Beira Alta is a historic province of the Central region of Portugal. The chief cities/district capitals are Guarda and Viseu.
Cities
[edit]- 1 Almeida — municipality containing the important border town of Vilar Formoso
- 2 Gouveia — take the path to the highest geographical point of continental Portugal, with astonishing views over the valley
- 3 Guarda — its medieval cathedral was built in the Gothic and Manueline styles
- 4 Mangualde — inland city with an artificial sandy beach
- 5 Moimenta da Beira — famous for the production of wine and apples
- 6 Oliveira do Hospital — city with ancient civilization sights
- 7 Pinhel — it has one of the more important castles along the Côa River Valley
- 8 Sabugal — city along the River Côa with a Gothic castle
- 9 Santa Comba Dão — riverside city
- 10 Sernancelhe — with a 12th-century church
- 11 Viseu — a charming hilltop city with a fine historic quarter, its Romanesque and Gothic cathedral is one of the finest in Portugal
Other destinations
[edit]- Côa Valley — an open-air Paleolithic archaeological site with thousands of engraved rock drawings of horses, bovines and other animals, human and abstract figures, dated from 22,000 to 10,000 years BCE
Understand
[edit]
Beira Alta (BAY-ruh AHL-tuh, /ˈbɐj.ɾɐ ˈaɫ.tɐ/)
Mostly rural, except for Guarda & Viseu. Beautiful mountains (Serra da Estrela, Caramulo, Marofa). Tranquil rivers of (Mondego, Coa, Vouga, Paiva, Dao), gorgeous meadows, pinewood forest and castles along Terras de Riba-Coa (Pinhel, Almeida, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo (cattle and almond trees) and Sabugal area).
Get in
[edit]Train from Vilar Formoso- Guarda-Pampilhosa-Coimbra. Motorway A25 (Viseu-Aveiro-Guarda).
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]Cathedral and museums in Viseu: Museu Gao Vasco.
- Guarda (Se/cathedral), castle of Pinhel & Sabugal Castle.
Do
[edit]- São Pedro do Sul (spa/town)/Vouga valley.
- Parque arqueologico do vale do Coa rupestre - pre-historic art
- Ski during winter in Estrela Mountain, Loriga, Seia, Torre.
Eat
[edit]Queijo da Serra (hard cheese).
Drink
[edit]Wines, Dao & Pinhel.
Stay safe
[edit]Considered one of the safest in Portugal.
Go next
[edit]- Coimbra
- Aveiro
- Porto
- Lamego — historic city, near Douro river
- Monsanto — in Beira Baixa
- Salamanca, Spain