Central Portugal: Templars and granite villages

Route description

Coimbra is a university town on a hill above the river Mondego, and its Baroque Joanina Library is one of the most beautiful in Europe; visits are timed and tickets are limited. From Coimbra head east into the Serra da Estrela, the highest mountains in mainland Portugal.

The road climbs to Torre, at 1,993 m the highest point of mainland Portugal, passing glacial lakes on the way. In winter the road can be closed by snow. From the mountains head south-east to Monsanto, a village near the Spanish border whose houses are squeezed between and under enormous granite boulders.

Tomar, to the west, is home to the Convent of Christ, where the round church of the Knights Templar stands inside a hilltop castle, later wrapped in Manueline stonework. The route ends on the coast at Nazaré, where the lighthouse on the headland looks down on the biggest waves ever surfed, at their best in winter.

Monsanto’s lanes are steep and narrow, so park at the bottom and walk up. The mountain roads are slow and winding. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and big waves at Nazaré are most likely between October and March.