2 Best Sights in Nazaré, Estremadura and the Ribatejo

Many travelers make a beeline for this 16th-century fort—which since 1903 has also served as a lighthouse—as the ideal vantage point for watching the waves that attract the world's best surfers. The structure also houses a small surf museum, whose displays include fascinating explanations of how the offshore Nazaré Canyon enables the waves to form. It's a steep walk down from Sítio (and back up), but there are usually tuk tuks or shared transport standing by.

To catch a glimpse of what was once hailed as "the most picturesque fishing village in Portugal," either climb the precipitous trail or take the Ascensor da Nazaré, a scenic funicular (€2.50 one way, €4 return), to the top of a 361-foot cliff to visit the settlement called Sítio (literally, "Place"). Clustered at the cliff's edge overlooking the beach is a small community of fishermen who live in tiny cottages and seem unaffected by all that's happening below. On this promontory stands the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, a predominately baroque church with a tiled and gilded interior that houses a figure of the Virgin Mary said to have been carved by Joseph himself in Nazareth—hence the town's name. Its cloisters harbor a free museum with naive paintings of local miracles; in the shrine itself, for €1 you can go through the old sacristy for a close-up look at the image.