Center

The Center of Portugal offers natural beauty and many important history sites to behold, much like the North. But, unlike other regions, it holds a more diverse abundance of environments and atmopsheres to visit....

The historical marvels of the North continue in this region, with cities and towns like Aveiro, with its gorgeous river, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Leiria, Óbidos and Viseu. One of it must-sees is Fátima, the most important religious site in all of Portugal. Its history is forever linked with christianity after, more than one hundred years ago, three young shepherds allegedly witnessed an apparition by the Virgin Mary. To this day, hundreds of people gather every year in Fátima to celebrate the event. Another marvel is the city of Coimbra, where the most ancient and important University in the country resides, with its vast library and well-preserved baroque architecture. It is still seen as the city for scholars, attracting a lot of young people who follow their studies there. Coimbra is also a great place to listen to Fado. The melancholic and longful sound of this music plays na important role in the identity of the city, wiht the “university fado” being a very popular academic tradition in Portugal, done at its best in Coimbra. For a different experience, head to the seashore and there you can find a huge amount of wonderful sandy beaches. The Center of Portugal holds some of the best beaches to surf, like the ones in Figueira da Foz, Nazaré and Peniche that actually have some international acclaim because of their immense and powerful waves. Another popular activity in the Center Region is hiking, which you can try in the many mountain ranges of the region and speciffically in Geoparque Naturtejo, which provides other related activities like climbing. Above all there is the vast Serra da Estrela, the best known mountain range in the country. If you visit on winter, there’s a good chance to see the mountain front painted white, covered in snow.