That’s the feeling you get once you step into a castle. Castles take you back in time. When you are in a castle, you are able to feast your eyes on a regal part of history.

Europe is the place to be as there are quite a number of castles all over the continent and I would like to think that Portugal has the most beautiful of them all. Portugal literally has hundreds of beautiful castles dotted all over the country. It has been said that if you decide to go ‘castle hopping’ in Portugal, you could be at it for several weeks (or even months) trying to see them all.

A look at 3 absolutely beautiful castles in Portugal

1. Pena Palace – This is one of the most popular palaces in Portugal. This colourful castle set atop a hill in Sintra is as fairytale looking as they get.

From the sound of it, Pena Palace sounds like it is a “palace” but is, in fact, a Romanticist castle – the main difference between palaces and castles being that palaces tend to be predominantly places of residence.

2. Castle of Óbidos – This is a well-preserved medieval castle located in the civil parish of Santa Maria, São Pedro e Sobral da Lagoa, in the municipality of Óbidos, Portuguese district of Leiria.

The castle was built over 700 hundred years ago by King D. Denis was said to have been given to his wife, Dona Isabel, as a wedding gift. The castle's wall and a majority of its original architecture remains today and it has been converted to a luxurious hotel.

3. Castle of Leiria – This medieval castle is a less popular one but equally as beautiful. 2 times lost and regained the castle of Leiria belong permanently to the Portuguese Province, helping the conquest of Santarém and Lisbon and therefore in building the country.

The castle has an irregular polygonal plan, marked by the strength of its defensive system (walls and towers) inside which stand out the Royal Palace, the Church of Santa Maria da Pena and the Keep.

Article by Titi Dokubo