2021 was a strange year for Europe, as most countries spent the first and last months of the year “closed” to tourism (or at least, with tight security measures).

But between April/May and September/October, it was possible to experience a certain “normality” with regard to travel. And I, not only managed to explore my country (Portugal), but I also had the opportunity to travel abroad twice!

In other words, my best travel experiences of 2021 result from a mix of these two realities. On the one hand, when there were more restrictions, I chose to do day trips close to home. And on the other hand, when the situation allowed, I was able to leave my region (or the country) for days/weeks!

So, do you want to know more about My Best Travel Experiences Of 2021? Keep reading!

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Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Countries

One of my best travel experiences of 2021 was, without a doubt, visiting two countries for the first time: Andorra and Luxembourg. And even though I’ve only been able to travel to/through four countries this year, I already feel lucky (considering the situation we currently live in)!

Between vaccines, tests, masks, disinfectants, quarantines, and social distancing, traveling around Europe (and beyond) has become a very challenging and complicated, but not impossible hobby. These were the 4 countries that I visited in 2020:

• Andorra – in September
• Luxembourg – in November
• Portugal – from January to December
• Spain – in September

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Cities, Towns, and Villages

Despite having been to only a few countries in 2021, I’m happy to have “beaten a record” in the number of cities, towns, and villages. Especially when compared to the thirteen and sixteen destinations I visited in the years 2020 and 2019 (respectively)!

One of my best travel experiences of 2021 was exploring nineteen locations for the first time, to which I ended up adding more than three dozen repeated locations (thirty-one, to be more precise)! Here are the 50 cities, towns, and villages that I visited in 2021:

• Abrantes (Portugal) – in April
• Alcobaça (Portugal) – in April and September
• Almeida (Portugal) – in June
• Almourol (Portugal) – in April
• Amarante (Portugal) – in August
• Andorra la Vella (Andorra) – in August
• Arcos de Valdevez (Portugal) – in July
• Barcelona (Spain) – in September
• Batalha (Portugal) – in April and September
• Belmonte (Portugal) – in June
• Braga (Portugal) – from January to December
• Bombarral (Portugal) – in April
• Castelo Mendo (Portugal) – in June
• Castelo Novo (Portugal) – in June
• Castelo Rodrigo (Portugal) – in June
• Coimbra (Portugal) – in September
• Constância (Portugal) – in April
• Entroncamento (Portugal) – in April and September
• Escaldes-Engordany (Andorra) – in September
• Fátima (Portugal) – in April
• Girona (Spain) – in September
• Guimarães (Portugal) – in April and September
• Idanha-a-Velha (Portugal) – in June
• Linhares da Beira (Portugal) – in June
• Lisbon (Portugal) – in April, August, and September
• Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – in November
• Mafra (Portugal) – in April
• Marco de Canaveses (Portugal) – in August
• Marialva (Portugal) – in June
• Mira de Aire (Portugal) – in April
• Monsanto (Portugal) – in June
• Óbidos (Portugal) – in April
• Ortiga (Portugal) – in April
• Penafiel (Portugal) – in July and August
• Piódão (Portugal) – in June
• Porto (Portugal) – in May
• Queluz (Portugal) – in April
• Sabugal (Portugal) – in June
• Santa Coloma de Cervelló (Spain) – in September
• Sintra (Portugal) – in April
• Soajo (Portugal) – in July
• Sortelha (Portugal) – in June
• Tarragona (Spain) – in September
• Tomar (Portugal) – in April and September
• Torres Novas (Portugal) – in April
• Torres Vedras (Portugal) – in April
• Tortosendo (Portugal) – in June
• Trancoso (Portugal) – in June
• Vianden (Luxembourg) – in November
• Vila Nova da Barquinha (Portugal) – in April

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Archaeological Sites

Honestly, I think few tourists go to archaeological sites these days. Perhaps because most are sites in ruins, these monuments are easily replaced by visits to castles, museums, or palaces. Well, what if I told you that many of the archeological sites in Europe are part of the identity of that city, region, or country?

