Leiria Castle

Leiria castle was taken and rebuilt by Afonso Henriques in the 1130s as a frontier post against the Moors, then rebuilt again by Dinis, who made it a royal residence - he and Queen Isabel held court here, and the Cortes met in the town. What draws photographers is the royal palace's loggia: a row of open Gothic arches on the wall's edge, a balcony looking out over the Lis valley and the town, which reads as a romantic ruin because that is partly what it is. The castle decayed after the sixteenth century and much of what stands is a restoration begun in 1915 by Ernesto Korrodi, a Swiss architect who reconstructed and stylised it in the taste of the period. Inside the walls stand the keep, the ruined Gothic church of Nossa Senhora da Pena and gardens. The old town below has a covered market and pedestrian streets.

What you actually see

• The loggia - a row of open Gothic arches on the wall edge above the valley.
• The keep - the tower at the high point of the enclosure.
• The ruined church - Nossa Senhora da Pena, roofless inside the walls.
• The 1915 restoration - Korrodi's reconstruction, which shaped much of what stands.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Late afternoon light suits the loggia, which is the standard photograph.

Honest expectations

A significant proportion is early twentieth-century reconstruction rather than medieval fabric. The climb from the town is steep. Sections close for works periodically. The loggia edge is high with limited protection.

Nearby

Leiria's old town is below; Batalha monastery is about ten kilometres south.