To take a walk or rest for a while, there nothing better than the tour through the parks and gardens of Coimbra. Starting at the Choupal, a shelter for students’ loves, continue to the Quinta das Lágrimas, where the tradition locates the drama of D. Pedro and D. Inês. Next, get to know the Botanic Garden, where thousands of exotic and autochthones species are gathered, and add to this, decorative elements such as fountains and ponds. The Sereia Garden, so-called because there is a fountain with a triton the people called a mermaid, was the place meant for entertainment and …

The Barroso Ecomuseum is a key element of the integrated and sustainable development strategy for the Barroso region. It integrates documentation, research, and interpretation of the region's cultural and natural values. The headquarters serves as the Regional Interpretation Center, boasting a wealth of creativity and the ability to motivate visitors to explore the thematic centers scattered throughout the municipality. It is located in the area surrounding Montalegre Castle, forming part of its wall. The public space aims to offer visitors the experience of the senses that this region offers: the sound of oxcarts, the images we can't always capture, the …

When you enter in Leiria you can’t avoid noticing the castle that, from the top, seems to welcome those coming into the city. Conquered to the Moors in 1135, by D. Afonso Henriques, the castle passed, for many years, from hand to hand between Moors and Christians. In 1190, D. Sancho I ordered its reconstruction. Later in 1325 D. Dinis orders the construction of the Torre de Menagem that, nowadays, shelters a museological nucleus, where you will get to know the castle activity in past times. It was also by D. Dinis order that the Nossa Senhora da Pena Church …

O edifício foi, originalmente, o solar da família Figueiredo Abranches, tendo sido mandado construir em 1773 por Teresa Bernarda de Figueiredo Abranches e seu marido Francisco José Pinto de Mendonça, que era Desembargador. Herdeira do Morgado das Obras, por parte de seu pai, a ela se ficou a dever a designação de Casa das Obras, pela qual o imóvel é também conhecido. A casa ficou concluída em 1778, mas nesse ano era já habitada por Luís Bernardo Pinto de Mendonça e Figueiredo e Ana Leonor Nogueira d'Abreu e Abranches, herdeiros dos primeiros proprietários. O brasão que se conserva no tímpano …

This tour begins in the Luís de Camões Garden, where you can find a Tourism Office. Cross the 5 de Outubro Street and enter the Rodrigues Lobo Square. This is the centre of the city, the ideal place to relax under the cinquentist arcades animated by pleasant esplanades. In one of the corners, the statue of the poet Rodrigues Lobo (1579-1621) points out the right direction. Follow through the Miguel Bombarda Street and notice the Misericórdia Church, built on an ancient synagogue. Nearby is the Barão de Viamonte Street, former Direita Street, which marks the axle of this ancient quarter, …

The castro de Medeiros, also called Cabeço dos Mouros, is located between monte da Corujeira and Christian Carambos and is about 3 kilometres from the Centre of the village of Montalegre. Is a town surrounded by two rows of walls and a deep moat. The outer wall is visible from the South and west sides, about 2 metres wide, whose interior is filled with Earth and stone girl. At some points in the vast mountains, forks where are still visible some tears. On the West side there is a jumble of stone, from the collapse of the wall. On the …

The tour begins in the Capelão Street. Go, then, through the Mouraria Street until the Senhora da Saúde Church, where you can enjoy the woodcarving altar and the beautiful glazed tiles. Enter the picturesque Mouraria Quarter climbing the small stairs of Saúde and continue by the Largo da Rosa, where you’ll find the Convent with the same name and the São Lourenço Church. Following through the largo da Achada and going up the Calçada do Marquês de Tancos you'll find the Municipal Market Chão do Loureiro, which integrates some plastic artists’ ateliers and a beautiful esplanade. Following through the Costa …

In the beginning of the 20th century, most precisely in 1907, Afredo da Silva buys a plot of ground from the Bensaúde family in the Lezíria, between the North Beach in Barreiro and the Moinhos Beach in Lavradio, and there he builds the C.U.F. factories. It started labouring in the next year with an olive husk transformation unit in order to produce soap, which employed 100 workers. In 1909 appears the first factory of sulphuric acid and super phosphate to produce fertilizers. As the century went on, the industry continued growing and this old village of fishermen and millers, with …

The old area of Coimbra is characterized by narrow and steep streets that lead to the top of the hill, where the city was born. This tour begins at the Ferreira Borges Street, where the Almedina arch draws the boundaries of the old city. Climbing the Quebra Costa Street ladders, on the left you will find the Arch and the Palace Sub Ripas, from the XVI century, with a renaissance façade, a work of João de Ruão. Further ahead, the Anto Tower marks the memory of the poet António Nobre (1867 – 1900). In the middle of the slope, be …

Go down the Avenida da Liberdade and start on a discovery journey of the town historical centre. Here, you’ll find plenty of interesting points. At the Restauradores square the majestic Foz Palace, in its neo-classical style, and the frontispiece of the old cine-theatre Éden, with a modernist aspect stand out. Following through Rossio, you’ll find the National Theatre D. Maria II and the D. Pedro Statue. Now in the middle of downtown, venture trough the geometrical net of the streets that set up the urban unit built after the earthquake of 1755. Next, follow to Encosta da Sé and visit …