For that reason, I concluded that it was essential to create a topic about “Archaeological Sites” on my cultural travel blog, in 2021. Especially because I realized that I had already explored a lot of them in my itineraries in historical cities, such as Athens or Rome! These were the 12 archaeological sites that I visited in 2021:

• Almofala Tower (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal) – in June
• Arab Baths (Girona, Spain) – in September
• Bragandelo Fort (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Castro of Monte Mozinho (Penafiel, Portugal) – in July and August
• Centum Cellas Tower (Belmonte, Portugal) – in June
• Colony Forum (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• Early Christian Necropolis (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• Fountain of the Idol (Braga, Portugal) – in July
• Roman Amphitheatre (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• Roman Baths of Alto da Cividade (Braga, Portugal) – in July
• Roman Circus (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• Roman Ruins of Villa Cardillio (Torres Novas, Portugal) – in April

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Castles

One of the things that fascinate me most about Europe is its thousands of castles. From traditional medieval castles (which served as military fortresses) to romantic castles built in the 19th century, the examples that don’t surprise me are quite rare!

Earlier this year, I had promised myself that I would visit as many castles as possible in Portugal. And I think the result was very satisfactory because I managed to explore eighteen castles in my country – and four of them were a first! Here are the 20 castles that I visited in 2021:

• Abrantes Castle (Portugal) – in April
• Almourol Castle (Vila Nova da Barquinha, Portugal) – in April
• Castle of Almeida (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Belmonte (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Castelo Mendo (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Castelo Novo (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Castelo Rodrigo (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Linhares da Beira (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Marialva (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Monsanto (Portugal) – in June
• Castle of Óbidos (Portugal) – in April
• Castle of Sortelha (Portugal) – in April
• Castle of Torres Novas (Portugal) – in April
• Castle of Torres Vedras (Portugal) – in April
• Castle of Trancoso (Portugal) – in April
• Guimarães Castle (Portugal) – in April
• Montjuïc Castle (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Moorish Castle (Sintra, Portugal) – in April
• Sabugal Castle (Portugal) – in April
• Vianden Castle (Luxembourg) – in November

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Gardens

“Gardens and Parks” is a relatively recent topic on my cultural travel blog as I only created it in May 2021. In fact, I postponed for a while the decision to have a Nature related category on my blog, to distance myself from the niches of “outdoor travel”, “ecotourism”, “Nature travel”, etc.

But unlike those blogs, I decided to develop a “Gardens and Parks” topic more focused on culture, history, and landscape architecture. Hence, it included formal gardens that once belonged to royal palaces, and green parks that were once hunting forests, among others. These were the 10 gardens that I visited in 2021:

• Bacalhôa Buddha Eden Garden (Bombarral, Portugal) – in April
• Cerco Garden (Mafra, Portugal) – in April
• Garden of Saint Barbara (Braga, Portugal) – in April and July
• Garden of the Villa Sassetti (Sintra, Portugal) – in April
• Gardens of the Abrantes Castle (Portugal) – in April
• Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz (Portugal) – in April
• Gardens of the National Palace of Sintra (Portugal) – in April
• Horto de Camões Garden (Constância, Portugal) – in April
• Love Garden (Alcobaça, Portugal) – in April
• Municipal Garden of Torres Novas (Portugal) – in April

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Museums

In contrast to the previous section, “Museum Guides” have been part of my cultural travel blog since its beginning. I mean, my guide to the Louvre Museum was the first article I published on this blog and the one that ended up defining the niche I was going to write about!

Similar to what I mentioned about cities, towns, and villages, one of my goals for 2021 was to visit many museums and art galleries. And I did it! In addition, I went to thirty-eight of these museums for the first time, which turned out to be one of my best travel experiences of 2021. Here are the 49 museums that I visited in 2021:

