I absolutely loved my visit to the town of Sintra in the mountains outside Lisbon, Portugal. Sure, the weather was grey and brisk, and my warm layers were packed away in my lost luggage, but the day I spent there in the fall of 2012 was so memorable I would gladly return even under the same circumstances. Sintra's brightly colored town center is surrounded by castles -- the Royal Palace downtown, the Castle of the Moors on a nearby mountaintop, and the magnificent Pena National Palace, on another peak. Of those castles, I only had time to visit the Arabesque-Manueline hybrid that is Pena Palace; it was an amazing tour, with incredible views of the town, gardens, and surrounding cultural landscape from atop the towers and walls. The only other site I visited, was the unforgettable estate Quinta de Regaleira, designed by Carvalho Monteiro, a 19th century Portuguese millionaire. Monteiro was very interested in Freemasonry and the Knights Templar, and he incorporated their symbology throughout the house and gardens. As fascinating as the house was, I was thrilled to explore the gardens, which were replete with secret tunnels, grottoes, fountains, and spiraling wells. Sintra was marvelous, and reason enough for me to return to Portugal some day.

Logistics: Sintra is an easy train ride from central Lisbon, and there are several buses that operate on circuits connecting the train station to the castles and the town center. Buses are also available from Sintra to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe.