Great place to wander around in. This is a huge castle, then the interpretation in English is…read morepretty good. There are tiles from the 17th century inside. You get to wander all over, looking at the dorm rooms that the monks lived in. You also get to see their kitchen and eating area as well as gardens. And of course the church inside is very very beautiful. I do not know much about the Templars before coming here, but they were a very interesting group.

If you like the story of the Knights Templar you should come here…read more This was Called the Convent of Christ. It was the temple where the Knights Templar lived when they were betrayed by the king of France and disbanded by the pope and fled France. Those who survived fled to Portugal where King Dinis reamed them the Knights of Christ. The symbol of the Knights of Christ is slightly different than the Knights Templar but you can see the similarity. The inner chapel is very ornate and beautiful which showed the money that they had. I loved putting the history together with the actual place.

What can I say? This is one of the most famous pilgrimage places for Catholics worldwide. See it in…read moreperson is a much more different experience than any learning people you can do. Such a beautiful sanctuary that both believers a non-believers can enjoy and see for them themselves. There's an energy about this place. Small town in Portugal gaining worldwide fame over children's years over decades ago. Inside you'll find three different areas of worship. My favorite is the Chapel of apparitions, which is an outdoor chapel. It's supposedly where the children saw the mother Mary. The easiest way to get here is buy a tour or taking a bus directly from Lisbon. This is definitely worth a A visit if you're in Portugal. it is simply a place you check out and feel it's special energy.

Truly a special highlight of our cruise to Lisbon. We took a Gray Line tour booked through Shore…read moreExcursion Group--"Full Day Tour to Óbidos, Batalha, Nazaré, and Fátima"--the day after our ship arrived. It was a long, full day (about 14 hours), with Fátima as the final stop. We spent roughly an hour here after stopping first at a large gift store in town, since gift shops are located outside the sanctuary complex rather than within it. The sheer scale of the plaza is striking, especially when you imagine it filled with pilgrims during holy days. Watching the most devoted crawl on their knees along the long, smooth path built for them--some openly sobbing--makes the depth of devotion people bring here unmistakably clear. To the left is the Chapel of the Apparitions, a small, simple structure. A statue of the Blessed Mother stands on a marble pillar marking the site of her appearance, with rows of benches on three sides. The chapel is covered yet open to the elements and fresh air. Despite the number of visitors, I was struck by the quiet respect--no people sitting on their phones or talking loudly. Most sat silently, many clearly in prayer. Although I did not see Our Lady of Fátima appear, I could feel the reverence created by the millions of prayers offered here over time. I felt a palpable sense of "gentle compassion," as if those prayers were being listened to and heard by Our Lady. Near the Sanctuary was a long line of people. You could buy candles and throw them in a raging firepit. I guess it was a large scale version of lighting votive candles to make an offering. Normally, in the Catholic faith, we may buy and light a candle and offer a prayer, but we don't toss the candle in a fire. I didn't like the firepit idea unless people were lighting candles to toss away their sins. It reminded me more of Hell than being uplifting. The complex includes two large churches, including a newer basilica built to hold up to 8,000 people. In the original Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary are the tombs of the children who witnessed the apparitions. Helpful Tip: Restrooms are available beneath the modern church. Look for the steps leading down to a lower level in front of it--signage is minimal, but facilities are located there.

This was stop on our personal driving trip in Portugal. It is UNESCO site and Rick Steve Europe…read moretrip episode. This monastery mainly to remember the soldiers who die in the war. The unique of this church is the gothic design of the church. It is beautiful stone work. They are very decorative. The entrance to the monastery is really beautiful. The visit will require two hours. This monastery is local at center region of the Portugal. One tip. If you decided to visit Batalha Monastery, Tomar Convent of Christ, Alcobaça Monastery, there is a combo ticket you can save some money. Just buy the combo ticket on the first place that you go for a seven day limited visit. The Batalha Monastery has many chamber. The sanctuary has tall columns to welcome you. Other chamber include tomb of King João I and other royals families. The courtyard has beautiful arches hallway. Each contain beautiful arch way entrance to garden. There is war chamber have displayed the medal, uniform, emblem, other war items. I love the last section we have visited. It is call the unfinished chapel. The column is beautifully crafted. It is one of the most beautiful thing I see in large scale. Do not miss that. It entrance is at the outside. So after you have finished everything inside don't forget to go to this no roof chapel.

