Day 1 in Castelo Branco

Welcome to Castelo Branco! Upon arrival in Portugal, you will go through customs and immigration. Should you opt to purchase a transfer to your hotel; a representative will be waiting for you as you exit immigration. Arrive at your hotel, check in and do not give in to jet lag! There is so much for you to see and do!

Begin your trip by viewing the ruins of the castle and defensive walls of Castelo Branco Castle. You will get a good view of the city and sprawling countryside at the adjacent Miradouro de Sao Gens vantage point. A short distance away is the former bishop`s residence, which is now called the Museu Francisco Tavares Proenca Jr.. The bishop`s gardens, the Jardim do Paco Episcopal, are as immaculately cultivated as they were hundreds of years ago, as are the nearby Jardim Municipal de Castelo Branco. The gardens are not far removed from the Santa Casa da Misericordia, founded over 500 years ago as the city`s first hospital.

Day 2 in Castelo Branco

Begin the morning by having breakfast at a cafe on Largo da Se and then visiting the Portuguese Renaissance-era Igreja Matriz de Sao Miguel, the city`s main cathedral. Then make your way to Praca de Camoes, where there are a number of noteworthy buildings with arched patios on their respective first floors, such as the Casa do Arco do Bispo and the Solar dos Mota. The next street over, there is a museum dedicated to Manuel Cargaleiro, one of Portugal`s most noteworthy contemporary painters and sculptors.

For the rest of the day, make a plan for your upcoming excursion to Geopark Naturtejo. There is an information center located on Avenida Nuno Alvares, where they can give you information about trips further afield. There`s one easy trip you can make today: Take the A23 west out of Castelo Branco and then go south on the N241 to the town of Vila Velha de Rodao. Follow signs to the Portas de Rodao, a natural marvel sitting mere miles from the border with Spain. This gorge, with hilltops on the sides jutting 800 feet up above the Tagus River, is reminiscient of open doors, hence its name. (`Portas` is Portuguese for `doors`.)

Day 3 in Castelo Branco

Start the day by driving northeast as you stop every so often to marvel at the sights of the beautiful towns and villages of the Beira Baixa region. Twenty miles northeast of Castelo Branco is Idanha-a-Nova, a provincial town where you can have breakfast before moving on. The Schist village of Idanha-a-Velha is ten miles away, and was once the Roman castro of Egitania. There is a museum dedicated to the Roman epigraphs discovered by archaeologists; it is the largest such collection of epigraphs in Portugal. The Igreja Matriz de Idanha-a-Velha and the Roman bridge over the Ponsul River are particularly noteworthy structures which date from the time Idanha-a-Velha was known as Egitania. The Roman bridge in particular connected Egitania directly to Rome.

Five miles northeast of Idanha-a-Velha, the village of Monsanto is built into a hillside and is known nationwide as one of the most quintessentially Portuguese villages. So much so, in fact, that it first received such accolades by the government and the news media over 80 years ago. The Iberian rooster on top of the clock tower, the Torre de Lucano, was a gift from the government in Lisbon when the town received that first accolade. Take time to wander the narrow streets and alleys, and visit such sights as Monsanto Castle, the ruins of Igreja de Sao Miguel, and the Igreja Matriz de Sao Salvador.

If you have time, visit one more village. Penha Garcia is located six miles east of Monsanto, and is well-known for its trace fossils which date back 490 million years, when the continents were fused together into one super-continent called Pangaea. If time permits, visit Penha Garcia Castle, a key strategic defense on the borderlands separating the Kingdom of Portugal from Castile and Leon. Return to Castelo Branco at the end of the day.

Additional Days in Castelo Branco

If you have an extra day or two to explore Castelo Branco, you should explore all there is to offer inside International Tagus Natural Park. Flora and fauna alike are protected and on display in this park which straddles the Tagus River, separating Spain and Portugal. The park, which spans 24 square miles, is forested heavily by holmoaks and cork oaks, both of which are native species in Portugal. As far as fauna are concerned, over 150 bird species are protected here, as well as 35 amphibian and reptile species, 12 different kinds of fish, and nearly four dozen mammal species. Traditional folk villages dot the sparsely-populated landscape, alongside artifacts from Neolithic and Roman times. Take some time to stop at the Roman Bridge of Segura, which spans the Erges River at the Spanish-Portuguese border. The bridge linked the castro of Egitania (now Idanha-a-Velha) with Merida (in Spain`s Extremadura region).

On your way back to Lisbon, if you have time, stop off for a day in the town of Obidos. This UNESCO Creative City has a long history and so much of it is still evident and alive today. Encircled by walls nearly 50 feet high in spots, the focal point of this dynamic town is Obidos Castle, perched on the highest hill, which was built adjacent to the site of the Roman settlement of Eburobrittium. The Portuguese royal family chose Obidos as one of their homesteads, and the Queens of Portugal in particular considered Obidos to be the `jewel` in their respective crowns.

Your Last Day in Castelo Branco

Depart your hotel for the airport for your return home. We recommend that you purchase a private transfer; if so, a representative will meet you at the hotel in time to take you to the airport for your flight out.