In the 19th Century, the present-day satellite city was a place where wealthy families would build villas, and though most of them have been buried under the concrete of the new residential buildings, a few typical architectural examples have been preserved and are worth seeing. One such villa, the Arpigio Gomes House, is now used as a children’s science and technology club.

It would be a shame to treat the city just as a base for day trips in the area. Of the interesting sites, the Holy Mercy Church is easily recognised by its tall and slender clock tower, and contains interesting paintings dating back to the last century. There is the Archaeological Museum as well as the Centre of Contemporary Art, Fábrica da Cultura, galleries and numerous libraries. Moreover, Amadora hosts an annual International Comics Festival which is an original cultural event. It takes place at the end of January and includes contests and exhibitions. No less significant are the autumn Town Festivals, offering various cultural attractions including the Book Fair. But it is New Year's Eve that attracts the greatest number of spectators for the famous Corrida de Săo Silvestre.

Nowadays, the city consists of large apartment blocks and is home to a large community of African immigrants. The traffic jams in the area are notorious. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, the city has been growing fast, but officials aim at maintaining its natural character as a garden city. Among several green areas, Amadora has a nice central garden with a children’s playground and a big pond with goldfish, ducks and swans, as well as a complex of indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Children Gardens and Amalia Park are other places where you can spend a few hours out in nature.

As the Portuguese are said to be fond of cakes and desserts, in every town you should be able to find a pastry shop. Perola Azul is one of them in Amadora – recommended by the locals and selling fresh pastries all day, it would be a temptation hard to resist once you find yourself in its vicinity.  Although not much of a tourist destination itself, Amadora has a few hotels and is a convenient place to stay because of its proximity to Lisbon. It can surely serve as a good starting point to explore the interesting sites in the area, such as the westernmost point of the European mainland: Cabo de Roca, Monsanto Natural Park and Sintra Mountain Natural Park, not to mention the tourist attractions of Lisbon itself.