The role of botanical gardens has undergone transformations over the centuries, and the Botanic Garden of the University of Coimbra is also an example of this. The creation of the Botanic Garden was rooted on the taxonomic collections used by the University for the study and documentation of plants. Find out more.

Away from the world, surrounded by its farmland and woods, lies the moated manor house of De Wiersse. With 38 acres of garden and 74 acres of landscape park, the house and its surroundings have been lived in, designed and managed by the family since 1678. In this historic garden a sequence of surprises awaits the visitor – avenues and pergolas, fountains and statues, meadows and formal parterres, bridges over a gently flowing stream and a serpentine tunnel of beech.

In the 19th century, Sintra was one of the first cradles of the romantic architecture in Europe, attracting those who, sensitized by the landscape, dared to retouch it with a stunning architecture in an Edenic harmony. In this picturesque setting we find, at outskirts of Sintra’s historic centre, the Quinta da Regaleira, an estate that reflects the sensibility and cultural, philosophical and scientific interests of the owner, António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro, together with the virtuosity of the Italian architect and scenographer Luigi Manini. The culture and creativity of these two personalities resulted in an eclectic revivalist architectural ensemble, focused on the Manueline, Renaissance and Classical Styles.