Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

A stunning 18th-century site where pilgrims ascend by a series of punishing stairs only to return via funicular.

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

A small Portuguese cottage formed between boulders in the countryside.

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

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

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

Picturesque intersection of witchcraft and ancient Christianity.

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

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.

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

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

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

A submerged village appears when dam levels drop.

A 16th century chapel decorated with bones, skulls, and entire bodies hanging from the wall.

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

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

Science fiction's grandfather has a fittingly marvelous tomb.

The world's largest reflecting pool is just two centimeters deep.

This semi-secret storybook hedge maze is also the oldest garden in the city.

Three bridges and one giant canyon make up this fantastic Spanish settlement.

A magical, macabre wax museum, beloved by locals, uses real artifacts to depict an assassination from the French Revolution.

An odd museum dedicated to French fakes.