Leiria, Portugal

A royal castle hangs almost vertically above LEIRIA, whose graceful old town is a place of cobbled streets, attractive gardens and fine old squares – cocooned within modern suburbs and a swirling one-way system. If you are travelling around on public transport you will probably want to make it your base for a couple of nights because the three big sights of northern Estremadura – Alcobaça, Batalha and Fátima – are easy day trips by bus. As a student town Leiria also has enough good restaurants and bars to make the evenings go with a swing, while it's also handily poised for the fine beaches of the Pinhal de Leiria to the west.