Guarda

Guarda is a city of 43,000 people (2011) in Beira Alta, a region of Central Portugal. Guarda is the highest city in continental Portugal (altitude 1,056 m), located to the northeast of Serra da Estrela (the largest mountain in mainland Portugal). The main attraction in Guarda is its cathedral, known as the Sé da Guarda.

Understand


The main economic sectors of Guarda (/ˈɡwaɾdɐ/, GWAHR-duh) are: tourism, textiles, electric wire and cable industry for automobile manufacturing and for energy industries, wood, glass, marble and granite processing, metallurgy, aluminum manufacturing, chemical products, blinds, cold cuts, bakery and pastry, dairy industry, as well as construction companies. There are also handicraft activities and agricultural and agro-livestock activities in the rural environment of the municipality.

By train
The train station is served by Linhas da Beira Alta. There are trains to Lisbon via Coimbra 3-5 times a day and to Oporto via Viseu. Schedules are available online at the Portuguese railway company's website. The overnight train from Irun (France) to Lisbon stops at Guarda around 06:00.

The train station is about 3.2 km from the city centre. There is a local bus running from the main bus station (top of the mountain) to the modern train station (one-way ticket €0.95).

By bus
There are buses from Spain (Madrid, Salamanca) to Oporto which stop in Guarda. A one-way ticket from Salamanca to Guarda costs about €25. The bus station is in the centre of town, near the top of the mountain. It is connected by a local bus line to the train station.

By car
The principal road connecting Guarda to the rest of Portugal and to Spain is the A25 [Aveiro-Vilar Formoso).

Do
Ski in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

Buy
Tapestry; ceramics

Eat
The gastronomy of Guarda is associated with the gastronomy of the Serra da Estrela. Some of the most outstanding typical dishes are the following: roast lamb, rice with duck in the Guarda way, and Lagareiro cod, which can be easily found in regional cuisine restaurants. The gastronomy of the city includes a wide range of meat-based dishes, given the geographical location of the city, as well as the surrounding lands, which are conducive to grazing. There is also a wide variety of fish dishes from freshwater streams. Cod is the exception, since its conservation process (by drying) has always allowed its consumption in lands far from the sea. The pig occupies an important place in the local gastronomy, with countless dishes made with this type of meat. The ham cured in sea salt can be highlighted, as well as the typical local cured meats (black pudding, farinheira and chouriço), such as tripe with vegetables. Other common meats are lamb, goat, beef, and white meat. Carquesa (Genista tridentata) rice is also a very typical dish in the city and the region.

At the time of the hunting season, unique dishes, such as hare rice "malandrinho", or wild boar with beans are eaten.

In the fall, Trancoso's edible mushroom stew (champignons) and chestnut soup are popular (it can also be eaten cooked, boiled, or sweet).



Go next

 * Serra da Estrela Mountain
 * Castles in Terras de Riba-Coa (Pinhel, Sabugal, Marialva, Castelo Mendo, etc.)
 * Douro Valley / Vila Nova de Foz Côa / Côa Valley, Marialva, Sortelha
 * Viseu
 * Lamego
 * Salamanca, Spain