Óbidos is a perfectly preserved walled town about an hour north of Lisbon, its whitewashed houses and narrow cobblestone streets enclosed by medieval battlements you can walk along end to end. In high season it gets terribly crowded — believably so, given how photogenic the place is — but visit on a quiet weekday or in winter and you will have its lanes largely to yourself.
The castle at the top of the hill has been converted into a pousada, but you can walk in for a coffee and enjoy the courtyard without being a guest. Below it, the main street — Rua Direita — runs downhill past craft shops, bookshops, and cafes selling ginjinha, the local sour cherry liqueur served in a tiny chocolate cup. The old stocks still stand in the village streets, a reminder that Óbidos was not always so picturesque.
The town hosts a popular medieval festival each July, with jousting, period food stalls, and costumed parades. At Easter, keep an eye out for the Palm Sunday procession — an oddly sombre affair for what should be a day of rejoicing, led by a barefoot figure of gloom.