Sintra, Portugal

Lying at the east end of a rocky range of mountains just 26 km west of Lisbon, the fairy-tale setting of Sintra is one of the oldest and most charming places in southern Europe. The town’s landscape is lush with surrounding green forests, exotic flowers and elaborate palaces built centuries ago as summer retreats for the royal family.

There is a fairy-tale charm, a sense that you have left the real world and entered a castle, palace, or garden where elves might appear in a camellia blossom or nymphs might swim in the fountains. The beautiful tropical gardens that surround the castles and palaces, each more spectacular than the last, pour down the steep hillsides. A real medieval fortress, and two royal palaces, one of which is a colorful and turreted Victorian confection, an extravagant Moorish folly, and a fictitious Knights Templar fantasy are among the things that are offered for tours. You can't help being swept up in its almost make-believe spirit and charmed by its glorious gardens.