Beira Alta

Beira Alta is a historic province of the Central region of Portugal. The chief cities/district capitals are Guarda and Viseu.

Cities

 * — municipality containing the important border town of Vilar Formoso
 * — take the path to the highest geographical point of continental Portugal, with astonishing views over the valley
 * — its medieval cathedral was built in the Gothic and Manueline styles
 * — inland city with an artificial sandy beach
 * — famous for the production of wine and apples
 * — city with ancient civilization sights
 * — it has one of the more important castles along the Côa River Valley
 * — city along the River Côa with a Gothic castle
 * — riverside city
 * — with a 12th-century church
 * — a charming hilltop city with a fine historic quarter, its Romanesque and Gothic cathedral is one of the finest in Portugal

Other destinations

 * — 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


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
Train from Vilar Formoso- Guarda-Pampilhosa-Coimbra. Motorway A25 (Viseu-Aveiro-Guarda).

See
Cathedral and museums in Viseu: Museu Gao Vasco.


 * Guarda (Se/cathedral), castle of Pinhel & Sabugal Castle.

Do

 * 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
Queijo da Serra (hard cheese).

Drink
Wines, Dao & Pinhel.

Stay safe
Considered one of the safest in Portugal.

Go next

 * Coimbra
 * Aveiro
 * Porto
 * Lamego — historic city, near Douro river
 * Monsanto — in Beira Baixa
 * Salamanca, Spain