Worth-seeing
Too much to mention!
Maybe the main reason why the Costa de Prata is so renowned, is the huge number and quality of things to see and do.
The vast beaches, remarkable nature, special museums, historic cities and monastries, picturesque villages. It's really too much to mention but we try anyway.
Sub categories
World Heritages
No Less than 6 Portuguese World Hertitage sites are located in this region
- Monastry of Alcobaça
- Monastry of Batalha
- Cultural landscape of Sintra
- Convent of Christ in Tomar
- University of Coimbra
- Royal Building of Mafra (Palace, Basilica, Convent, Garden and Hunting Park)
Exciting caves
Spectacular caves
In the nature park of Serra de Aire e dos Candeeiros you can visit several caves. All three give you a spectacular view below the surface of the earth. Some locations look extra special because of the stunning lighting. On a regular basis exhibitions are organised inside the caves.
These are the caves:
- Grutas Alvados/ San Antonio
- Grutas da Moeda
- Grutas Mira d’Aire
The latter won the price 'Natural wonder of Portugal'.
Special museums
From Buddha to Dino
Not only the Costa de Prata offers many historical buildings, there are also lots of interesting museums and sculpture parks. Often surprisingly modern and multimedial.
Indoor museums, open air exhibitions, excavations, you name it and its there. How about dinossaur footprints or the impressive Buddha Eden park?
Cosy markets
A unforgettable experience
Going to a market in the Silver Coast is a experience not easy to forget; a big difference with the markets in the UK is that you can buy almost anything you want. Clothes (casual but also costumes) and shoes till tools, rugs, distilling kettles, horse saddles and living animals like chickens, rabbits and puppies.
Nature and Culture
To enjoy!
Both nature- and culture lovers won´t miss a thing in this region. Naturepark Serra d’Aire e Candeeiros for instance is 400 km2 large and a real paradise for hikers and mountain-bikers. The large amount of historical buildings and cities, de farmers markets, the (fado) concerts and museums making the Portuguese culture palpable.
Monastry Alcobaça Featured
The history of the monastry, a lovestory
The Real Abadia (royal abbey) de Santa Maria is in many ways the heart of Alcobaça.
It all started when King Afons I promised to give some land to saint Bernard if he would succeed in conquering the city of Santarém from the Moors. He succeeded in 1147, and in 1178 the Cistercians started building the monastry, and finished it some 45 years later. Soon it became the most important cistercian monastry in Portugal. Both church and monastry are originally gothic buildings. Later new parts were added to the monastry in different styles, like the 2 baroque towers.
Originally the complex was much bigger, but the earthquake of 1755, and the occupation by the French early 19th century, destroyed large parts of the monastry. What remained however is still a large complex, partly open to the public. A visit is certainly worthwhile, you can see things like the cloisters, the lavatory, the impressive kitchen, the dormitory, etc.
A lovestory
In the church lie the remains of Pedro I and Inês de Castro, each in their own tomb. Their love story is the most famous story in Portugal.
Pedro, son of Afonso IV, was about to marry the galician Constança. She arrived at the Portuguese court together with her maid of honour Inês. Pedro and Inês fell totally in love with eachother. This worried Afonso IV so much he decided to send Inês back to Burgos. Pedro and Constança got married, but Pedro could not forget Inês.
When Constança died in 1345, Pedro and Inês reunited, and the secretly got married. Together they hd 4 children. Afonso IV however still could not accept their love, and ordered Inês to be killed in 1355: she was decapitated by hitmen. Pedro was furious and wanted revenche. After his accession to the throne in 1357 he immediately ordered the hitman, who fled to Galicia, to be extradicted. After they arrived in Santarém Pedro demanded them to be tortured until death, and put their bodies on display afterwards.
In 1361 Pedro ordered Inês' body to be balmed, dressed as a queen, and put her on a throne next to him at the cathedral. All members of the nobility and the assembly were forced to kiss her hand, and by that Inês was posthumously crowned. Then her royal body was brought to Alcobaça and placed in a sarcophagus. On Pedro's command his own sarcophagus was put opposite of Inês so that when they both rise on judgment day, the first thing they see will be each other.
