Cave of Pedra Furada

The Vila Franca de Xira Bullring, also known as the Palha Blanco Bullring (Portuguese: Praça de Touros Palha Blanco) is situated in the centre of the town of Vila Franca de Xira in the municipality of the same name in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It was built in 1901, is still used and is one of the eight “First Category” bullrings in the country.In 1937 the bullring was named after José Pereira Palha Blanco, a cattle raiser, who organised a group of benefactors to form a joint-stock company to fund the building. Prior to its construction there had been three other bullrings on the same site, all constructed out of wood. The first was unsuitable because it lacked the traditional round shape, the second proved inadequate, and the third burned down. The inaugural bullfights in the new ring were held on September 30, 1901 and the bullring achieved prominence in 1905 when King Carlos attended.In addition to bullfighting the ring has hosted performances by artists such as the Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues. It has also been used for boxing events, carnival parades, contests between bands and as an open-air cinema, as well as for charitable events. During the rule of the totalitarian Estado Novo it was used for parades by the Mocidade Portuguesa, a right-wing youth organisation. During World War II it was used by cavalry mobilised for the war.Bullfighters to fight at the ring have included Domingo Ortega, Conchita Cintrón and Carlos Arruza, as well as Álvaro Domecq y Díez who is credited with reviving bullfighting on horseback. The ring is one of the few in Portugal to not witness the death of a bullfighter. It has hosted several contests resulting in the death of the bull, despite this being illegal in Portugal, and the bullfighters were arrested.There are plans to build a Portuguese bullfighting museum in the Palha Blanco. At the same time there remains opposition to the sport, which in April 2017 resulted in some vandalism of the stadium, primarily through the use of graffiti.

Vila Franca de Xira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈfɾɐ̃kɐ ðɨ ˈʃiɾɐ] ) is a city and municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 km2.Situated on both banks of the Tagus River, 32 km north-east of the Portuguese capital Lisbon, settlement in the area dates back to neolithic times, as evidenced by findings in the Cave of Pedra Furada. Vila Franca de Xira is said to have been founded by French followers of Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, around 1200. The town is mostly famous for its bull-running festivals in July and October. Bulls are raised in the salty marshlands of the Ribatejo, which is also a notable breeding ground for the Lusitano horse, esteemed for its quick reflexes and maneuverability. A number of brightly coloured Portuguese bullfighting costumes are on display in the ethnographic museum in the town's bullring, the Praça de Toiros (or Touros) Palha Blanco. Notably, the town was the stage for the eponymous Vilafrancada in May of 1823. The Vilafrancada was an insurrection led by prince Miguel I of Portugal, son of King John VI of Portugal, which sought to reestablish an absolutist monarchy in Portugal. This came in response to the Portuguese Constitution of 1822 - the Kingdom's first constitution - which turned Portugal from an absolutist monarchy to a parlamentarian monarchy. The Vilafrancada can be seen as a prelude to the Portuguese Civil War of 1828-34. In 1951, the town benefited from the completion of the Marechal Carmona Bridge. Located almost equidistantly between Lisbon and Santarém, The town provided an ideal place for a road bridge. The bridge was the first to cross the Tagus in the Lisbon region, and remained its only crossing until the inauguration of the 25 de Abril Bridge fifteen years later. As a result, Vilafranca experienced greater traffic and commercial opportunities during this period. Nearby, the town's Misericórdia church features striking 18th-century azulejos (glazed tiles). The town also has a Museum of Neo-Realism.Three km south of Vila Franca de Xira lies the Lezíria Grande Equestrian Centre, where visitors can watch stylish displays of the impressive Lusitano horses. The centre also stages typical bullfighting spectacles in its outdoor bullring. Visitors can ride Lusitano horses and take dressage lessons at the Quinta de São Sebastião, a sprawling estate at Arruda dos Vinhos, 11 km west of Vila Franca de Xira. The municipality contains several forts built during the Peninsular War and forming part of the Lines of Torres Vedras. These include the Fort of Subserra on the first line of defence and the Forts of Serra da Aguieira and the Fort of Casa on the second line. Another place of interest, on the left bank, is the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Alcamé, which was built so that farmers on the Tagus floodplain would both have somewhere to pray and also somewhere of safety during floods. An annual pilgrimage is held to the hermitage with participants going by boat from the town of Vila Franca de Xira on the right bank. The current Mayor is Fernando Paulo Ferreira, elected in 2021 as a member of the Socialist Party.

