Discover the Burgundian splendour at the site of the Gruuthuse Museum. In this luxurious 15th century city palace you can explore the 500 years of Bruges history through a rich and varied collection. Particularly eye-catching is the intimate private chapel that connects the palace with the Church of Our Lady. In this way, the lords of Gruuthuse were able to follow the religious services in comfort and privacy. The church’s showpiece is the beautiful white marble statue of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo, which leaves no visitor unmoved.

Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo is an area of great natural beauty, famous for its waves and thus loved by surfers and bodyboarders. Located on the northern coast of the fabulous São Jorge Island, this is considered the most beautiful Fajã in the Island. Access is by a strenuous hike, Fajãs Itinerary (“Percurso das Fajãs“), which takes in stunning landscapes of both land and ocean.

Some places are so beautiful that they leave you speechless. The Beguinage is just such a place. This is where the beguines — emancipated women who lived pious and chaste lives without taking holy orders — once lived together in harmony. This walled oasis of religious peace, with its delightful inner garden, wind-twisted trees and white-painted gables, can charm even the most cynical of souls with its deafening silence.