Located 120 km (about an hour’s drive) due north of Lisbon, the church and adjacent monastery of Alcobaça are the earliest examples of truly Gothic architecture in Portugal.

Founded in 1152, this ancient religious complex took over a hundred years to construct, but the first Cistercian monks (for whom it was built) were able to move in some thirty years prior to its completion.

The impressive Gothic porch is framed by two striking towers and to the left extend the monastery buildings, gleaming white beneath their roof of bright red tiles.