Porto Trip Overview
Explore Serra da Estrela, the largest mountain in mainland Portugal. Whether you want to have fun in the snow or get lost on the mountain routes, this is the perfect destination for breath-taking scenery.
Serra da Estrela, the capital of snow and much more
Situated right in the Centro region, Serra da Estrela is the mountain range with the highest peak in mainland Portugal. This natural park is an area of rare beauty and a great choice for those who love to take walks between green valleys and mountains.
It is the only place in Portugal where it is possible to practice winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, or even make snowmen with children —popular with any child on the planet.
But Serra da Estrela is also an excellent option in the warmer months with the many lagoons and secret lakes. This is without mentioning the rocks that seem to have been carved by our ancestors, but which are only the whims of a well-disposed Mother Nature, as is the case of the “Head of the Old Men”.
Additional Info
* Duration: 10 to 12 hours
* Starts: Porto, Portugal
* Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Porto, Porto, Portugal
Explore Serra da Estrela, the largest mountain in mainland Portugal. Whether you want to have fun in the snow or get lost on the mountain routes, this is the perfect destination for breath-taking scenery.
Serra da Estrela, the capital of snow and much more
Situated right in the Centro region, Serra da Estrela is the mountain range with the highest peak in mainland Portugal. This natural park is an area of rare beauty and a great choice for those who love to take walks between green valleys and mountains.
It is the only place in Portugal where it is possible to practice winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, or even make snowmen with children —popular with any child on the planet.
But Serra da Estrela is also an excellent option in the warmer months with the many lagoons and secret lakes. This is without mentioning the rocks that seem to have been carved by our ancestors, but which are only the whims of a well-disposed Mother Nature, as is the case of the “Head of the Old Men”.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Pinhancos, Pinhancos, Guarda District, Central Portugal
Pinhanços is a Portuguese locality of Seia, with 7.95 km² and 703 inhabitants (2001). Its settlement dates back to the time of the Arabs, as evidenced by the existence of a Moorish almocabar of which there are still some graves.
As for the built cultural heritage are worth visiting the Mother Church, the fountain of São Lourenço and the chapels of Our Lady of Lomba, St. Anthony, St. Peter and the house of Pinhanços.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: 6270-184 Santa Comba, Portugal
Optional – Quinta da Bica
According to family tradition, the origin of the Bica Manor is in a convent witch already existed between 1550 and 1650. Since 1650 Quinta da Bica is in the Sacadura Botte family.
The Bica Manor is on one of the road exits from the town of Seia. The Estate where the Manor’s located is entered passing through an impressive portal and high wall which stand out on the landscape. After passing through the portal enters the courtyard which leads to the Manor, a seventeenth century stately home which underwent major works of recuperation on the inside during this century, although it still maintains its original outline. Along with the Manor there is also a beautiful stone fountain that gives the Manor its name – the whole architectural group occupies a great agricultural property which is lost in time, at least until the seventeenth century.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Museu do Pao, Rua de Santa Ana Rua de Santa Ana Quinta Fonte do Marro, Seia, Seia 6270-538 Portugal
Optional – Located in Serra da Estrela, is a private museum whose purpose is to collect, preserve, and display the objects and heritage of Portuguese bread in all its aspects: ethnography, politics, society, history, religion, and art.
The museum also includes visitor support areas intended to make your stay more pleasant: the Library-Bar, the Historic Market, and the restaurant. All of these spaces have the same theme as the Museum, and offer visitors a wide array of quality services and opportunities.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Sabugueiro, Sabugueiro, Guarda District, Central Portugal
This is one of the must-see points in any Serra da Estrela itinerary, and it has the title of the highest village in Portugal, with its 1200 meters altitude. In this village, marvel at the surrounding traditions and natural surroundings and here you must try the famous Serra cheese.
The story goes that this village arose from a cluster of shepherds’ huts who used the pastures for their sheep and goats.
In old documents it appears called “Village of Sabugária”. This is why it is a very old village, reported by D. Afonso II’s Inquiries, in 1296.
Visit its river beach and the Parish Church of Sabugueiro.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Covao Dos Conchos, Serra da Estrela 6270 Portugal
Covão dos Conchos is a unique movie scenery. It is a circular opening with waterfall in a pond in the Mountain. Although it seems natural, it was the hands of man who made this charm that actually serves to lead the waters of Ribeira das Naves to the Comprida Lagoon.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Lagoa Comprida, N339, Seia 6260-000 Portugal
This is a mysterious place that seems to have been taken from an authentic movie, but it is very real.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Barragem do Vale do Rossim, Avenida Serra da Estrela, Gouveia 6290-661 Portugal
In the heart of the Serra da Estrela, more specifically in the Penhas Douradas, and next to the largest glacial valley in Europe, extends this mantle of water that in summer attracts all that are nearby vacationers.
The Rossim Valley Recreational Center lies at an average altitude of 1437 meters. Before the dam was built, it was one of the best highland pastures in the municipality of Gouveia. The place was, almost always, frequented by herds of transhumance, herds that gathered on these sides from São João until the parties of Mr. do Calvário, in August.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Torre, Serra da Estrela Portugal
The Tower is the highest point in Serra da Estrela and also in mainland Portugal, and the second highest in Portugal (only the Pico Mountain, in the Azores, has the highest altitude – 2351 m). This point is not a characteristic mountain ridge, but the highest point of a mountain range.
