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.
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.
Remarkable garden is place for reconciliation
The Buddha Eden Garden is an area of about 35 hectares designed and conceived by Comendador José Berardo in response to the destruction of the Giant Bamyan Buddhas, sculpted in the rocks of the valley of Bamyan in central Afghanistan and which had for centuries been a cultural and spiritual reference.
Comendador Berardo was profoundly shocked by the attitude of the Taliban Government, which intentionally destroyed these unique monuments of World Heritage, considered acts of cultural barbarism which attempted to erase from memory the art of the late Gandhara period.
In 2001, in response to this loss he initiated another of his dreams, the creation of an extensive oriental garden in honour of those colossal Buddhas.
It is intended that the Buddha Eden Garden is a place of reconciliation. Without any religious tendency, it opens its doors, to all people of all religion, ethnicity, nationality, sex, age, and socio-cultural background, inviting all to come together, to communicate and meditate, to rest and rediscover happiness. Hopefully people will follow a path contrary to the destruction of humankind and the dissemination of culture.
The largest caves in Portugal
They were discovered in 1947, and in 1974 they were opened to the public. There are several halls, each has its own name, like the Red Room, or the Chapel. A river runs through the caves. At the end of the tour you are 110 meters below surface, a lift takes you up at the end of the tour.
Fun for kids: there is an aquatic park right next to the exit of the caves.
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.
More...
Arise of the Castelo dos Templários and Convento de Cristo
After the conquest of the region from the Moors in the Portuguese Reconquista, the land was granted in 1159 as a fief to the Order of the Knights Templar. Its Grand Master in Portugal, and Tomar's somewhat mythical founder, Gualdim Pais, laid in 1160 the first stone of the Castle and Monastery that would become the headquarters of the Order in Portugal.
The feudal contract was granted in 1162 by the Grand Master to the people. The Templars ruled from Tomar a vast region of central Portugal which they pledged to defend from Moorish attacks and raids. Like many lords of the unpopulated former frontier region of central Portugal, the villagers were given relatively liberal conditions in comparison with those of the northern regions of Portugal, in order to attract new immigrants. They were not allowed the title of Knight which was reserved to the monks. Women were also admitted to the Order, although they didn't fight.
In 1190 a Moroccan caliph and his army attacked Tomar. However the crusader Knights and their leader kept them at bay. A plaque commemorates this bloody battle at the Porta do Sangue at the Castelo Templário (Castle of Tomar).
Castle and Convent of the Knights Templar of Tomar (transferred in 1344 to the Knights of the Order of Christ)
In 1314, under pressure from the Pope Clement V, who wanted the Templars banned throughout Europe, King Dinis negotiated instead to transfer the possessions and personnel of the Order in Portugal to a newly created Order of Christ. This Order in 1319 moved south to Castro Marim, but in 1356 it returned to Tomar. In the 15th century the position of (cleric) Grand Master of the Order was henceforth nominated by the Pope, and the (lay) Master or Governor by the King, instead of being elected by the monks.
Henry the Navigator was made the Governor of the Order. The cross of the Order of Christ that was painted in the sails of the caravels that crossed the seas, and the Catholic missions in the new lands were under the authority of the Tomar clerics until 1514. Henry, enriched by his overseas enterprises, was the first ruler to ameliorate the buildings of the Convento de Cristo since its construction. He also ordered dams to be built to control the river Nabão and swamps to be drained. This allowed the burgeoning town to attract more settlers. Henry ordered the new streets to be designed in a rational, geometrical fashion, as they can still be seen today.
(source: Wikipedia)
Media
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Caldas da Rainha has a history of the artisanal and industrial production of ceramics. The colourful azulejos (tiles) are a good example. The history of ceramics in this town is also the 'raw material' for contemporary artists.
Ceramics workshops and museums:
- Museu da Cerâmica: exhibition of an important collection of ceramics from the 16th to the 20th century. The museum is located in a beautiful villa, surrounded by gardens.
