Places miodek Wants to Go

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

Portugal’s highest lighthouse has one of the most impressive focal planes in the world.

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.

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

Catering to broken dolls for almost 200 years, this repair shop is now a charnel house of doll parts.

A cluster of granite granaries perched on stilts.

This charming candle shop has been in business since 1789.

This abandoned five-star hotel is now a five-star urban exploration destination.

Dead weights honor the dead of Portugal's fishing industry.

This crumbling Portuguese ruin overlooks the populace it once ruled.

This star-shaped military outpost is now simply trying to protect itself from neglect.

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

An abandoned mine now resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape of derelict buildings and blood-red pools of water.

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

A small Portuguese cottage formed between boulders in the countryside.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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