Water feature
When it rains the water is cascading over a carpet of large granite blocks and is collected in a huge basin.
The water is filtered in a natural way in the stomach and lead to a public fountain for the people of Mendiga. (2480 Porto de Mós)
In the park you find a educative model of the water mining. There is also a children playground, a public bbq and toilets.
In Coimbra you can visit Portugal dos Pequenitos, or Portugal for the Little Ones. It is a recreational-educational park intended primarily for children.
The park has thematic areas, like Monumental Portugal (miniatures of the country’s main monuments), Portuguese-speaking countries (representation of a.o. African countries, Brazil, Macau), The Islands (main monuments of Madeira and Azores), Coimbra, and Regional Houses.
You can also visit the Dress museum, that has around 300 miniature outfits on display from the 16th to the 20th century. Everything was handmade, and donated to the museum in 1950.
There is also a Barbie museum, the collection on display is the largest in Portugal and possibly one of the biggest in Europe, is composed of over 300 dolls. It includes the original Barbie of 1959, the Barbies of the world, the Hollywood collection, Barbies dressed by couturiers of international reputation, and many more.
Portugal dos Pequenitos also stands out as a high-quality display of sculptures and architectural art, the miniature size and detail of which continues to charm children and adults.
Weekly markets
• Sunday mornings Santana market near Benedita; and in Pataias, north of Nazaré
• Mondays in Caldas da Rainha (at McDonalds turn left to Rio Maior, the market is at the 3rd roundabout)
• Mondays in Alcobaça (next to Continente supermarket), and Batalha
• Thursdays in Malveira
• Fridays in Nazaré
• Saturdays in Leiria (near football stadium) and in Marinha Grande
Daily markets
• Vegetables / fruit market in Caldas da Rainha (Praça da República)
• Vegetables / fruit / fish market in São Martinho do Porto
Fish market in Caldas da Rainha
Jumble- and antique markets
• 1st Saturday of the month in Peniche
• 2nd Saturday in Leiria
• 4th Saturday in Marinha Grande
• 1st Sunday of the month in Óbidos
• 2nd Sunday in the park at Caldas da Rainha
• 3rd Sunday in Alcobaça, next to the monastry
• 4th Sunday in São Martinho do Porto, at the Avenida Marginal
More...
Triumphal arch with sea-view
On the south-eastern slope of the Cabeço Gordo, in Arrimal, 2480 Porto de Mós (39° 30' 6.08" N 8° 53' 45.32" W) stands an impressive triumphal arch.
According to the inscription it was built by king Alfonso Henriques, swearing that all land, seen from that point towards the sea, would be donated to the monks that would build the monastry of Alcobaça.
Indeed from the Arco da Memoria you have a great view of the coast.
Marinha Grande: The glass centre of the region
Apart from the glass museum Museo do Vidro in the former residence of Stephens, where glass-ware of the 17th to the 20th century is on display, there are 2 more museums about the glass industry.
- Museu Santos Barosa: Santos Barosa is the oldest glass factory of Portugal, and it's still in operation. There is also a museum at the factory, the collection shows how glass was made and used through the ages.
- The Joaquim Correia museum is the former residence of one of the The Joaquim Correia museum is the former residence of one of the most prominent families of Marinha Grande. The house dates back from 19th century. and houses the artistic legacy of Joaquim Correia. He was born in 1920 into a family of glassblowers. He studied sculpting, first in Porto and later in Lisbon. He was a student of renowned artists such as Simões de Almeida (cousin), Francisco Franca, Barata Feyo and António Duarte.
The caves of the fox
The Grutas da Moeda are in São Mamede, on a distance of about 2 kilometres of Fátima. The caves were discovered in 1971 by 2 hunters who were following a fox. The fox escaped in a large cavity surrounded by bushes. The hunters were curious so they decided to enter the cavity, and that way they discovered the caves.
The corridors open to the public are 350 meters long, and reach a depth of 45 meters. The temperature inside the caves is very constant, always around 18˚ C.
The Portuguese Versailles is definitely worth a visit
Originally the palace was a hunting lodge, but in 1747 Dom Pedro III renovated it into a rococo palace, and he started using it as a summer palace. When he became king in 1760, Dom Pedro III ordered the enlargement of the palace. From 1794 the palace was permanently lived in, until the royal family moved to Brazil because of Napoleon's invasion.
Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles.
Following a serious fire in 1934, which gutted the interior, the palace was extensively restored.
Both palace and gardens are open to the public.
www.parquesdesintra.pt
Interactive museum offers you a historical journey
The municipal museum of Batalha was opened in 2011. It was founded to support the cultural heritage of the village. The museum has some interactive features, and takes you on a journey through the past to the present.
In the historical archives you can also see the excavations of the Roman city of Collipo, that once was built in the Batalha area.
Beautiful gardens with baroque structures
In Mafra you can visit the beautiful Cerco gardens. They offer a combination of baroque structures and wonderful gardens and water features. The wide paths give every visitor the opportunity to enjoy the gardens to the max.
Popular market with varied supply
In Malveira, a few kilometers east of Mafra, there is a large market on Thursdays. It is a very popular market, every week people from all over the region come to Malveira on market day.
There are all kinds of things for sale: fish, vegetables and fruit, clothes, furniture, tools, chickens and rabbits, and much more.
Palace of Mafra Featured
Palace is baroque heart of Mafra
In Mafra you can visit the Palacio Nacional de Mafra, a beatiful palace and monastry. João V demanded the construction in the 18th century, the profits of gold- and diamond mines in Brazil financed the construction.
This vast complex is among the most sumptuous Baroque buildings in Portugal.
The palace is open to the public, although only by guided tours. The tour through the palace takes about one hour, and gives you a good impression of the palace, convent and basilica.
The highlight of the tour is the very impressive Rococo library: 88 m long, over 35,000 leather-bound volumes. Besides natural techniques of conservation for the books, such as the lack of space between the wall and the book (so it doesn't create humidity), there are also a few bats that inhabit this library eating any insect that could destroy this invaluable treasure!
Portuguese writer José Saramago wrote a novel about the construction of the monastry: Memorial do Convento (Memorial of a Convent).
Outside you can walk around the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, the king’s former wildlife and game reserve. It is a unique nature reserve, over 800 hectares in size, completely enclosed by a wall.
The variety in flora and fauna is impressive.
Marinhas de Sal de Rio Maior Featured
Artisanal salt production from underground source
The Salinas, or salt pans, are 3 kilometers from Rio Maior, ate the base of the Serras de Aire e de Candeeiros.
Salt is still being produced today, using traditional methods, and stored in the same way as 8 centuries ago. The salt pans are wide and deep, and the salt water springs from an ancient well.
The water is very salt, much saltier than seawater. The water is pumped up to fill the shallow stone or cement ponds (marinhas do sal).
After 8 days the water has evaporated, and the salt is stored in the wooden houses. The locks and keys of these houses are all made from wood, like in the Roman ages.
There is also a hiking trail, a restaurant, some cafes, and a tourist office.
Sintra Featured
Culturally very rich area where you can easily spend a whole day
On the 'edge' of the Costa de Prata you can find one of the most de meest interesting places of Portugal.
Palácio Nacional de Sintra
This palace is one of the most important Portuguese examples of royal architecture. It is topped by two large twin chimneys built over the kitchen, which have become the symbol of Sintra. It is the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal. It is part of the Cultural landscape of Sintra, designated World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Palácio Nacional da Pena
This palace is the most remarkable example of Portuguese Romantic architecture. The palace stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon. It is a national monument and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also still in use for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials.
Castelo dos Mouros
The Moorish Castle dates back to the early days of the Moorish occupation of the Peninsula (the 8th century). The current building is the result of a renovation carried out in the 19th century. The views from its walls and towers are breathtaking.
Convento dos Capuchos
The monastery was built in 1560 by Dom Álvaro de Castro, in fulfillment of a vow by his father, Dom João de Castro. Its tiny cells, small chapel, refectory and other dependencies, installed in the rock and lined with cork, are a telling example of the humble and austere existence of the Franciscan friars who lived here.
Other places of interest in Sintra are: Parque da Pena, Quinta de Monserrate (park), Museu de Arte Moderna (museum of modern art), Museu do Brinquedo (toys museum), and Quinta da Regaleira (palace and gardens).
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