Portugal for History Buffs

Victoria Ruzzo
Jun 25
4 min read

Portugal isn't just a country of beautiful coastlines and excellent wine. It's a land steeped in stories, monarchs, revolutions, discoveries, and enduring traditions. Portugal is an open-air museum for lovers of history. If your suitcase is half-packed with books and curiosity, this blog will take you beyond the guidebooks - into sacred libraries, royal castles, and the classrooms where history was written.

Coimbra

For history lovers, Coimbra holds much more than this city's charming cobbled streets. It is home to the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1290), and a site layered in cultural and political significance. With an exclusive guided tour, visitors can access areas normally closed to the public, stepping into the University’s most private and historic spaces. You'll begin in the Sacristy of the Chapel of São Miguel, a hidden baroque gem, before ascending to the Upper Choir, where sacred music once echoed through these halls. From there, you’ll enter into rarely seen rooms like the Yellow Room, the Senate Room, and even the Rector’s Private Chapel - spaces that have silently witnessed centuries of academic and royal decision-making.

But the crown jewel of the visit is the Joanina Library, a baroque masterpiece built under the patronage of King João V. Reserved entirely for your group during this special tour, the library is more than just beautiful - it’s a symbol of Portuguese imperial wealth and intellectual ambition. Built with exotic materials from across the empire, including Brazil, it houses one of the richest collections of 16th–18th-century European books. The library unfolds through three interconnected rooms, drawing the visitor’s eye to a stunning portrait of D. João V by Domenico Duprà, a reminder of the empire's reach and grandeur.

For those with a niche interest, the tour can also include archival access to rare historical documents. Botanists and science historians, for instance, can examine early botanical records held in the university’s collection, offering a deeper dive into the natural sciences of the Enlightenment era.

Belém, Lisbon

To understand the roots of global exploration, head to Belém - Lisbon’s most majestic and historically rich district. This waterfront neighborhood was once a fishing village, later transformed into a royal hub, and eventually became the launchpad for the Age of Discoveries - a period that reshaped the world map. Your journey through Belém begins with the Torre de Belém, a 16th-century fortress that once guarded the entrance to Lisbon’s harbor. A symbol of maritime power, it served both as a watchtower and a prison - where hopeful explorers set out into the unknown, and some, perhaps, never returned.

Just steps away stands the Monument to the Discoveries, an imposing tribute to Portugal’s legendary navigators. Spread out in front of it is a massive marble map, etched with the global routes of explorers like Magellan, Bartolomeu Dias, and Vasco da Gama, revealing how this small country once built the world’s first global empire.

The centerpiece of Belém is the Jerónimos Monastery, a World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of Manueline architecture. Its richly carved cloisters and grand nave speak to the wealth that flowed from the colonies, and within the monastery's church lie the tombs of two of Portugal’s greatest icons: Vasco da Gama, the seafaring hero, and Luís de Camões, the poet who mythologized the Portuguese identity in his epic Os Lusíadas. And no visit to Belém is complete without a stop at the original Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém, where the pastel de nata was born. Here, history gets a delicious finish—crispy, creamy, and dusted with cinnamon.

Guimarães

Known as the “Cradle of Portugal,” Guimarães is where the country officially began, and where King Afonso Henriques, the nation’s first monarch, was born. The first stop is the Castle of Guimarães, an imposing granite structure that rises like a sentinel over the city. Originally built in the 10th century to defend against Viking and Moorish raids, it later became the birthplace of the Portuguese kingdom. Within its thick walls, you can almost hear the clang of swords and the murmur of medieval court intrigues. Nearby, the Church of São Miguel do Castelo adds another layer of myth and history. This is where Afonso Henriques was supposedly baptized, connecting faith with the founding of the nation.

The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, with its towering chimneys and expansive halls, gives visitors a sense of aristocratic life in the 15th century. The Dukes of Braganza would eventually rise to become the royal family of Portugal, and the palace is now a well-preserved museum with tapestries, armor, and regal furnishings. For those who appreciate the archaeological past, the nearby Citânia de Briteiros offers an open-air window into Iron Age Portugal. This Celtic hillfort settlement reveals how people lived in the region long before Portugal’s founding - complete with stone dwellings and defensive walls. Guimarães may be a small city today, but it radiates a profound sense of origin. It’s no wonder the locals still proudly display the phrase: “Aqui Nasceu Portugal” – Portugal Was Born Here.”