# List of World Heritage Sites in Portugal

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries that are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural heritage is defined as natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty. Portugal ratified the convention on 30 September, 1980.
There are 17 World Heritage Sites listed in Portugal, with a further 18 on the tentative list. The first four sites listed in Portugal were the Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon, the Monastery of Batalha, the Convent of Christ in Tomar, and the town of Angra do Heroísmo, in 1983. The most recent additions to the list were the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga and the Palace of Mafra with its hunting park in 2019. One site, the Laurisilva, is located in the island of Madeira and is Portugal's only natural site; the other sites are cultural. Two sites are located in the Azores archipelago. The Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde is shared with Spain, making it Portugal's only transnational site.

## World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural and vii through x are natural.

## Tentative list

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage list are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. Portugal has 18 sites on its tentative list.
| Site | Location | Year listed | UNESCO criteria | Description |
| Historical Lisbon, Global City | Lisbon | 2017 | i, ii, iii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination considers the global legacy of the city of Lisbon. Of special interest are the parts constructed during the Medieval period, the Age of Discovery, and the renovations following the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. |
| Mértola | Beja District | 2017 | ii, iii, vi (cultural) | The town of Mértola is located on the banks of the Guadiana river which has served as a communication channel since the pre-Roman times. A baptistery from the Palaeochristian period has been preserved. During the Islamic period, the town played an important economic role in the commerce of agricultural and mineral goods between the Alentejo and other parts of Al-Andalus (Muslim Hispania) and Northern Africa. |
| Montado, Cultural Landscape | Alentejo, Algarve, Beira Baixa | 2017 | iv, v, vi (cultural) | Montado is an agrosylvopastoral type of cultural landscape that has been created through centuries from the Mediterranean forest ecosystem. The main tree species are the cork oak and the holm oak. The first one is used for cork production while the acorns of the second are food for Iberian pigs. |
| Route of Magellan. First around the World* | several sites | 2017 | ii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination covers the sites visited by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his voyage around the world in the early 16th century, history's first circumnavigation. In addition, the expedition discovered the Strait of Magellan for the West and represented the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean. Sites along the route are in present-day Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Indonesia, Philippines, Portugal, and Spain. |
| Vila Viçosa, Renaissance ducal town | Évora District | 2017 | ii, iv (cultural) | In the 15th century, Vila Viçosa became the base of the Dukes of Braganza, who transformed it according to the ideals of the Renaissance urban planning. Two open squares were constructed, one along the Ducal Palace. Fortifications and bastions were added in the 17th century. The town's plan served as a template for settlements in Portuguese colonies. |
| Selvagens Islands | North Atlantic Ocean | 2017 | vii, viii, ix, x (natural) | This group of uninhabited volcanic islands and islets is located between Madeira and the Canary Islands. They are the smallest and the oldest (27 million years old) archipelago of Macaronesia. Bridging the gap between the two bigger archipelagos, they are an important habitat for marine species, as well as nesting ground for several species of seabirds. |
| Bulwarked Fortifications of the "Raia" (Border) | Elvas, Marvão, Valença, Almeida | 2017 | iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination comprises four sites along the Portuguese-Spanish border, a border that has remained relatively unchanged for over 700 years. The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications is already a World Heritage Site. The other three sites are the Castle of Marvão (pictured), the Castle Fortress of Almeida, and the fortress in Valença. The key fortifications date to the 17th and 18th centuries. |
| Águas Livres Aqueduct | Lisbon | 2017 | i, ii, iv (cultural) | The aqueduct, commissioned by King John V, was built between 1731 and 1799. The whole system stretches for 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Sintra area to Lisbon. At the time of construction, it contained the world's largest pointed arch with a height of 65 metres (213 ft) and a width of 29 metres (95 ft), it was also the last classical aqueduct to be built anywhere in the world. It survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. |
| Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Routes in Portugal | several sites | 2017 | ii, iii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination covers the routes of Camino in Portugal. The origins of the pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain date to the 9th century. The routes in Spain and in France are already listed as World Heritage Sites. In Portugal, there are six main routes, starting from Lisbon and other cities. Symbolic monuments and several churches have been built in the cities that the routes pass, as well as hostels and hospitals for the pilgrims. |
| Roman Production Centre of Fish Salting and Conservation in Tróia | Setúbal District | 2017 | iii, iv (cultural) | The archaeological site of Tróia contains structures that were used during Roman times from the 1st to the 6th century. Due to the availability of salt and abundance of fish, an industry developed to produce salted fish and fish sauce (garum). The ruins were rediscovered in the 16th century. At the site, 25 factories and 182 processing tanks were uncovered. |
| Ensemble of Álvaro Siza's Architecture Works in Portugal | several sites | 2017 | i, ii, iv (cultural) | This site comprises the works of the prominent Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, winner of the 1992 Pritzker Architecture Prize, in Portugal. His work spans over 50 years. The buildings he designed with a unique architectural expression cover all architecture areas, including individual houses, public buildings, churches (church in Marco de Canaveses pictured), and sport infrastructure. |
| Southwest Coast | Alentejo Litoral, Barlavento Algarvio | 2017 | viii, ix, x (natural) | The coast, stretching for about 150 kilometres (93 mi) from São Torpes to Burgau, is one of the few remaining well preserved coastlines in southern Europe. It is geologically important, with rock formations dating from the Upper Paleozoic to Quaternary. It is an important biodiversity spot, both for marine and terrestrial life, with both Atlantic and Mediterranean characteristics. |
| Pombaline Lisbon | Lisbon | 2017 | i, ii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination comprises Baixa, the historic downtown of Lisbon. Following the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the area was rebuilt under the Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal. The design of Baixa followed the ideals of the Enlightenment, with rectangular street plan, wide roads, and public spaces. The Pombaline Baixa is one of the first examples of earthquake-resistant construction, with engineering innovations such as the Pombaline cage. |
| Desert of the Discalced Carmelites and Built Ensemble of the Palace-Hotel in Bussaco | Aveiro District | 2017 | ii, iii, iv (cultural) | The "Desert" refers to a large walled enclosure, 1,450 metres (4,760 ft) long and 950 metres (3,120 ft) wide, where monks of Discalced Carmelites order were living in a hermitic lifestyle. It was constructed in 1628-30 and was operational until the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal in 1834. The enclosure contains an arboretum with one of the finest collection of exotic tree species in Europe. The Palace-Hotel (pictured) was completed in 1920 in the Neo-Manueline style. |
| Head Office and Garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | Lisbon | 2017 | i, ii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination covers the complex of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, founded by a businessman and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian. The complex contains a museum, a park, an auditorium, and administrative headquarters of the foundation, and is an example of modernist architecture balancing both interior and exterior designs. Construction of the complex began in the 1950s and was overseen by architects Alberto Pessoa, Pedro Cid, and Rui Jervis Atouguia. Landscape architects were António Viana Barreto and Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles. |
| levadas of Madeira Island | Madeira | 2017 | i, iii, iv, v (cultural) | Levadas are a system of about 800 km of aqueducts and waterways constructed over centuries on the island of Madeira. People started building them in the 15th century, when Madeira was first settled. Initially, they were used to supply fresh water from the mountains and for irrigation, later also for hydroelectric plants. Levadas were first built in basalt rock masonry, later also in concrete. The channels are narrow to limit the losses due to evaporation. |
| Mid-Atlantic Ridge* | Azores | 2017 | vii, viii, ix, x (natural) | This is a transnational nomination that covers the sites in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In Portugal, sites include volcanic features in the Azores, including Mount Pico (pictured), Capelinhos, and Algar do Carvão, as well as seamounts and deep-sea hydrothermal fields in the surrounding ocean. These sites are important habitats for terrestrial and marine species. As most of the ridge is submerged, systematic mapping only began in the 1960s. |
| Sites of Globalization | several sites | 2017 | ii, iv, vi (cultural) | This nomination comprises the sites in Portugal that had a role in the Age of Discovery, starting in the early 15th century. Sites include Sagres (pictured), home of Prince Henry the Navigator, Lagos as a port which played a role in the Atlantic slave trade, Silves with a sugar mill, and three settlements in the islands colonized during this period: Funchal in Madeira and Angra do Heroísmo and Vila do Porto in the Azores. |