When booking time out, the main idea is to break the routine and get away – be it for a night or a month – as far as possible from what feels familiar. There is scientific data to prove that travelling is powerfully anti-ageing, keeping us alert in unknown ground and stimulating our brains with novelty.

But if flying to far-off lands to let your mind be astounded is not a possibility, there are several places in Portugal that do the job. Creative (a bit on the crazy side, even), original or straightforwardly beautiful, here are some suggestions of stays that will amaze you or put a smile on your face. Either way, they will make great memories.

Heading to Porto is a good idea – whether you know the city well or hardly at all, there is always an abundance of new things to see and do.

Located right in the heart of the city, Chic & Basic Gravity (chicandbasic.com) is, as its name suggests, a hotel where gravity seems to have disappeared and everything is upside down: the swimming pool – just for decorative purposes, of course – is attached to the wall and the flowerpots are stuck to the ceiling. Guests of all ages will have fun discovering objects in the most unexpected places…
Still on the theme of ‘challenging the obvious’, we recommend a visit to Wondersense Museum (wondersensemuseum.com). Next to the famous bookstore Livraria Lello, it is a burst of colour.

The idea is to explore the lively rooms that make up this open-minded museum and say yes to the various challenges presented. Without revealing too much, because at Wondersense the guiding principle really is the element of surprise, get ready for plenty of exclamations and laughter as you test your five senses in the most unexpected ways. And don’t think this is a museum aimed at younger visitors… fun is guaranteed for just about everyone, regardless of their interests.

We take you from the north through the centre and down to the south, and check out some of Portugal’s fascinating stays.