• Abraão Zacuto Luso-Hebrew Museum (Tomar, Portugal) – in April and September
• Alberto Sampaio Museum (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Municipal Museum (Amarante, Portugal) – in August
• Aquiles da Mota Lima Matches Museum (Tomar, Portugal) – in April
• Archaeology Museum of Catalonia (Girona, Spain) – in September
• Baroque Interpretation Center (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Biscainhos Museum (Braga, Portugal) – in May
• Carlos Reis Municipal Museum (Torres Novas, Portugal) – in April
• Casa Batlló (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Casa de la Vall (Andorra la Vella, Andorra) – in September
• Casa dos Crivos (Braga, Portugal) – in July
• Casa Milà (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Casa Vicens (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Casino Luxembourg – Forum of Contemporary Art (Luxembourg) – in November
• Cinema Museum – Tomàs Mallol Collection (Girona, Spain) – in September
• Clérigos Museum (Porto, Portugal) – in May
• Early Christian Museum and Necropolis (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• Egyptian Museum of Barcelona (Spain) – in September
• Fátima Wax Museum (Portugal) – in April
• Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Luxembourg) – in November
• Holocaust Museum (Porto, Portugal) – in May
• Jewish Museum of Belmonte (Portugal) – in June
• Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Luxembourg City Museum (Luxembourg) – in November
• Machado de Castro National Museum (Coimbra, Portugal) – in September
• Municipal Museum of Penafiel (Portugal) – in July
• Museum of Jewish History (Girona, Spain) – in September
• Museum of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• National Art Museum of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• National Coach Museum (Lisboa, Portugal) – in April
• National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) – in August
• National Museum of Archaeology (Lisbon, Portugal) – in April
• National Museum of History and Art (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) – in November
• National Museum of Natural History (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) – in November
• National Railway Museum (Entroncamento, Portugal) – in April
• Neumünster Abbey (Luxembourg) – in November
• Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Guimarães, Portugal) – in May
• Picasso Museum in Barcelona (Spain) – in September
• Poble Espanyol (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Praxis – Beer Museum of Coimbra (Portugal) – in September
• Sant Pau – Recinte Modernista (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Stock Exchange Palace (Porto, Portugal) – in May
• Templar Interpretation Center of Almourol (Vila Nova da Barquinha, Portugal) – in April
• Three Acorns Museum (Luxembourg) – in November
• Treasure-Museum of the Braga Cathedral (Portugal) – in May
• Treasure-Museum of the Porto Cathedral (Portugal) – in May
• Victor Hugo House – Literary Museum (Vianden, Luxembourg) – in November
• Villa Vauban – Art Museum of the City of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – in November
• Wine Museum of Alcobaça (Portugal) – in September

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Palaces

If I’m a big fan of castles, it’s no surprise that I love palaces too, right? One of my favorite things about these types of monuments is their architecture, which always leaves me speechless! And what about the ones that have those Baroque gardens, which are always perfectly arranged? Wow, these are even more stunning!

Interestingly, all the palaces I visited this year are located on the Iberian Peninsula (eight in Portugal and three in Spain). And another curious detail is the fact that more than half of these palaces (six, to be precise) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites! These were the 11 palaces that I visited in 2021:

• Biscainhos Palace (Braga, Portugal) – in May
• National Palace (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• National Palace of Mafra (Portugal) – in April
• National Palace of Queluz (Portugal) – in April
• National Palace of Sintra (Portugal) – in April
• Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Palace of Giela (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Palace of Raio (Braga, Portugal) – in July
• Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Palau Güell (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Stock Exchange Palace (Porto, Portugal) – in May

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Parks

As I explained in the chapter on “The Gardens”, writing about Parks (national, natural, municipal, green, etc.) is news to me. And I have to confess that the ones I visited in 2021 were not on purpose, but rather associated with specific itineraries or guides about places or monuments.

For example, it’s almost mandatory to stroll through the National Forest of the Seven Hills when visiting the Convent of Christ, or to hike a trail in the National Hunting Park of Mafra when exploring the National Palace of Mafra! By the way, all the places I just mentioned are UNESCO World Heritage Sites! Here are the 10 parks that I visited in 2021:

• Barquinha Park (Vila Nova da Barquinha, Portugal) – in April
• Bonito Green Park (Entroncamento, Portugal) – in September
• Ciutadella Park (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Fence of the Monastery of Saint Martin of Tibães (Braga, Portugal) – in August
• Mouchão Park (Tomar, Portugal) – in April
• National Forest of the Seven Hills (Tomar, Portugal) – in April and September
• National Hunting Park of Mafra (Portugal) – in April
• National Park of Peneda-Gerês (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in September
• Park Güell (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Pétrusse Parks (Luxembourg) – in November

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The Religious Temples

I never wanted to have a topic on my blog associated with “Religious Tourism”, but the truth is that it’s very unlikely that you visit cities, towns, and villages in Europe and not enter one church or chapel. Religious temples are part of the lives, history, and traditions of populations – and, as a cultural travel blogger, I couldn’t ignore that!

