The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.

In Portugal, a secluded stretch of untouched natural beauty hides at the bottom of a steep hill.

An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.

This fairy-tale, neo-Gothic church in the Azores is a world of magical realism.

Perhaps the most spectacular grotto along the Algarve coastline.

Picturesque intersection of witchcraft and ancient Christianity.

The verdant mossy ruins of a Franciscan monastery lie in the remote Sintra hills awaiting exploration.

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.

A garden in Lisbon filled with giant porcelain creatures.

An ancient and majestic fortress that played an integral role in Portugal's road to independence.

This once-forgotten oasis in the middle of Lisbon was first created over a century ago quite by accident.

This restored Portuguese cafe may well be the most beautiful place in the world to grab a Big Mac.

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”

The stunning interior of this Gothic church is covered in ornate gold details.

This gaping hole in the middle of a remote mountain lake looks like a portal to another dimension.

This small chapel is built of human bones and decorated with a golden skeleton.

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.

Ring the bell to enter a bar that looks equal parts museum and old curiosity shop.

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.

Houses are tucked between, on, and underneath giant boulders.

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

A wunderkammer of gold and silver reliquaries and ancient saintly bones.

This stunning, out-of-the-way Croatian monument commemorates a community's uprising against occupying fascist forces.