Less known than the Palacio nacional, here is an extravagant castle that seems to have come out of a fairy tale. It is also in Sintra , a pretty town just a few kilometers from Lisbon!
The Palacio da Regaleira is an extraordinary palace from the beginning of the 20C , whose heterogeneous style draws from the neo-Gothic and the neo-Manueline. The house and the vast park came from the fertile imagination of a (very) wealthy owner, Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920), associated with the Italian architect Luigi Manini. The facade is full of symbolic sculptures and stunning details, intended to wow the greats of the time as the owner, a magnate enriched by trade with Brazil.
Island of Porto Santo (Archipelago of Madeira)
This island, little sister of the main island of Madeira, is accessible by plane or ferry and offers wellness hotels, trendy bars and restaurants, the most beautiful sunsets in Europe and a sunny climate almost all year round.
Porto Santo is an invitation to discover paradisiacal beaches, historical heritage and geological exuberance.
To visit Porto Santo is to discover a golden island famous for its nine-kilometre sandy beach. The smallest inhabited island of the Madeira archipelago is only an hour and a half flight from Lisbon, in the extreme south-west of Europe, 500 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from the European mainland.
If you want to disconnect from your tumultuous life, discover nature, relax and have no other goal in the day than to watch the sunset, wait for a good thermal treatment, a round of golf or a water activity, then Porto Santo is really for you.
Faial Island (Azores Archipelago)
This year, go wild and green and experience eco-responsible adventures in the Azores. Greener than Iceland, cheaper, with a more moderate and milder climate, the Azores are a destination of choice for lovers of nature, outdoor sports, hiking, gastronomy, and even for lovers since they are ranked among the best wedding destinations in Europe.
Considered by the European Commission as a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN), Portugal has many awe-inspiring landscapes, unique birds and plants and emblematic geological formations, all surrounded by a magnificent blue sea, pure and alive. Together with Sao Jorges and Pico, they form a triptych of unique and captivating islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. A place where sailors crossing the ocean like to stop for a few days or… for life.
The biodiversity is very rich: 855 species of vascular plants can be found throughout the island, of which 57 are endemic (existing only in the Azores). Faial's sea is an extraordinary mosaic of colours, shadows, smells, sounds, silences and emotions. It is emblematic of the life forms it supports, such as cetaceans, seabirds, sharks and all other inhabitants.