Santarém sits on a bluff above the Tagus river in central Portugal, about an hour's drive northeast of Lisbon. It was once one of the most important cities in the country — a Moorish stronghold taken by Afonso Henriques in 1147, and later a favoured residence of medieval Portuguese kings. The city still has a remarkable concentration of Gothic churches for its size.
The viewpoint at the Portas do Sol garden, on the site of the old Moorish citadel, offers sweeping views over the Tagus plain — one of the best panoramas in central Portugal. Below, the Ribatejo flatlands are cattle country, and Santarém is the unofficial capital of Portuguese bullfighting. The Feira Nacional de Agricultura in June is one of the largest agricultural fairs in Europe.
The old town is dense with Gothic architecture. The Igreja da Graça has an extraordinary stone rose window and the tomb of Pedro Álvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil. The Igreja de Santa Maria de Marvila is covered floor-to-ceiling with exceptional 17th-century azulejo tiles. The Igreja de São João de Alporão is now an archaeology museum with one of the most unusual tombs in Portugal. Santarém is also known for its pastry shops — try the queijadas and the celestes.