King Pedro III, Queluz Palace follows strict rules of the rococo style and has often been compared to Versailles. Its interior is covered with the richest decorative details such as gilded woodcarvings, imposing chandeliers, faience, sacred art, tiles full of symbolism, frescoes and mirrors. The gardens geometrically arranged around the Palace invite to a relaxed walk, to the discovery of beautiful fountains, lakes adorned with statues of mythological figures and impressive tiles.

Quinta da Regaleira

More than a monument of historical and cultural importance, Quinta da Regaleira is a passionate and mysterious place where architecture and mysticism come together perfectly. Blessed with the special aura of the Sintra Mountains, Quinta da Regaleira competes in beauty with the town’s other palaces.

Try to lose yourself in its paths and let yourself be intoxicated by the surrounding symbolism of the statues of the gods, the labyrinthine caves, the spiral staircase of the dark well of initiation, the fountains and the ponds.

Tram 28 route

Some say that the tram which runs through the main traditional districts of Lisbon is the most photographed “monument” in the city. On rails, the photogenic vehicle takes passengers from the Prazeres area (in Campo de Ourique) to Martim Moniz, passing through Estrela, Chiado, Sé, Portas do Sol, Graça and Anjos. The total journey takes around 40 minutes but, like any other means of transport, it can be used freely. 

They are everywhere and are a trademark of the capital.

The patterned tiles, produced in the second half of the 19th century, cover thousands of buildings all over Lisbon, having become part of its identity, thanks to the variety of colours and designs that brighten up its streets.

Impressive examples can be found inside palaces and churches, but even on façades you can see dazzling panels, authentic masterpieces that deserve to be contemplated.

The idea of covering the exterior façade of houses with tiles arose from the need to have a coating that could resist the natural wear and tear caused by the passing of time and the climate. But the ingenuity of the Portuguese turned a simple coating into an art form that deserves to be appreciated.

It is worth walking through the streets of Lisbon and paying attention to the many buildings covered with azulejos. But there are some that, due to their spectacular nature, deserve to stand out from the rest. Discover some of the most beautiful tiled façades in Lisbon.

1. Campo de Santa Clara, 124-126 (Alfama)

This is probably the most beautiful tiled façade in Lisbon. It is located near the National Pantheon and dates back to 1860. It was created in the romantic taste of the time, having baroque inspiration, and uses yellow, white and blue to represent busts and mouldings imitating marble. The interior of this building is now occupied by the Casa dell’Arte Club House tourist accommodation.

2. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro Square (Chiado)

This is certainly one of the most photographed buildings in the city, since it is located right in the centre of Chiado. It dates from 1869 and is lined with yellow and orange tiles depicting mythological images representing Earth, Water, Science, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry. At the top, there is a star with the eye of Providence.

3. Widow Lamego Factory (Intendente)

The building, located in Largo do Intendente, was covered in tiles in 1865. It was initially a private residence, but later became the hands of the ceramics factory Viúva Lamego, which occupied it until 2021. The images on the façade include vases of plants and Asian-inspired figures, which recall the trade between Portugal and the Orient.

4. Factory Widow Lamego (Almirante Reis)

This façade faces Avenida Almirante Reis behind the above mentioned façade. This side of the building is all blue and white, and is composed of spectacular tile panels. It is part of the Fábrica Viúva Lamego and it was here that ceramics were produced for many years, including many of the tiles that now decorate the capital’s metro stations.

5. Rua do Sacramento à Lapa (Lapa)

Here you will find a palace that sits between large embassies, which was built in the late 19th century as a noble residence. The Neo-Manueline windows are covered with tiles and ceramic pieces, in a half Baroque, half Art Nouveau decoration, very significant of the Romantic period.

6. Rua do Possolo, 76 (Lapa)

The Palacete dos Condes de Sabrosa was built in the 18th century but is now occupied by the Finnish and Andorran embassies. Its tiles cover half of the façade and classical, naturalistic and even maritime motifs can be glimpsed in these panels.

7. 43-45 Rua de São Domingos à Lapa (Lapa)

Although one passes by this building on the 25 tram, few people notice it, as it is somewhat overshadowed by the palace next door. But the façade of this building, covered with azulejos in floral motifs, deserves to be contemplated and appreciated.

8. Rua do Milagre de Santo António, 14 (Alfama)

The building is often photographed by tourists, as it catches their eye. Around here lived Saint Anthony, and the 20th century tile panels represent the “Miracle of the Fishes”, the “Miracle of the Bilha” and the “Miracle of the Mule”.

