Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
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Overview
Portugal’s oldest and largest protected area, the Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela encompasses 888 sq km of the country’s highest mountains. At its centre, rising above a wild, boulder-strewn planalto (high plateau), is Torre (1993m), continental Portugal’s highest peak. Below, steep mountain roads inch past icy lakes and vast granite outcrops as they corkscrew down thickly wooded valleys. The Serra’s rushing rivers – including the Mondego and Zêzere, which have their sources here – historically provided hydropower to spin and weave the local wool into cloth. Nowadays traditional shepherding is giving way to a service economy catering to weekending tourists.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
The burel factory originally opened in 1960 and employed 1000 people at its height (burel is a wool fabric similar to felt). After a decline in the…
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
Covilhã used to be the centre of one of Europe’s biggest wool-producing regions, but stray outside the centre and you’ll see the town’s ghostly mills…
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
In the heart of Covilhã's gritty historic centre, the 16th-century Igreja de Santa Maria is a startling sight. Its facade is entirely clad in blue and…
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This waterfall, which descends the steep gorge of Ribeira de Lenadres, is a magnificent spectacle, particularly in spring. To get there from Manteigas,…
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Museu Municipal de Arte Moderna Abel Manta
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This fascinating modern-art museum pays homage to Abel Manta, a (controversial) Portuguese modernist painter, who was born in Gouveia in 1888. Around 23…
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Centro de Interpretacão da Serra da Estrela
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
In a park to the west of the town centre, this centre provides an excellent introduction to the Serra da Estrela region. A nine-minute film in English or…
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This museum, housed in a lovely converted mansion, traces the history of Portuguese toys, from the Victorian to the contemporary, providing an interesting…
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Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This popular museum, set in a huge complex with mill wheels, a restaurant and rustic buildings, celebrates the history of traditional bread making. The…
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