The Tower has the unusual feature of being a top accessible by a paved road, at the end of which there is a roundabout with a symbolic monument of the Tower and a geodetic landmark.
It is said, although this is not confirmed, that King D. João VI would have had a stone monument erected here at the beginning of the 19th century, in order to complete the altitude until reaching 2000 meters.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Covao D’Ametade, Estrada N338 atração de MANTEIGAS, Serra da Estrela Portugal
Covão da Ametade is one of the most symbolic and most beautiful places in Serra da Estrela. It is located at the beginning of the Zêzere Glacier Valley. It is a poorly drained depression situated in a glacial hollow downstream of the summit hollow.
Although the site is close to 1500 meters in altitude, it is not accessible only on the harshest winter days when the roads do not allow passage due to snowfall. Along the way you can stop to be dazzled by the beauty of Lake Viriato.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Corgo das Mós, Mangualde da Serra, 6290, Portugal
Nascente do Rio Mondego
The Mondego River is the fifth largest Portuguese river and the first of all that have its course entirely in Portugal. It is born in Serra da Estrela, bathes the city of Coimbra and has its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, next to the city of Figueira da Foz. It has a total length of 258 kilometers.
When born, it is still very small and has the name of Mondeguinho. Its source is located on the site of Corgo das Mós (or Mondeguinho), village of Mangualde da Serra, municipality of Gouveia, at an altitude of about 1525 meters.
In the rare case a river
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Poco do Inferno, Manteigas Portugal
Climbing parallel to Ribeira de Leandres and following narrow paths, where there is no more than a car, we come to one of the ex-libris of Serra da Estrela and one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country: the Well of Hell!
Here, in the heart of the Sierra at 1080 meters altitude, the waters are icy, as it should be at this time of year. Crystal clear and transparent invite you to a dive at another time of the year, of course!
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Manteigas, Manteigas, Guarda District, Central Portugal
Located at approximately 700m altitude, in a glacier valley of Serra da Estrela, where the river Zêzere runs, the county seat Vila de Manteigas is known for its famous textile industry, and nowadays for tourism development, given the importance in this area of Serra da Estrela. The region excels in its unique natural beauty, with absolutely magnificent landscapes that have provided the region with the raw materials needed for the production of its typical products over the centuries: pastures for the herds to produce wool for the famous textiles and milk for the renowned Serra da Estrela Cheese.
The natural heritage of the region is very rich, and points such as the Well of Hell with its stunning waterfall, often transformed into ice in winter, the Pedra do Urso, the Zêzere River Valley, the Penhas da Saúde, are unmissable and passionate places. All the gastronomy of the Serra da Estrela region is well represented and presented in Manteigas, with a good offer of Catering and Hospitality.
Visit the church.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Gouveia, Gouveia, Guarda District, Central Portugal
Optional – Gouveia is a beautiful mountain town in the center of the country, seat of a municipality, located on the western slope of the great Serra da Estrela, about 700 meters above sea level, where you can see a wonderful panorama of the Mondego Valley, and all the wonderful surrounding nature. Gouveia presents a proud Heritage, with several monuments, churches, manor houses and old neighborhoods of traditional mountain streets.
Noteworthy is the imposing 17th century Mother Church, very close to the beautiful Casa da Torre, which stands out for its Manueline elements, such as the windows, St. Peter’s Church, or the interesting 18th century Church of Mercy, the Pelourinho, the São Lazarus Fountain of 1779 or the Solar Serpa Pimentel (18th century).
Nature is one of the great heritage assets of Gouveia, which has beautiful green spaces and varied leisure places, such as the Zoological Park, as well as beautiful points such as Monte Calvário with an eighteenth century temple and a panoramic view of excellence, as well as the viewpoint. do Paixotão, or the historic São Francisco Convent, nowadays privately owned, which was built by the Templars.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Castelo de Folgosinho, Rua da Fonte dos Limos Verdes 13 Folgosinho, Gouveia 6290-081 Portugal
Optional – On top of the beautiful village of Folgosinho, on the northern slope of Serra da Estrela, Folgosinho Castle was a defensive triangle in the Mondego river valley, along with that of Linhares and Celorico da Beira.
The origins of the Castle are diffuse, saying popular knowledge that its foundation was attributed to the warrior Viriato, who was born here, while other archaeological studies point to a medieval foundation, continuing the settlement of the region.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Castelo de Linhares da Beira, Rua do Castelo, Linhares 6360-080 Portugal
Optional – Medieval village of the century. XII, Linhares da Beira has a unique architectural diversity, the result of the legacy of various eras. In 1169, he received his first floral, attributed by D. Afonso Henriques.
But only later, in the reign of King Dinis, was its imposing castle erected, a landmark of the village and the main visiting card of our day. To wander the streets of this museum village is to make a foray into the past, its history, and feel the breeze of the Mondego Valley and caress our face.
Duration: 30 minutes
