Places · Portugal
Natural Wonders of Portugal: The 4 Most Beautiful Places to Visit
4 places in the atlas
Mainland Portugal is a land of Atlantic beaches, rugged cliffs, terraced river valleys like the Douro, and rolling cork-oak country. But its most singular natural wonders lie 1,500 kilometres out to sea: the Azores, an autonomous archipelago of nine volcanic islands rising from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Green and geothermal, dotted with crater lakes and hot springs and ringed by deep water rich in whales, they are one of Europe's most remarkable island landscapes and include Pico, the country's highest peak. Below are the 4 natural wonders of Portugal in the atlas — the most beautiful places to build a trip around, each with what makes it remarkable, when to go, and how to reach it. Best overall time: Late spring to early autumn (roughly May–September) for warm, dry weather on the mainland and peak conditions and whale watching in the Azores.