9. Rua das Cruzes da Sé, 13-15 (Alfama)

This façade, next to the Sé, is covered with tiles created in 1918. This was an old scale factory, so the panels are allusive to that trade.

10. 70-78 Rua das Janelas Verdes (Santos)

This building, which is near the National Museum of Ancient Art, is covered with tiles with elements in the Art Nouveau style, the result of a more “modern” taste from the beginning of the 20th century, which contrasted with the more baroque and romantic options of other grandiose façades of the city.

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These sweets traditionally use egg yolks and sugar, mixed with other ingredients.

The best known Portuguese conventual pastry is the pastel de nata, but there are dozens of these sweets, which have similarities and differences between them. We are going to elaborate on conventual sweets, their characteristics, a little of their history and which ones you really can’t miss.

So… What are conventual sweets then?

As the name suggests, they are sweets made in convents by nuns or friars, and are known for using large amounts of sugar and egg yolks, but also for the frequent use of almonds.

Conventual sweets were made in convents all over Europe, but what makes our convent sweets different from the rest is the fact that they almost exclusively use egg yolks, a lot of sugar and very little flour.

These sweets became more famous after the 15th century, when sugar cane from the colonies began to be used. Besides the easy access to sugar, our country was one of the largest producers of eggs in Europe.

The egg whites were exported and used as clarifier in the production of white wine and for ironing the suits of rich men. Thus, there was a surplus of egg yolks, which convents began to use, along with sugar, to produce sweets, which were consumed to celebrate religious feasts.

It is also worth noting that, at the time, joining a religious order was not done for merely religious reasons, as many noblemen’s daughters opted for this life due to family pressures or patrimonial strategies. These noblewomen went to the convent with attendants, who helped with the preparation of food and with education.

Therefore, the nuns had the time, ingredients and help to create the most varied sweets, with each convent developing its own recipe. With the opening of new convents, some recipes were shared and then adapted, to each convent’s particular taste.

Following the liberal wars, in 1834, the extinction of the religious orders was decreed. Female convents were allowed to remain in operation until the last nun died, but no novices were allowed to enter.

Thus, convents started selling convent sweets to private individuals, and some families who took in nuns kept the recipes. Other nuns sold their recipes to confectioners. Unfortunately, however, many convent sweets recipes were lost or even burnt.

It is not known if the current names we give to these sweets were already used at the time of their creation, or if they were a later invention. What is interesting to note is that some of the names of convent sweets are, to say the least, somewhat humorous, with some being linked to religion, and others being rather provocative.

Convent sweets with religious references include ” the little cheese from heaven”, “slices of Santa Clara”, ” heaven cake”, “angel pies”, “heavenly delicacy” and ” heaven bacon”. When it comes to more provocative sweets, we have “nuns’ bellies”, “novice’s titty-bits”, “sacristan balls”, “nuns’ throats” and “nun’s kisses”.

In Portugal, practically every land has its typical convent sweets, which can be tasted in the bakeries and pastry shops of the various localities. There are, however, cities that are a reference in terms of conventual sweets in our country, such as Coimbra, Aveiro and Alcobaça.

We have a list of the most renowned conventual sweets throughout the country, and those whose convent is known. These delicacies are delicious and should be tasted at least once in a lifetime, although many equally deserving sweets have not been mentioned here.

Keep following us to learn more…

You probably immediately think of Guimarães as the capital of the kingdom. But history tells us that there were three more, besides Guimarães and the current Lisbon.

Don’t believe it? Then discover with us the five cities that were once capital of Portugal.

1. Guimarães

The city that is nicknamed the ” birthplace of Portugal” and exclaims loudly that “here was born Portugal” had to be the first capital of the then Condado Portucalense and later of the country. Guimarães is one of the most important living memories of Portugal’s affirmation and independence. D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, is believed to have been born in Guimarães in 1109.

2. Coimbra

From 1131, Alfonso Henriques settled in Coimbra, where he could more easily launch operations to attack the Moors, extend the county’s territories and claim a kingdom. In this way, Coimbra becomes the most important city of the kingdom, thus becoming the capital of Portugal.

3. Lisbon

The current capital of Portugal began with the royal family’s move to this city, which was becoming increasingly prosperous. With the commercial development of the city, King Afonso III was able to see opportunities to make the county grow, namely the ease of receiving merchant ships. Although it was never made official in writing, Lisbon was considered the capital since the court lived there permanently.

4. Rio de Janeiro

That’s right!

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Napoleonic invasions devastated Europe. After the blockade of all trade with England, the Prince Regent D. João, the royal family and his court had no choice but to escape to one of their colonies, Brazil. In 1808, Rio de Janeiro became Portugal’s capital. It was for the first time in history that a colony became the governmental centre of a kingdom.

5. Angra do Heroismo

Angra do Heroísmo was capital of the Kingdom of Portugal in critical circumstances, twice.

The first, between August 5, 1580 and August 5, 1582, when D. António, Prior of Crato, established his government there. The second was a few years later, during the Civil War, in 1830, due to the fact that the Azorean city had become the centre of the Portuguese liberal movement, on behalf of Queen Maria II of Portugal.

The main square which is twice the size of St. Peter’s square in the Vatican has a capacity of 300,000 people.

But, let’s unveil 5 curiosities about this place that are known to few;

1 – The Little Chapel of the Apparitions was the target of a bomb attack

Built in 1919, as requested by Our Lady of Fátima, the modest chapel made of stone and lime had to be rebuilt after being dynamited by anticlerical groups, on March 6^th, 1922.

The little chapel was rebuilt within a year and maintains the original structure to this day.

2 – There is a piece of the Berlin Wall in Fatima

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, several blocks of this wall have been placed in various cities around the world. What few people know is that at the east entrance of the sanctuary there is one of these pieces, offered by a Portuguese man living in Germany.

It is 2.6 tons of wall, offered in the 1990s. Next to the wall one can read the words of Pope John Paul II in one of his three visits to Fatima: “Thank you, heavenly shepherdess, for having lovingly guided people to freedom”.

With the Fatima message being interpreted by Christians as a symbol of hope in the fight against atheistic communism, many link the disintegration of the USSR with the events in Cova da Iria.

3 – A chapel built by Hungarian refugees

The Chapel of Saint Stephen and the Hungarian Calvary – officially Cardinal Mindszenty Calvary – are the end points of the Way of the Cross that begins in the village of Valinhos, where the little shepherds lived.

It was commissioned by refugees who escaped the communist dictatorship after World War II in Hungary and were denied their religious freedom.

4 – The porch of the Little Chapel of the Apparitions is made of Siberian wood

Inaugurated for the first visit of Pope John Paul II, the porch that protects the faithful who attend the celebrations near the little chapel was lined in 1988 with pine wood from Siberia. This type of wood was chosen because it is light and durable.

5 – The crown atop the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary weighs seven tons

The basilica where the tombs of the seers of Fatima are located marks the landscape of the Sanctuary. The work of the architect Gerardus Samuel van Krieken has, at the top of the bell tower, a bronze crown which weighs seven tons. To this weight are added 62 bells, the largest of which weighs a further three tons.

Impressive, right?!

SOURCE: Shrine of Fatima

Orchids are not exclusive to the tropics!

That’s right…. Portugal is one of the few countries in Europe where you can observe wild orchids.

There are more than “60 species” of the Orchidaceae family, and some are unique in the world!

Orchids have always fascinated human beings, either because of their beauty or because of their survival and reproduction strategies. In the vegetable kingdom they are on a level of evolution equivalent to the human species in the animal kingdom.

Contrary to their tropical counterparts, many Portuguese orchids are smaller, almost shy. They blend in with the surrounding landscape.

This is why the distracted walker can pass by a handful of wild orchids and not even notice them.

Arrábida has the unique characteristic of concentrating around half of all Portuguese wild orchid species, due to its climatic and geographical singularity.

Leaving the beaten earth paths, skimming through the bushes and tall grass, in search of glades illuminated by the sun’s rays we find these small and unique treasures!

Treat them with the utmost delicacy… and some distance!

It is not without reason that orchids prefer to remain inconspicuous to human eyes. After all, the temptation to grab a flowering plant and take it home because it is so different means certain death for these flowers.

It also means that the plant will no longer be able to reproduce, which, many times repeated, can lead to the extinction of a species.

You should never, ever, pick an orchid.

Observe and appreciate them… Always!

By Sorrisos Latinos with the support of Researcher Dr Duarte Marques

There are hundreds of castles in Portugal, some are better preserved, others less so, some have been turned into museums, others into guesthouses. Built to defend our borders against Spanish attacks, today the castles are monuments that remind us of how difficult it was to build this country, where we always fought at a disadvantage against our enemies – which is why Portugal is one of the countries in the world with the most castles built.

