3 Best Sights in Estremadura and the Ribatejo, Portugal

This museum in the Romantic-style former house of the Viscount of Sacavém contains ceramics by the noted 19th-century artisan and artist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, as well as works by his Caldas da Rainha contemporaries. Some of his most famous figurines, done in gaudy colors, are the peasant Zé Povinho, wet nurse Ama das Caldas, and English aristocrat John Bull. Other amusing figures include a pig's head on a platter and leaping frogs. The museum has a gift- and bookshop and a cafeteria as well.

One of the city's treasures, this museum occupies a former seminary. Inside you'll find examples of religious art spanning the centuries, but the best reason to visit is the grandeur of the space itself, with its beautifully painted ceilings and tile panels.

The expansive wooded park surrounding the town's spa is home to the country's largest collection of works by Caldas native José Malhoa (1854–1933), one of Portugal's most prominent Naturalist painters, as well as sculpture, drawings and ceramics from the 19th and 20th centuries. A handheld audio guide with English commentary is available.