Have you ever watched “The Suicide Squad” movie from 2021? Right at the end (don’t worry, no spoilers here!), superhero Ratcatcher (OK, that’s not a very seductive name, we must admit…), played by talented and beautiful Portuguese actress Daniela Belchior, climbs up to the Clérigos Tower in Porto, engaging in a poetic moment while she takes in the nocturnal landscape of the city. Would you like to try the same? Yes, you can.

This is just one of the many amazing beyond-sunset experiences Portugal offers. The Clérigos Tower, Porto’s main icon, was built in the 18th century and is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, along with the church of the same name, right in the center of the city. It’s 75 meters high and to get to the top you have to climb 240 steps. (Ratcatcher, of course, with her superpowers, climbed up from the outside.) You can do all this any day of the week, but not the night visit, which involves exclusive access. And the result is impressive: the lights of the twin cities – Porto and Gaia – shine everywhere, the lively nightlife runs between them, the shimmering bridges of the Douro River join them, and in the background the bright spots are the ships in the Atlantic…

Such an out of the ordinary experience can only be complemented by others that are just as superb. So let’s change scenery. First, the Alentejo. This vast region in the south of Portugal, an almost endless plain, is ideal to watch the skies. Most of the beautiful hotels scattered throughout this territory almost always have a special spot to enjoy it.

The Dark Sky Alqueva project guarantees it. The “dark sky” certification, managed by the DarkSky International organisation, is only awarded to locations that have low light pollution. This allows visitors to Lake Alqueva and its surroundings to see the stars, planets and galaxies much more clearly and sharply than in urban or polluted areas. So, head up to its headquarters in the village of Cumeada, near the town of Reguengos de Monsaraz. This observatory, open to everybody, is equipped with state-of-the-art telescopes, ready to show you the deepest heavens on a true cosmic journey through one of the best skies in the world!

There are many experiences like this in the Alentejo. If you really want to be an astronomer for a night, with no group interference, it can be arranged. A scientist who specializes in the heavens will lead you to an observatory and guide you through the Milky Way until the sun rises. But that’s not all: you’ll also take part in a photographic workshop of the night sky and, of course, there are wonderful local gastronomic products throughout the celestial adventure…

This menu of starry sensations is rounded off with another unique experience: the Geoscópio – Fajão Astronomical Observatory, located in Pampilhosa da Serra, in central Portugal, which has established the Schist Villages (a network of preserved rural towns) as a rare world destination for dark sky observation. The observation point, located at the top of the village of Fajão, is a semi-spherical steel dome, 7.5 meters high and 15 meters in diameter. It was inspired by an original idea by the American visionary Buckminster Fuller.

So, yes, get a good night’s sleep the night before you embark on these thrilling delights… You’ll be up all night!