1. Bragança Castle

A primitive fortification on the site may have been ordered built by D. Afonso Henriques, this region belonging to his brother-in-law, Fernão Mendes, the fortification was improved by D. Sancho I, who granted a charter to the village in 1187. With the crisis of 1383-1385, opened by the question of D. Fernando’s succession, the Mayor of Bragança oscillated between the Portuguese and Castilian sides, which forced D. Nuno Álvares Pereira to intervene, leading to his recognition by D. João I. It was also during his reign that the castle defences were improved and the imposing Keep was built.

2. Almourol Castle – Templar Castles

The castle is located on a small island that was already inhabited during the Roman occupation and was later occupied by Visigoths and Muslims. Almourol was conquered by King Afonso Henriques as part of the Christian reconquest in 1129, who handed the fortification over to the Order of the Knights Templar. The order rebuilt the castle and gave it its Templar characteristics. According to the inscriptions on the main gate, the construction work was completed in 1171.

3. Marvão Castle

Situated on the highest peak of the Serra de São Mamede, in the middle of the Natural Park, from here you can enjoy magnificent views. The territory has possibly been occupied since pre-historic times, although there is no certainty of this occupation (nor of Roman occupation, although the proximity of a Roman road attests to this possibility). What is known is that King Afonso Henriques conquered this castle from the Moors around 1166, during a campaign that began with the conquest of Alcácer do Sal. The oldest date that attests to the castle’s Portuguese ownership is 1214.

4. Montalegre Castle

This castle was built late in the reign of D. Afonso III as a means of reorganizing the borders to the east and west of Chaves. The purpose was to give the northern border of Trás-os-Montes an effective territorial and legal order under the King’s power. The royal domain wasn’t long lasting since, even before the end of the XIII century, Pedro Anes received from D. Dinis the charter of Montalegre, so that these lands could be populated, since, at the time, they were deserted.

5. Sortelha Castle

Sortelha was founded by D. Sancho I, with people coming from nearby Santo Estêvão. By this time, the reconquest had advanced well beyond the Tagus, but there were several skirmishes to the east between the Portuguese and the Leonese. Thus, a border had to be defined and protected. Leon fortified the town of Sabugal, east of the Côa, and Portugal responded with the foundation, in the 13th century, of the military square of Sortelha.

6. Arraiolos Castle

It is accepted that this castle was built in the reign of D. Dinis, around 1310, having the fortification been donated to D. Nuno Álvares Pereira in 1387, having this received the title of Count of Arraiolos. In the reign of D. João IV, during the Restoration of Independence, the castle was remodelled. However, some decades later it was abandoned, being that the earthquake of 1755 completed the ruin of this fortification.

7. Santa Maria da Feira Castle

This is one of the most remarkable Portuguese monuments, since it mirrors the diversity of defensive resources that existed between the 11th and 16th centuries. Besides being an important military outpost, it had a political and cultural dimension, being fundamental for the victory of São Mamede in 1128, when the castle’s alcaide, Pêro Gonçalves de Marnel, sided with D. Afonso Henriques against D. Teresa.

8. Lindoso Castle

According to some authors, Lindoso comes from the Latin “Limitosum”, meaning frontier, limit. There is no information about the early occupation of the territory. The castle is thought to have been built from scratch during the reign of King Afonso III, in an attempt to reinforce the defense of the borders.

9. Moorish Castle

From the Moorish castle, one can admire a unique landscape that stretches unimpeded all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. It is irregular in shape and overlooks the Sintra mountains. It was built in the 10th century after the Moors conquered the Peninsula. It was later enlarged after the Christian reconquest.

10. Guimarães Castle

In the context of the Christian reconquest, the domains of Vimaranes (present-day Guimarães) were granted, at the end of the 9th century, to a knight of Castilian origin called Diogo Fernandes, who settled here. One of his daughters, Mumadona Dias, married the powerful count Hermenegildo Gonçalves, ruling the domains of Portucale from the middle of the 10th century until the third quarter of the 11th century.

11. Penedono Castle

The oldest reference to this castle is from 960, but it is believed that it must be earlier, since the base of the structure has parallel rows, characteristic of Arab constructions. The castle is associated with the figure of the Magriço, Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, a native of Penedono, who was immortalised by Camões in Os Lusíadas, in which he narrates the feats of the Twelve of England. The castle was classified as a National Monument on the 16th June 1910.

12. Sabugal Castle

The region was the scene of heated disputes between the kings of Portugal and Castela. King Dinis finally took possession of the castle and the lands of Riba-Coa in 1296, which was confirmed in the Treaty of Alcanizes in 1297. King Dinis then repopulated the area and gave it a charter, ordering the castle to be built at the same time. Throughout history the castle has served its military function, although it has also been converted into a prison.