Whether designed for defense or for grandeur, Portugal's palaces and
castles are among the most romantic buildings of Europe.

Castelo dos Mouros (Sintra)

In the 19th century, the monarchs of Portugal ordered that this castle remain as a ruined ornament to embellish their sprawling parks and gardens. The squat, thick-walled fortress was begun around 750 a.d. by the Moors and was captured with the help of Scandinavian Crusaders in 1147. Its jagged battlements, quartet of eroded towers, and a ruined Romanesque chapel all remain.

Castelo Sao Jorge (Lisbon)

During every regime since the departure of the Romans from Iberia, this hilltop has been valued as a fortification along the Tagus River. Today, the bulky castle crowns the Alfama medieval neighborhoods of Lisbon with thick stone walls, medieval battlements, Catholic and feudal iconography, verdant landscaping, and sweeping views of one of Europe's greatest harbors.

Mosteiro de Mafra

Mafra, an ancient settlement, houses Portugal's most magnificent Baroque confection -- Mosteiro de Mafra. Like Batalha, it was a king's offering of gratitude for God's favor. Joao V commissioned it in thanks for the birth of his daughter. Construction began in 1717 on this palace-church-monastery. Built of Brazilian gold and diamonds, it is absolutely dazzling to see and is completely unforgettable.

Another small but unique tourist attraction en route to Mafra is worth pulling over for. It's a "miniature Portugal" -- a compete working model of a Portuguese farm, little kitchens and shoe repair shops, and Portugal's 'littlest castle'. Spend an hour or so walking around and enjoying the models, and then drive to Mafra for a marvelous lunch, perhaps at the Solar d'el Rei.

Paco Real, Sintra

Sintra, high in the hills, whose palaces include the 1,000 year-old Paco Real, for six centuries the summer residence of Portuguese kings. Quella, with its 18^th century rococo palace, and Obidos, an ancient walled town with narrow winding streets and a castle now used as a pousada (government-sponsored luxury inn).

Palace Hotel do Bucaco

In the Forest of Bucaco, the Palace of Bucaco operates as a hotel, allowing travelers to sleep within the walls of a former royal palace permeated with Portuguese 'saudade' -- nostalgia. It is Portugal's most important national icon and was completed in 1907 of marble, bronze, stained glass, and exotic hardwoods. It represents the final days of a doomed Portuguese aristocracy.

Palacio Nacional de Pena (Sintra)

This 19th century palace is an eclectic, expensive melange of architectural styles set in a 500-acre walled park. Commissioned by the German-born consort of the Portuguese queen, it is appointed with heavy furnishings and rich ornamentation -- a symbol of the Portuguese monarchs in their most aesthetically decadent stages.

Palacio Nacional de Queluz (Lisbon)

An intimate version of the Versailles, this Palace was designed for the presentation of music and royal receptions in the 1700s. The symmetrical building is ringed with gardens, fountains, and sculptures of mythical heroes and maidens. Gilt, crystal, and frescoes fill its interior, and most Portuguese are proudest of the azulejos room where hand-painted blue and white tiles depict day-to-day life in the Portuguese colonies of Macao and Brazil.