5 Best Sights in Estremadura and the Ribatejo, Portugal

The first major fortification on what was the island of Peniche was built in the 16th century, and the Fortaleza de Peniche has played an important role in Portuguese history ever since. In the mid-20th century, the hulking fortress served as a prison for leading opponents of the New State dictatorship; in 1960, it was the site of a spectacular jail break, when Communist Party leader Alvaro Cunhal and a few of his comrades escaped from the high-security wing. This museum---created to tell the story of the prison in the context of the dictatorship, and to memorialize the resistance against it---opened in April 2024, half a century after the revolution that toppled that regime. A tour of its austere spaces and hard-hitting, informative displays will leave no one indifferent. 

About 3 km (2 miles) south of Batalha's world-renowned monastery, this small museum is a project of the foundation of the same name, created to preserve and enhance understanding of the history surrounding the São Jorge battlefield. The main focus of the exhibition area (with labels in English) is on the 1385 military engagement that—with the crucial aid of English longbowmen—conclusively established Portugal's sovereignty, but it also documents conflicts with Spain from the early Middle Ages through the early 15th century. There are free audio guides in English and several other languages; the visit includes an engaging multimedia show scheduled at 11:30 am and at 1:30, 3, and 4:30 pm. If you plan on visiting both the center and battlefield, set aside an hour and a half.

Housed in a former Augustinian monastery, Leiria's main museum presents the city's development from pre-Roman times through the construction of the castle and the planting of the region's vast pine forests at the behest of medieval kings. Among the most prized items is the "Lapedo child"—a skeleton from the early Upper Paleolithic, excavated locally in 1998, which has fueled debate about the origins of modern humans. Your ticket includes a free audio guide in English. A free nearby offshoot of the museum, the Moinho do Papel, is a beautifully restored watermill where you can see cereals being ground and paper made the traditional way.

This prize-winning museum, opened in 2022, showcases municipal and private collections that include archaeological finds from Abrantes and the surrounding area as well as from elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond (including Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia), plus sacred art from the region over the centuries, and some modern art. It is all housed in a former Dominican monastery, founded in the 16th century, that is one of the city's most important historic buildings, now sensitively restored as part of a project by leading Portuguese architect Carrilho da Graça.

In the 16th-century Convento de Graça, the Municipal Museum has exhibits about the city's historical fortifications, as well as interesting archaeological finds from the castle grounds and from all over the region.