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

Residence to a picture-perfect Outdated City of rolling hills, Baroque church buildings, and a scenic riverfront, it is protected to say Lisbon is well one of the unimaginable metropolis breaks in Europe.

As charming as it may be, it is also value stating that Lisbon has now turn out to be one of many most overtouristed cities within the Outdated Continent. With Portugal’s surging recognition, it is not 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 filled with medieval wonders with much more respiration room:

Óbidos

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

Its Outdated City appears to be like copied and pasted straight from a storybook for youngsters: it has a superbly preserved cobbled heart, with slim alleys organized in a maze-like manner, all lined with whitewashed homes and surrounded by partitions.

Apart from being extremely picturesque, Óbidos is certain to attraction to the candy fiends on the market: it is the proud house of Ginja de Óbidos, a novel cherry liqueur served in an edible home made chocolate cup. For the very best cheeky ginjinha on the town, head straight to Bar Ibn Errik Rex.

Alenquer

A hilltop city with over 44,000 residents, a 1h bus journey from Lisbon (there are not any trains working on this route), Alenquer is a type of uncommon cases 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 Fort 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 parts.

Portugal is extensively celebrated for its wine, and to our fellow oenophiles, Alenquer is formally a wine area. A few of the nation’s finest 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 fort city perched on a outstanding hill, searching onto the Atlantic, and even the Portuguese capital far within the distance.

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

When you’re coming right here for the wine and meals, it’s best to know Palmela’s Castelão, a fortified wine constructed from 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

Courting 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 in a while the Moors as a buying and selling submit.

It straddles the vital Sado River, notoriously identified for its salt manufacturing and fishing tradition, and between the fairytale medieval fort and the idyllic stone-paved pathways, peppered with family-run eating places and boutique outlets, Alcácer has quite a bit 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 title it. On that observe, 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 foremost 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 at the moment weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative tales that may have you ever packing your baggage.