- Casa Museu de São Rafael: exhibition of ceramics by the artist São Rafael, made by the Bordallo Pinheiro factory.
www.bordallopinheiro.com - Atelier-Museu António Duarte: exhibition of work by of sculptor António Duarte (1912-1998)
- Atelier-Museu João Fragoso: exhibition of work by sculptor João Fragoso (1913-2000)
Other museums:
- Museu do Hospital e das Caldas da Rainha: museum on 5 centuries of medicinal springs, and the thermal hospital in Caldas da Rainha. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, carvings, clothing, furniture, ceramics, and medical / scientific instruments.
- Museu Barata Feyo: exhibition of work by sculptor Barata Feyo (1899-1990)
- Museu José Malhoa: exhibitions of paintings by José Malhoa (1855-1933), and work by other Portuguese artists
- Espaço Concas: exhibition of paintings by Maria da Conceição Nunes, also known as Concas (1946-1991), in the Centro de Artes
- Museu do Ciclismo: exhibition on cycling in Portugal
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
Aqueduct with 180 arches
About 4 kilometers northwest of Tomar you can see the remains of the Aqueduto de Pegões Alto. This aqueduct was built for the water supply of the convent; it is about 5 kilometers long and has 180 arches.
A few kilometers east of Tomar is the Barragem do Castelo de Bode, a dam and reservoir in the Rio Zêzere; the dam is 115 metres high and 400 metres wide. The reservoir is open for aquatic sporters and anglers. At the harbour of the Pousada you can embarque on a boat for a tour on the reservoir.
To the north there are several other dams and reservoirs in the Rio Zêzere.
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.
Rugged landscape offers many hiking possibilities
In the inland of the Costa de Prata is the nature reserve Parque Natural das Serra de Aire e Candeeiros, one of 13 nature reserves in Portugal. It is located in the limestone hills of the Estremadura, it’s size is about 39,000 hectares.
In this nature reserve you can hike along several marked pathways, all with different lengths, duration and difficulties so everyone can enjoy a nice hike.
There are about 20 different routes. One of them is the Rota dos Moinhos which takes you to some old windmills, the Buraco Roto route takes you through a beautiful landscape including a waterfall.
Parque dos Monges: for active monks (and everyone else)
Just outside Alcobaça is the Parque dos Monges (Monks Park). This is a very large park offering recreation, adventure and education.
There is an eco-aquarium “Mãe d’Água”, a convent farm, craft workshops, a themepark (where you can do some canoeing on the lake, mountainclimbing, archery, rope sliding), and much more.
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.
Islands close to Peniche are beautiful nature reserve
The Berlengas archipelago, Ilhas Berlengas, is a group of small islands off the Portuguese coast at about 10 km. from Peniche. The whole of the archipelago is a nature reserve.
The islands are uninhabited, only on the main island some people live on a permanent basis. They take care of the lighthouse, and control the reserve.
Some native plant species can be found on the islands. Also the islands are a breeding ground for many bird species, and they offer stopover space to migrating birds.
The largest island is Berlenga Grande. Here you can find the São João Baptista fort, built in 1502 in manuelino style. The fort is connected to the island by a narrow bridge. The fort was partly converted into a pousada (hotel).
Around the fort fishermen offer boattrips, to show you the island from sea, so you can see some caves and interesting rock formations.
To see everything the island has to offer you can follow the marked footpath. This takes you to the fort, caves, the lighthouse, beautiful beaches with crystal clear water, and to some spots that give you spectacular views.
The islands also attract many divers who enjoy the beautiful underwater flora and fauna.
From May to October the islands are open to the public. From the harbour of Peniche you can take the boat, the crossing takes about 45 minutes. It is recommended to make reservations for the boattrip, especially during summer months, because only a limited number of people per day are allowed on the island.
Beautiful lagoon invites you for some activities
This vast and natural lagoon is situated between the historic town of Óbidos and the trendy beach resort of Foz de Arelho.
The lagoon has a narrow passage to the Atlantic Ocean. There are walking and cycling routes around the lagoa, and on the water you can surf, sail, fish, and many other activities. This is also a place where paragliders like to use the thermals for long float trips.
Foz do Arelho has several nice beach bars along the wide promenade, a good place to have a drink after a nice stroll. And if you're lucky you can watch a volleyball game on the beach.
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