Excellent travel attractions and car rental services in Portugal: The spindly, needle-like Torre de Clérigos is one of Oporto’s defining landmarks. Standing 75 meters above the streets and overlooking the old town, this slender tower was built in the 18th century by Nicolau Nasoni and exudes a bold sense of the Baroque. Designed as part of the Igreja dos Clérigos, the tower was completed in 1763 and at the time was the tallest building in Oporto. To reach the top, visitors need to climb upwards of 200 steps, but the huffing and puffing will all be forgotten as you embrace truly magnificent views of the city and the River Douro. Its commanding position crowning a hill and overlooking Lisbon’s bustling Baixa (downtown) district defines Castelo de São Jorge as the city’s most visible historic monument. Hugely popular with locals and tourists alike, the foundations of this impressive castle date from the late 12th century when King Afonso Henriques recaptured the city from the Moors and built a palace over the ruins of their hilltop citadel. In 1511, the royal residence was extended and reinforced with sturdy battlements. The great earthquake of 1755 leveled much of the structure, and what remains today is largely the result of substantial renovation. Exploring the castle is great fun. Visitors can walk the ramparts and the castellated towers, one of which, Torre de Ulisses, has a camera obscura that projects views of the city onto the inside walls. The walls enclose an archaeological site with the remains of the original Alcáçova palace and ancient Moorish foundations. If you are searching for a vehicle to travel between Portugal’s vacation attractions you can read even more details on https://www.carrentalinportugal.com/
The seaside country of Portugal has been closely linked to the sea throughout its history, so if you’re interested in Portugal’s sea-related attractions, there’s plenty to visit in Portugal. Portugal’s capital Lisbon is home to one of the largest oceanariums in the world. Every year more than a million visitors come to observe the life of sea inhabitants through the panoramic glass. The advantage of the Lisbon oceanarium is that it is not just for the general public’s entertainment, but also for educational purposes. For example, the Oceanarium has a marine biology and oceanography department with many science lessons that will be of interest to adults and children alike. The architectural peculiarity of the Aquarium in Lisbon is that it was built right on the water, on the banks of the Tagus River and it is connected to the mainland by a 2-level ramp. The Aquarium opened to the public in 1998 and in 2011 another building was opened for temporary exhibitions.
Best rated vacation attractions and car rental services in Portugal: Obidos Castle is an impressive structure that sits on a hill at Obidos, a small city that dates back to Roman times on Portugal’s Atlantic coast. The Moors built the castle sometime in the eighth century. It was remodeled around the 14th century and a keep was added. The castle today houses a luxury pousada hotel. A traditional medieval market takes place in the castle every July. Cais da Ribeira is a charming picturesque district in Porto, sometimes referred to as “the soul of Porto.” It’s made up of medieval streets that end on a square by the Douro River. Medieval buildings are filled with bars, cafes and restaurants, making Ribeira a popular place for eating and drinking. Ribeira is especially popular on feast days when townspeople flock there to see fireworks. There’s a bronze cube in the middle of the square. Nearby is the house where Prince Henry the Navigator was born in 1394.
The Universidade de Coimbra is Portugal’s oldest seat of learning, founded in 1290 by King Dinis. Acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the historic buildings of the Velha Universidade, or old Coimbra University, surround a beautiful colonnaded central square, the Paço das Escolas. The Alta and Sofia wings of the university – a former royal residence – reward visitors with a number of star features, including the astonishing Biblioteca Joanina, a sumptuously decorated library installed in 1717 by King João V. A tour also takes in the dazzlingly ornate 16th-century Capela de São Miguel. Those with a head for heights can climb the landmark 18th-century clock tower for a grand perspective over Coimbra, one of the country’s most attractive cities.
Holiday attractions and car rental providers in Portugal today: Sintra is a suburb of the Portuguese capital and the most important in terms of attractions in Portugal. Not far from Sintra, in the mountains, is the unusual Pena Castle Palace. Its uniqueness is that originally it was based on an empty monastery, which was built here back in the 12th century in honor of Our Lady. Over time, the temple has fallen into disrepair. The unremarkable and neglected chapel, lost in the mountains, was only remembered in the 16th century when King Manuel I, being very religious, turned his attention to the church and the rather large empty land around it. Since then, and reconstruction of the shrine began – he was rebuilt from stone and stood for about 2 centuries until a powerful earthquake known throughout Europe, which turned the monastery into ruins.
Visiting Portugal is to discover a remarkably diverse destination. Inextricably linked with the sea, the country has more than 800 kilometers of enticing Atlantic Ocean coastline. Lisbon, the capital city, enjoys a stunning location near the mouth of the River Tagus. From here, trailblazing mariners set sail in the 15th and 16th centuries on epic voyages of discovery, and Portugal has nurtured a proud seafaring tradition ever since. Portugal’s interior melds dramatic northern mountain ranges with the vast rolling plains of the country’s sun-baked central regions. In the south, some of the best beaches in Europe flank picturesque coves and warm, shallow waters. Dotted throughout are stone-built villages, enchanting towns, and cosmopolitan cities where historic palaces and castles, museums, and monasteries are waiting to be explored. And traveling to Portugal can also mean a visit to the verdant, subtropical island of Madeira – the “Garden Isle” – or the isolated, but tranquil Azores archipelago. For more ideas on the best places to visit, see our list of the top tourist attractions in Portugal. See additional information on https://www.carrentalinportugal.com/.