Alhandra, São João dos Montes e Calhandriz is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Alhandra, São João dos Montes and Calhandriz. The population in 2011 was 12,866, in an area of 27.54 km².Famous Portuguese explorer Afonso de Albuquerque was born in Alhandra.

The Fort of Subserra (No. 1), also known as the Fort of Alhandra, is situated at 142 metres above sea level close to Alhandra in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Together with other smaller redoubts and batteries that also had the Subserra name, it was built during the Peninsular War (1807–14) as part of the first line of defence of the Lines of Torres Vedras planned by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington to protect the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and, if necessary, his own retreat.

Cardosas is a civil parish in the municipality of Arruda dos Vinhos, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 836, in an area of 6.01 km2.

Carregado (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐʁɨˈɣaðu]) is a former civil parish, located in the municipality of Alenquer, in western Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Carregado e Cadafais. It has a population of 9,066 inhabitants and a total area of 15.52 km2. The town is a north-east exurb of Lisbon. The railway between Carregado and Lisbon was the first line to be built in Portugal; it opened in 1856.

The Hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Alcamé (Our Lady of Alcamé) (Portuguese: Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Alcamé) is situated on the Lezíria flood plain on the left bank of the River Tagus, in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Designed by José Manuel de Carvalho e Negreiros, its construction was ordered in 1746 by the First Patriarch of Lisbon, Tomás de Almeida, and continued until around 1755.

The Lezíria Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte da Lezíria) is a box girder bridge flanked by viaducts and rangeviews that spans the Tagus river and the Sorraia River between Carregado and Benavente, north-east of Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It is the third-longest bridge in Europe (including viaducts) with a total length of 12 km. The main bridge spans 972 m over the Tagus and the Sorraia rivers. The span lengths are 95 m - 127 m - 133 m - 4 × 130 m - 95 m. The bridge was constructed in 21 months using the balanced cantilever method and opened to traffic in July 2007.

Alverca do Ribatejo e Sobralinho is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Alverca do Ribatejo and Sobralinho. The population in 2011 was 36,120, in an area of 23.92 km2.

Alverca do Ribatejo (Portuguese pronunciation: [alˈvɛɾkɐ ðu ʁiβɐˈtɛʒu]) is a city (cidade) and a former civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Alverca do Ribatejo e Sobralinho.It covers an area of 17.89 square kilometres (6.91 sq mi) and as of 2011 had a population of 31,070, making it the largest city in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira. It was promoted to city status in 1990. It is a city and a suburb near the Tagus River (rio Tejo), in the Lisbon metropolitan area. Alverca has been deeply connected with aviation since the early 20th century. A military air base was built there in 1918. The aerospace company OGMA, the Portuguese Air Force General Storage, the Air Force Aerodrome Engineering Unit and a branch of the Air Museum are presently based there. The Alverca aviation facilities also housed the first international airport of Portugal, closed after the inauguration of Lisbon Airport in 1942. Philippe Cousteau died in 1979 after his flying boat crashed into the Tagus in the vicinity of Alverca.

The Fort of Cego is located in the municipality of Arruda dos Vinhos, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It is also known as the Fort of Saint Sebastian (Portuguese: Forte de S. Sebastião). The fort was built in 1809-10 as part of the first of the three Lines of Torres Vedras, which were defensive lines to protect the Portuguese capital Lisbon from invasion by the French during the Peninsular War (1807–14) or, in the event of defeat, to safely embark a retreating British Army.

Triana (Portuguese pronunciation: [tɾiˈɐnɐ]) is a former civil parish, located in the municipality of Alenquer, in western Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Alenquer (Santo Estêvão e Triana). It covers 32.28 km2 (12.46 sq mi) in area, with 3,532 inhabitants as of 2001.