The provinces of Estemadura and Ribatejo, which surround and stretch north of Lisbon, contain many of Portugal's main tourist attractions. Easily reached by road (and in most cases by train) from Lisbon, the towns of Obidos, Nazaré, Batalha, Fátima and Tomar are all well-worth a visit during any stay or tour in the country.
Set in magnificent countryside well-known for some fine white wines, Obidos is a historical and picturesque walled village, with a population of around 11,000 inhabitants.
The thirteenth century castle in Obidos was built by Dom Dinis and was later converted into a palace in the sixteenth century and now houses a popular and deluxe Pousada (government-run guest house).
Obidos can be over-run with day-trippers at weekends, it is best to visit during the week or spend a night or two to enjoy its charms after the tourist buses have departed in the evenings: white-washed houses complete with painted blue and yellow borders and colorful bougainvillea.
The main church in Obidos - Igreja de Santa Maria - has a fine painted ceiling by Josefa de Obidos and seventeenth century azulejos - traditional Portuguese hand painted tiles.
The site of the present church was previously a Visigoth temple and later a mosque during the time of the Moors.
Rua Direita
Tel. 262 955 060
10 am-1 pm; 2 pm-6 pm Mon-Fri
There are infrequent trains to Lisbon to Obidos.
Frequent buses to Caldas da Rainha and then express bus to Lisbon.
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Restaurante Alcaide
Rua Direita
Tel. 262 959 220
Closed Mon.
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Nazaré is in the process of change - from one-time traditional and quaint fishing port - to booming Atlantic resort.
The sweeping (though treacherous) sandy beach is packed with holiday-makers in brightly colored rented tents.
It's still possible to see the local women bearing immense loads on their heads and the town's fishermen sporting the area's traditional woolen shirts and bobble hats, but Nazaré also has its fair share of tacky souvenir shops and trinket stalls.
The main promenade Avenida da República is lined with some excellent seafood restaurants and bars.
Avenida da República
Tel. 262 561 194
10 am-1 pm 3 pm-6 pm Sept-June. 10 am-10 pm July/Aug.
The nearest train station is at Valado 6 km inland.
There are frequent buses to most destinations from the bus station on Avenida Vieira Guimarães.
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Casa Lazaro
Rua Adrião Batalho
Tel: 214 483 319
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Just 12 km south of Leiria is one of Portugal's must-see destinations, the abbey of Batalha.
A UNESCO world heritage site, the beautiful and ornate monastery was in construction from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries and remains a masterpiece of Manueline art.
Built to commemorate the defeat of the invading Spanish in 1385.
The abbey is open from 9 am-6.30 pm and is free to enter with a small charge to visit the cloisters.
There are six buses daily to nearby Leiria and from there to Lisbon.
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Second only to Lourdes as Europe's major Catholic pilgrimage center, Fátima welcomes millions of devotees a year who come to pray at the site of a miraculous apparation of the Virgin Mary here in 1917. The number of visitors is far in excess of a local population just above 10,000 people.
Three shepherd children had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who supposedly reappeared on the 13th of each of six subsequent months calling for peace in the world. Only one of the children, Lucia, could hear what the apparition was saying.
On the day of the final apparition, a huge crowd of over 70,000 people had gathered and claimed to witness the Miracle of the Sun, when illnesses and disabilities were cured among the faithful onlookers.
A vast white Basilica and esplanade were completed here in 1953 as a shrine for the ever growing numbers of pilgrims flocking to the town from throughout Portugal and the rest of Europe. The Capela das Aparicoes stands on the site of the appearance of the Virgin and holds a number of masses throughout the day.
Fátima remains a strange mix of devotion and commercialism with the many shops selling a mind-boggling array of religious souvenirs.
Avenida Dom José Alves Correia da Silva
Tel. 249 531 139
10 am-1 pm 3 pm-7 pm May-October. Closing at 6 pm at other times.
Fátima is on the main Lisbon-Porto line but the station is 25 km by bus from the centre.
There are frequent buses to Leiria and Tomar.
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Latter-day El Cids, and anyone else drawn by stirring tales of Medieval daring and chivalry, would be well advised to head for Tomar - the spiritual home of the mysterious Order of the Knights Templar.
The Convento de Cristo, founded in 1162, was the religious and military headquarters of the Order as it fought to drive the Moors from the Iberian peninsula.
This mysterious and eerie place, redolent of the occult, seems straight from the pages of an Umberto Eco or Dan Brown novel. The Knights Templar came from all over Europe and even attended mass on horseback in the hexagonal chaple.
The monastery (open Tues-Sun with a small entrance fee) is within easy reach of the center of Tomar: a pleasant and laid-back place to linger and relax for a few days.
Avenida Dr. Cândido Madureira
Tel. 249 322 427
10 am-7 pm April-Sept; 9.30am-6 pm Oct-Mar.
The nearest train station is on Avendida Combatentes da Grande Guerra with trains to Lisbon.
There are buses to Lisbon and Fátima from the bus terminal near the train station.
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The main eating and drinking places are on Avenida Dr. Cândido Madureira or head down to the river.
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The average high June temperature for Portugal is between 22C and 26C.
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