"Obidos" Óbidos by cheryl-b

Though far too popular with the tour-bus set, who crowd the small city, Obidos is a beautiful little walled town with (aside from the crowds) a lot of charm. You can't really spend more than a few hours here.

All the buildings are whitewashed, and the houses are painted with various colored bands around the edges, windows, and doors. Blue supposedly provides protection, while yellow provides wealth, or so the superstitions say. But historians think this custom originated because the colors keep insects outside.

Obidos is full of chinzy tourist shops, filled with every manner of Portuguese plates and pottery, plus these colorful roosters, sitting on a ledge outside one of the shops.

• Cons:Too crowded with tour busses, even in January.