Roundtrip Coimbra to Alentejo with Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
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RouteXpert Chantal HV
Last edit: 12-04-2020
Route Summary
Route from Coimbra to Alentejo and Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela. Driven on 15/09/2019
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Verdict
Duration
7h 59m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
360.88 km
Countries
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
RouteXpert Review
Our route starts from the hotel The Luggage Hostel & Suites in Coimbra. There is a lot to visit in Coimbra itself. It is a wonderful old city with many sights, old streets and alley and lots of atmosphere. A city to wander through for hours and enjoy on one of the many terraces. Shopping is good on the outskirts of the city in for example the Forum or one of the other shopping malls.
Today we do not go shopping but touring and we take a ride in the Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela.
The Serra da Estrela, the western spur of the Castilian separation mountains, has been a natural park since 1976. It covers an area of more than 100,000 hectares and is therefore the largest natural park in Portugal. The birth of the Serra da Estrela began some 300 million years ago. It was the time that the continents were compressed into one supercontinent: Pangea. The enormous pressure not only pushed up the plains to high mountains, but also brought liquid magma from the inside of the earth into the earth's crust, where it solidified into granite. What followed was a long period of erosion. The older layers of stone disappeared and the granite came to the surface. The mountains go on farther and farther and there would be little left of it if the continents hadn't 'collided' again. About 65 million years ago, the African continent began to move northeast, and the Iberian peninsula pressed against Europe. As a result, not only the Pyrenees would eventually emerge, but also some old worn-out mountains would be pushed up again, including the Serra da Estrela.
Beautiful winding roads, beautiful views and yet some beautiful visit / stopping places incorporated in the route give these 5 stars. This route was of course made the same for the Garmin, TomTom and Nav-App of MRA.
If you are not yet full, then this is possible on RP 7. In between refueling is the message because the ride is still 360 km. This is possible again on RP 23 and on the way back at RP 58.
RP 18 lends itself to a beautiful picture of the valley.
At RP 21 you can visit the Poço da Broca, described as "crystal clear water full of waterfalls where you hear the sound of running water, of the birds and the silence". There is also a restaurant attached to it.
At RP 29 we again enjoy a beautiful view to continue our way to RP 31, the "Torre".
The Torre is the highest point (1993 m) of the Serra da Estrela Mountains and also of continental Portugal. The Torre is not a striking mountain peak, but the flattened highest point of a mountain ridge. At the Torre, with the highest point in Portugal at 1993 meters, skiing is possible in the winter. There is a radar tower and weather station.
At the end of the nineteenth century it was 'scientifically' established that the climate in the Estrela was eminently suitable for curing tuberculosis, at the time popular enemy number one. From that moment on, larger and smaller sanatoriums came in different places.
Past Manteigas we take the beautiful N232. We drive alternately between the trees and the wide views, this is a wonderful, very quiet, winding road.
At RP 36 we have a coffee / stop and at RP 40 we take a nice photo at Lagoa Seca. At RP 41 you can walk on the "wall" of Lagoa Comprida and once again enjoy this wide view.
We continue our way back via Ponte das Três Enradas along the beautiful green Michelin roads. At RP 45 we make another detour to strengthen the inner person in the beautiful food boutiques around the square. Where needed, refueling can be done on RP 58 and via Vila Nova de Poiares we continue this green Michelin road back to our hotel.
Poço da Broca RP 21
De "Torre" RP 31
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Nearby routes
Coimbra
About this region
Coimbra (, also US: , UK: , Portuguese: [kuˈĩbɾɐ] (listen) or [ˈkwĩbɾɐ]) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of 319.40 square kilometres (123.3 sq mi).
The fourth-largest urban centre in Portugal (after Lisbon, Porto and Braga), it is the largest city of the district of Coimbra and the Centro Region. About 460,000 people live in the Região de Coimbra, comprising 19 municipalities and extending into an area of 4,336 square kilometres (1,674 sq mi).
Among the many archaeological structures dating back to the Roman era, when Coimbra was the settlement of Aeminium, are its well-preserved aqueduct and cryptoporticus. Similarly, buildings from the period when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal (from 1131 to 1255) still remain. During the late Middle Ages, with its decline as the political centre of the Kingdom of Portugal, Coimbra began to evolve into a major cultural centre. This was in large part helped by the establishment of the University of Coimbra in 1290, the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world. Apart from attracting many European and international students, the university is visited by many tourists for its monuments and history. Its historical buildings were classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2013: "Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages."
Read more on Wikipedia
The fourth-largest urban centre in Portugal (after Lisbon, Porto and Braga), it is the largest city of the district of Coimbra and the Centro Region. About 460,000 people live in the Região de Coimbra, comprising 19 municipalities and extending into an area of 4,336 square kilometres (1,674 sq mi).
Among the many archaeological structures dating back to the Roman era, when Coimbra was the settlement of Aeminium, are its well-preserved aqueduct and cryptoporticus. Similarly, buildings from the period when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal (from 1131 to 1255) still remain. During the late Middle Ages, with its decline as the political centre of the Kingdom of Portugal, Coimbra began to evolve into a major cultural centre. This was in large part helped by the establishment of the University of Coimbra in 1290, the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world. Apart from attracting many European and international students, the university is visited by many tourists for its monuments and history. Its historical buildings were classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2013: "Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages."
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