jencgeiger's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tomar, Portugal

Convento de Cristo

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.
São Miguel, Portugal

Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias

This fairy-tale, neo-Gothic church in the Azores is a world of magical realism.
Colares, Portugal

Praia da Ursa

In Portugal, a secluded stretch of untouched natural beauty hides at the bottom of a steep hill.
Colares, Portugal

Convent of the Capuchos

The verdant mossy ruins of a Franciscan monastery lie in the remote Sintra hills awaiting exploration.
Sintra, Portugal

Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors)

An ancient and majestic fortress that played an integral role in Portugal's road to independence.
Portugal

Drowned Village of Vilarinho da Furna

A submerged village appears when dam levels drop.
Lisbon, Portugal

Jerónimos Monastery

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.
Portugal

Covão dos Conchos

This gaping hole in the middle of a remote mountain lake looks like a portal to another dimension.
Lisbon, Portugal

Estufa Fria

This once-forgotten oasis in the middle of Lisbon was first created over a century ago quite by accident.
Porto, Portugal

Igreja de São Francisco

The stunning interior of this Gothic church is covered in ornate gold details.
Faro, Portugal

Capela de Ossos Bone Chapel

This small chapel is built of human bones and decorated with a golden skeleton.
Lisbon, Portugal

Caza das Vellas Loreto

This charming candle shop has been in business since 1789.
Sintra, Portugal

Pena National Palace

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.
Lisbon, Portugal

Pavilhão Chinês

Ring the bell to enter a bar that looks equal parts museum and old curiosity shop.
Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Bertrand

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.
Évora, Portugal

Portugal's Chapel of Bones

A 16th century chapel decorated with bones, skulls, and entire bodies hanging from the wall.
Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal

The Village of Monsanto

Houses are tucked between, on, and underneath giant boulders.
Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.
Cascais, Portugal

Boca do Inferno

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.
Lagoa, Portugal

Benagil Caves

Perhaps the most spectacular grotto along the Algarve coastline.
Lisbon, Portugal

Carmo Convent Ruins

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Kamakura, Japan

Mandarado Burial Grottoes

An eerie cluster of medieval cave-like tombs carved out of a cliff, hidden in a historic mountain pass.