I clearly remember writing in 2019 and 2020 that one of my travel goals for 2021 was to visit temples of other religions. And yes, I went to two synagogues. Still, I feel like I have to include other types of religious temples in the coming year! These were the 50 religious temples that I visited in 2021:

• Basilica of Mafra (Portugal) – in April
• Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Fátima, Portugal) – in April
• Basilica of Saint Felix (Girona, Spain) – in September
• Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Basilica of the Holy Trinity (Fátima, Portugal) – in April
• Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Beit Eliahu Synagogue (Belmonte, Portugal) – in June
• Braga Cathedral (Portugal) – in May
• Chapel of Saint Benedict of Cando (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Chapel of Saint Michael (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Chapel of the Apparitions (Fátima, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Colònia Güell (Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Spain) – in September
• Church of Our Lady of Conception (Piódão, Portugal) – in June
• Church of Our Lady of Consolation and Holy Steps (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Our Lady of Oliveira (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Our Lady of the Remedies (Batalha, Portugal) – in September
• Church of Saint Esteve (Andorra la Vella) – in September
• Church of Saint John the Baptist (Tomar, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Saint Mary (Óbidos, Portugal) – in April
• Church of Saint Mary of the Castle (Castelo Mendo, Portugal) – in June
• Church of Saint Nicholas (Vianden, Luxembourg) – in November
• Church of Santa Maria do Olival (Tomar, Portugal) – in April
• Church of the Holy Spirit (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Church of the Trinitarians (Vianden, Luxembourg) – in September
• Clérigos Church (Porto, Portugal) – in May
• Convent of Christ (Tomar, Portugal) – in April and September
• Convent of Mafra (Portugal) – in April
• Convent of Saint Francis (Coimbra) – in September
• Convent of the Capuchos (Sintra, Portugal) – in April
• Expiatory Church of the Sacred Heart (Barcelona, Spain) – in September
• Girona Cathedral (Spain) – in September
• Hermitage of Our Lady of Fetal (Batalha) – in September
• Jerónimos Monastery (Lisbon, Portugal) – in April
• Monastery of Alcobaça (Portugal) – in April
• Monastery of Batalha (Portugal) – in April
• Monastery of Saint Martin of Tibães (Braga, Portugal) – in August
• Monastery of Saint Mary of Aguiar (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal) – in June
• Monastery of Saint Mary of Coz (Alcobaça, Portugal) – in September
• Monastery of Serra do Pilar (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal) – in May
• Notre Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – in November
• Porto Cathedral (Portugal) – in May
• Saint Michael’s Church (Luxembourg) – in November
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Penha (Guimarães, Portugal) – in April
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peneda (Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal) – in July
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Piety and Holy Steps (Penafiel, Portugal) – in July
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portugal) – in April and September
• Santiago Church (Belmonte, Portugal) – in June
• Synagogue of Tomar (Portugal) – in April and September
• Tarragona Cathedral (Spain) – in September

Best Travel Experiences of 2021: The UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Whether this is the first or tenth time you’ve been reading my cultural travel blog, I think you’ve already realized that UNESCO World Heritage Sites are an essential component of my work as a blogger and traveler. After all, this is a list of the best that each country has to offer its tourists and locals!

In other words, it’s more than natural that visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites was one of my best travel experiences of 2021. Furthermore, it’s a real mission for me to make known these places and monuments so important to the history of Humanity! Here are the 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that I visited in 2021:

• Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco (Tarragona, Spain) – in September
• City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications (Luxembourg) – in November
• Convent of Christ in Tomar (Portugal) – in April and September
• Cultural Landscape of Sintra (Portugal) – in April
• Historic Centre of Guimarães (Portugal) – in April
• Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar (Portugal) – in May
• Monastery of Alcobaça (Portugal) – in April
• Monastery of Batalha (Portugal) – in April
• Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (Portugal) – in April
• Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (Spain) – in September
• Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada) (Portugal) – in April
• University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia (Portugal) – in September
• Works of Antoni Gaudí (Barcelona, Spain) – in September

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