CULTURAL PURSUITS

Fairytale fantasies Sintra

Explore the Disney-esque castles and paintbox palaces of Sintra, once a cool-climate holiday retreat for Portuguese royalty. The Unesco-listed site lies in the forested hills north of Lisbon, criss-crossed with walking trails that reveal cultural treasures including an 8th-century Moorish castle, the turreted Pena National Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira, a manor house with secret passageways and spiral staircases leading to deep, moss-clad stone wells. The opulent architecture here served as inspiration for some of Lord Byron’s poems. Double rooms at Tivoli Palacio De Seteais (00351 219 233 200; tivolihotels.com) start at £212 per night

Escape to the country Evora

Rural Alentejo – a huge swathe of slowpaced, golden countryside between Lisbon and the Algarve – evades most travellers’ radars as they scurry for the coast. Dotted throughout are charming, old-world villages such as Montemor-o-Novo, Monsaraz and Arroiolos, but the grandest of all is surely the city of Evora, rising from the wheat fields and olive groves. This city, encircled by 14th-century walls, has cobblestone streets packed with Moorish temples, stately mansions and the biggest medieval cathedral in the country, which features an eerie-yet-beautiful bone chapel. The city’s architecture has been miraculously preserved after escaping ruin in a 1755 earthquake, earning the town Unesco status.

Double rooms at M’ar de Ar Aqueduto (00351 266 739 302; mardearhotels. com) start at £129 per night

Spirited away Braga

Portugal’s religious capital and seat of the country’s archbishops. The atmospheric, 12th-century city is filled with cathedrals, churches and chapels, as well as the elaborate Archbishop’s Palace. Visit during Easter’s Semana Santa celebrations for torchlit processions; just three miles away, pilgrims make the 580-stair climb on their knees to the hilltop Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte. Enjoy a coffee in one of Braga’s squares, accompanied by the chime of church bells.

A classic suite at the Villa Garden Braga (00351 253 680 020; villagarden.pt) starts at £113 per night

Time for tradition Tavira

Away from the Algarve’s busy beaches, Tavira presents a quiet slice of tradition. Once a key trading port, the town straddles the Gilao River, which is crossed by a Roman bridge and lined with restaurants. Go through shady squares and past gothic and renaissance architecture to the remains of a hilltop castle. The Moorish-inspired Vila Galé Tavira makes an excellent base for exploring; it is also worth taking a short drive to visit Tavira’s unusual anchor graveyard. Jet2Holidays offers seven nights at Vila Galé Tavira, (00351 281 329 900; jet2holidays.com) from £815pp, B&B, including transfers and return flights from Birmingham on Aug 6

Castle in the sky: the colourful Pena National Palace in Sintra, a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of Portugal