The most famous castle in Portugal is Belém Tower, ranked #36 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Pena Palace and Castle of Saint George.
The Castlemap atlas charts 131 castles, 38 fortresses, 23 palaces & châteaux and 8 ruins in Portugal. They span more than 26 centuries — from Castle of Alvor (founded c. 650 BC) to Palácio Angeja-Palmela (1977). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Portugal.
Map of castles in Portugal
On the map they cluster thickest around Santarém — 63 within a 100 km day trip, then Vila Franca de Xira (53) and Évora (49). The northernmost is Castle of Melgaço, the southernmost Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Ilhéu — about 1,300 km apart.
Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Lisbon · Castles near Sintra · Castles near Vila Franca de Xira · Castles near Torres Vedras · Castles near Santarém · Castles near Caldas da Rainha — and 12 more in the city index.
By region: Castles in the Alentejo.
See them on the map →When they were built
Of the 200 landmarks mapped in Portugal, 119 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 17th century — 19 of them. 67 predate 1500 and 18 were built after 1700.
