Loures travel guide
Arinto vineyards at Bucelas and baroque palaces north of Lisbon
Loures is a large suburban municipality north of Lisbon whose rural north holds the Bucelas wine area and a couple of old palaces. Spring and the autumn harvest are the best times for the countryside. Treat it as a half-day trip from Lisbon by car. Prices are moderate, and many nationalities need no visa.
Loures covers the land just north of Lisbon, a municipality of about 200,000 people with three distinct faces. The south is dense suburb. Industry lines the Tagus side to the east, while the north is still farmland and vineyards. Few travellers sleep here unless they book one of the airport hotels in Prior Velho.
Bucelas is the reason to drive out. The village makes crisp white wine from the Arinto grape, has a small Museu do Vinho e da Vinha, and Chão do Prado serves country cooking on an outdoor terrace. On the way, stop at the Baroque Palácio do Correio-Mor with its tiles and stucco ceilings, or the 18th-century archbishops' palace in Santo Antão do Tojal.
Nearer the city, Moscavide sits right beside Parque das Nações and has a modernist church finished in 1955. Sacavém's ceramics museum is built around a kiln from the town's old factory. In Loures itself, Bom Leitão roasts suckling pig in the Bairrada style.
Explore Loures by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Loures.
Loures at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Portugal
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, islands.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Loures
Bucelas wine country, a pair of old palaces and a ceramics museum on Lisbon's northern edge.
No things to do in Loures are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Loures
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Green vineyards in spring and harvest activity in autumn.
Hot and dry inland; visit the wineries in the morning.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Loures are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Loures
Traveling to Loures? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Loures Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
Metro, suburban train and motorways
Lisbon airport sits right on the southern edge of the municipality, so getting here is the same as getting to Lisbon. The southern towns are effectively part of the city. Moscavide has its own station on the metro's red line, two stops from the airport and one from Oriente, and Sacavém, Bobadela and Santa Iria de Azóia are on the suburban railway that runs north from Lisbon along the Tagus. Buses from Lisbon into Loures town and the inland parishes now run under the Carris Metropolitana network, which took over the old Rodoviária de Lisboa routes; check current lines on its route planner before relying on them. For Bucelas and the farmland of the north, drive. The A1 towards Porto, the A8 towards Leiria and the A9 ring road all cross the municipality, and Bucelas is well under an hour from central Lisbon outside rush hour.
- Airport
- Lisbon (LIS), just south of the municipality
- Metro
- Red line to Moscavide, next to Parque das Nações
- Suburban train
- Sacavém, Bobadela and Santa Iria de Azóia
- Bus
- Carris Metropolitana routes from Lisbon to Loures town
Getting around
Car, with metro and trains in the south
Loures is not a place to explore on foot. Its sights are scattered between suburbs, motorways and farmland, often many kilometres apart, so a car is the only efficient way to link Bucelas, Santo Antão do Tojal and Loures town in a single loop. The south is easier without one: Moscavide is walkable from its metro station and from Parque das Nações next door, and Sacavém, home of the ceramics museum, has a station on the suburban line. Local and regional buses connect the towns with Lisbon and with each other, but services into the rural north are thin, so check return times before setting out. Taxis and ride-hail apps cover the southern towns easily and can be booked for the run out to Bucelas if you would rather not drive after a tasting.
- Car
- Bucelas, Santo Antão do Tojal and Loures town in one loop
- Metro and train
- Moscavide by metro, Sacavém by suburban train
- Taxi or ride-hail
- Handy for Bucelas if you plan to taste wine
Know before you go
Loures is Lisbon's rural north, with Bucelas wine.
Why travelers love it
- A glass of Bucelas Arinto, sharp and dry, in the village where it is made.
- The Palácio do Correio-Mor, tiled rooms built for Portugal's chief postmaster.
- Roast suckling pig at Bom Leitão in Loures town.
Good to know
- The south is mostly residential, with little to see between the motorways.
- Check opening hours of the small museums and restaurants, which often close one weekday.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Loures, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Loures are being researched.
A morning in Bucelas wine country, with Loures palaces on the way
Loures is a half-day drive. Drive north from Lisbon, stop at the Baroque Palácio do Correio-Mor, then visit the Museu do Vinho e da Vinha in Bucelas and taste Arinto whites with a local producer. Lunch at Chão do Prado, and return via the Palácio da Mitra and Loures town's church.
Early. Drive north from Lisbon on the A1 and A9 toward Bucelas, ideally on a weekday when the roads and the village are quiet. On the way, detour to the Palácio do Correio-Mor, the Baroque house of Portugal's old chief postmaster, for its tiled rooms, stucco and painted ceilings.
Mid-morning. In Bucelas, start at the Museu do Vinho e da Vinha on Rua Dom Afonso Henriques, which explains the Arinto grape and why this small valley has made white wine for centuries. Then taste with a local producer and buy a bottle or two; the wines are meant to be drunk young.
Lunch. Sit outside on the terrace at Chão do Prado, which cooks Portuguese food with flavours from the former colonies.
Return. On the way back, stop at Santo Antão do Tojal to see the 18th-century Palácio da Mitra, built for the archbishops of Lisbon, and finish in Loures town at the 15th-century church of Santa Maria.
Bucelas Arinto and Bairrada roast piglet in Loures
Bucelas, one of Portugal's oldest demarcated wine areas, makes dry, crisp whites from the Arinto grape, ideal with fish. In Loures town, Bom Leitão roasts suckling pig in the Bairrada style and Beijo ao Boi cooks Ribatejo beef and pork. Chão do Prado in Bucelas does not open every day, so check first.
Bucelas is one of Portugal's oldest demarcated wine areas and specialises in a single style: dry, crisp white wine made mainly from Arinto, a grape that keeps its sharp acidity even in a hot climate. It is the natural partner for grilled fish and seafood.
Loures town has a short street of serious restaurants on Rua José Miranda Vitorino. Bom Leitão specialises in leitão assado à Bairrada, suckling pig roasted until the skin crackles, served with oranges, crisps and salad in the Bairrada manner. Across the road, Beijo ao Boi cooks the beef and pork dishes of the Ribatejo, the cattle country up the Tagus.
In Bucelas, Chão do Prado does not open every day, so check before you drive out. For something lighter, Moscavide and Sacavém have ordinary neighbourhood cafés where commuters stop for a bica and a pastry.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Loures. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Loures
How we research our Loures travel guide
Carris Metropolitana bus routes and metro and suburban train links to Loures are verified with the operators. Bucelas winery opening days come from cm-loures.pt, with Visit Portugal and IPMA for context.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of LouresVisit PortugalIPMA, Portuguese weather service
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Loures
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Loures are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Loures!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Loures answers for a half-day drive from Lisbon.
General
Mainly for the Bucelas wine area and its palaces. The southern suburbs have little for visitors.
Dry, crisp whites made mostly from the Arinto grape, best drunk young with fish or seafood.
A two-storey Baroque residence built for Portugal's chief postmaster, decorated with azulejo tiles, stucco work and paintings.
The museum stands on the site of Sacavém's old ceramics factory and is built around one of its kilns.
Bom Leitão on Rua José Miranda Vitorino roasts piglet in the Bairrada style; ring ahead, as it closes one day a week.
April to June for green vineyards, or September and October for the harvest. Summer afternoons inland are hot.
Loures is best known for:
- A glass of Bucelas Arinto, sharp and dry, in the village where it is made
- The Palácio do Correio-Mor, tiled rooms built for Portugal's chief postmaster
- Roast suckling pig at Bom Leitão in Loures town
- The south is mostly residential, with little to see between the motorways
- Check opening hours of the small museums and restaurants, which often close one weekday
Getting there
Moscavide is on the red metro line and Sacavém on the suburban railway. For Bucelas and the countryside, a car is far more practical than the buses.
In the rural north of Loures municipality, well under an hour's drive north of central Lisbon via the A1 and A9.
For an early flight, the hotels at Prior Velho are close to the terminal. For sightseeing, stay in Lisbon instead.
Buses run from Lisbon and Loures, but services into the rural north are infrequent, so check return times or take a taxi.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Loures is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Mild weather for the vineyards, with the harvest in early autumn.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Green vineyards in spring and harvest activity in autumn)
- Summer: July - August (Hot and dry inland; visit the wineries in the morning)
Visa & documents
Portugal's entry rules are the Schengen area's. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Portugal is one of Europe's safest countries, and pickpocketing on Lisbon's tram 28 and in crowded tourist areas such as Baixa is the main risk. Strong Atlantic waves and currents make lifeguarded beaches the safe choice, and wildfires are a summer risk inland. Call 112 for police, fire or ambulance.