The Batalha Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We stopped here on our Viking Cruises…read moretransfer from Lisbon to Porto and I'm so glad we did! It is intertwined with Portuguese history and is the burial place of the 14th to 15th century royalty the Portuguese call the "Illustrious Generation". These include King John I, his wife Philippa of Lancaster, and their children, including the fabled Prince Henry the Navigator. John I ensured the independence of Portugal. Prince Henry launched Portugal's Age of Discovery. They are buried in the octagonal Founder's Chapel. The Royal Cloisters lead from the church. They are an intricate Gothic wonder. The former Chapter House is now the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Adjacent is the Cloister of Dom Afonso V. It was added later, and is in a much simplified Gothic style. Lastly, a great surprise are the Unfinished Chapels, mortuary chapels commissioned by Duarte. Work was not taken up on them for nearly half a century, and by the time it was, the Manueline style had come into fashion under Manuel I. Thus, these eight chapel, open tot he sky are in a beautiful Manueline architecture. The monastery is simply a historical and visual treat.

OK - For the purposes of full disclosure, I have a thing for visiting ossuaries. Yes, it is macabre…read moreand bizarre, and TBH, I can't explain why. The Chapel of Bones, which is part of this church and accompanying museum, has been on my list for quite a while and is in the historic city center that is a UNESCO World Heritage site (although the church and chapel are not specifically part of the site.) The chapel is more than just the bones. There are also some frescoes and other architectural features that are really worth seeing. Presumably because it was almost Christmas, there was a display of multiple nativity scenes in the museum.

My wife and I were here on a Gate1 tour, we went on a morning Evora city tour, and the first stop…read morewas the Sao Francisco Church (Igreja de São Francisco), which is famous for its Ossuary chapel (Capela dos Ossos- Chapel of Bones, whose walls are decorated with thousands of human bones and skulls. One of the s girls was really scared with the bones and I comforted her (11 years old) and she calmed down thereafter. An estimated 5,000 corpses were exhumed to decorate the walls of the chapel. The bones, which came from ordinary people who were buried in Évora's medieval cemeteries, were arranged by the Franciscans in a variety of patterns. The church itself is huge, beautiful, Gothic style, with 12 open chapels.

So legend says a knight was saved from falling off the cliff by Our Lady of Nazaré, who casually…read moreperformed a miracle with zero regard for physics. The original statue was brought from Nazareth by a monk in the 4th century. You know, the usual backpacking trip. Inside there is gilded everything. Angels. Tilework. Your inner grandma will swoon.

This is a beautiful castle and the walk up from the historic city center was easy, beautiful, and…read moreworth it! Walking the ramparts of this ancient castle, which you can see from anywhere you are in Sintra, is a must do. My husband is afraid of heights and he was not overly excited about walking the castle because it is pretty sketchy - there aren't guard rails to prevent falling off. Views of the town of Sintra and the Pena Palace are stunning. Absolutely worth the visit.

The Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) is a set of open-air castle ruins on a hilltop. Most…read moreof the visit experience consists of climbing up and down stone steps and walking along castle walls. It unexpectedly rained during most of my visit, even though the skies were clear earlier in the day, and even directly after my visit. The height, occasional lack of guard rails, light-to-medium rain, and mist flowing uphill all combined in some places to create an eery mystique, not easily expressed through photos. However, there were moments when the mist and clouds cleared to show spectacular broad views of the town and countryside below. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes with grip, as most surfaces are cobblestone. Consider bringing a hooded jacket, wide-brim hat, or umbrella in case of rain or excessive sun. The only structure with a roof, other than the ticket office and restrooms, is the church (Ingreja de São Pedro de Canaferrim) building. I took the 434 bus to and from the castle due to rain, but might have walked from town otherwise. The 434 bus has USB-A plugs that can slow-charge one's electronics.

Wow, I did not expect to see this when walking into the church. It appears destroyed on the…read moreinside, as it basically was due to earthquake and fire. Have never seen anything like it. Definitely a neat experience.

The third of three churches, my wife and I visited in Lisbon, Portugal, during a transatlantic…read morecruise, the Catholic Church of St Dominic was heavily damaged/destroyed by fire in 1959. It reopened in 1994, with much of that damage clearly indicating burn marks throughout the church. It has daily mass, with signs asking for visitors to respect the religious reasons for visits.

This is only aqueduct that I can have access to the top. I love to walk on this aqueduct. Don't…read moreforget to visit this place after visit Tomar Convent of Christ. This 400 year old structure is beautiful and accessible with two entry point. If you drive your car, the parking to the entry point is available and free. Most people overlook this aqueduct, I would said is a good choice to visit. It is only a 7 minutes drive from the convent. The great thing is you can follow the stair of one tower to the top of aqueduct. The view on top is spectacular. You can see this magnificent structure supply the water to the castle of the Tomar. The visit is free. In fact, when we visit at 4:30 pm. There is not many people there. No tourists, I spot local residents.

Visited on September 14, 2019. This aqueduct used to bring water to the Convent of Christ. One can…read morereally get up close to this aqueduct and discover just how it works from the top by taking the stairs up one of the towers. The tallest part of the aqueduct is about 98 feet high, and it's really cool one can walk across the top along the edge. There is even a section where the "stone rail" is missing. Although walking the whole aqueduct takes longer, walking between the 2 towers probably takes less than 10 minutes one way.