Figuerira da Foz, Portugal Roundtrip.

Our start point is from the Sweet Atlantic hotel & Spa, which is described as a magnificent, chic and elegant, 4-star hotel boasting a prime position in the beautiful seaside city of Figueira da Foz, just minutes from the glorious beach. The hotel offers free outdoor parking.

I have flagged a few other hotels which are in the area.

Monastery of Verride
RP 8

The Almiara Convent , also known as the Monastery of Verride , was classified by the Ministry of Culture as a monument of public interest, but even so it is in a very bad state of conservation.

Located in Montemor-o-Velho, built on land donated in 1194, to the Friars of the Monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra. It was built with the intention of being a place used by the friars to rest and spend the summer by the river Mondego.

It was used by the friars until 1834, undergoing interventions and remodelling over the years. The interior of the monastery was decorated with tile panels on the walls and marble floors, in one of the rooms it has a turret on the ceiling, an incredible baroque fresco from 1755 that represents the arms of Portugal and the order of the friars of Santa Cruz.

It was abandoned, after the religious orders were extinguished in 1834, not only this one, but many monasteries throughout this country. Little remains of the primitive building, and now there is a building that, despite its almost ruined state, still manages to show characteristics from the 17th and 18th centuries . In the rooms of this monastery, only traces of the tiles remained, which were obviously stolen. The Monastery also suffered some acts of vandalism, which unfortunately is to be expected in these types of places.

The chapel, although part of it has been stripped, is of good architecture, had quality carved altars, good stonework and, above all, splendid tile wainscoting. The municipality says that, “although the architectural project of the 18th century is unknown, it is possible to verify that it was incomplete, given that the great facade should end with another turret”, also identifying that “the residential area has several interior traces of quality, such as the cafeteria and rooms with great finishes from the 17th or 18th centuries. ”

It is currently a place that serves as a home for many bats.

Mondego River
RP 9 & 30

River Mondego is the fifth main Portuguese watercourse, and the largest running entirely in Portuguese territory. River Mondego runs 258 km from its source in Serra da Estrela, at 1525 meters above sea level, to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean next to the city of Figueira da Foz. Its major tributaries are rivers Alva, Ceira and Dão, at the upper reaches, and rivers Pranto, Arunca and Ega, at the lower part of the basin.
Since 1981, River Mondego has become highly impounded and regulated after the construction of two large hydroelectric power dams, the Aguieira and Raiva dams (located 86 and 80 km upstream the river mouth, respectively), of six multiple-use dams (1.6-89 hm3), and of a number of small weirs throughout its course.

River Mondego represents an important stronghold for diadromous species, most of them with a notorious conservation status and a high socioeconomic value. More specifically, sea lamprey and shad species are particularly interesting and valuable as gastronomic delicacies in this region, promoting the development of a remarkable professional fishery, and generating important incomes for local population and regional tourism activities (e.g. restaurants, hotels). In part due to the habitat fragmentation that exists in this basin, migratory fish species tend to diminish their abundance resulting in both ecological and socioeconomic losses.

Aliança Underground Museum
RP 16

The first underground museum where sparkling wines, still wines and brandies are aging in perfect harmony with nine art collections! Between Aveiro and Coimbra, in the village of Sangalhos in the Bairrada wine-producing region, this magnificent place is part adega (winery), part art museum. Guided tours take you beneath the winery to a vast 1.5km network of tunnels housing an extraordinary collection of African and Portuguese art. Also down here are cellars crammed with huge oak barrels of maturing wines and brandies.

The museum is an exhibition space, displaying art-works throughout the traditional wine cellars of Aliança Vinhos de Portugal. This museum includes nine different collections spanning millions of years. These include collections in archaeology, ethnography, mineralogy, palaeontology and ceramic tiles, tins and Indian culture.

The Aliança Underground Museum shelters an exhibition that is displayed along the traditional wine cellar of Aliança Vinhos de Portugal. Exhibiting seven distinct collections, this museum contemplates areas such as archeology, ethnography, mineralogy, paleontology, and ceramic tiles, covering millions of years of art history. Integrated in the great universe of the Berardo Collection, these collections are the result of the constant care of the collector Jose Berardo in immunizing pieces and works of art, from multiple origins and artistic movements, with both historical and sentimental meanings.

Other key 'stops' – maps of the museum are set out like the London Underground – are the fossil and mineral collections, and the display of Portuguese ceramics. The scale of the wine production is also impressive – the largest oak barrels, all specially made on-site, are capable of holding up to 17,000 litres of brandy.

Tours, which must be booked in advance, are available in English, Spanish, French and German, and include a glass of sparkling wine.

Military Museum of the Buçaco.
RP 25

The Military Museum was Inaugurated on September 27, 1910, on the occasion of the 1st centenary of the Battle of Buçaco, which synthesizes the courage and heroic action of the Anglo-Portuguese army during the period of the Peninsular War. Expanded and remodeled in 1962, it has valuable collections of weapons, uniforms and equipment used in Batalha, of which an artillery piece with its garrison stands out.

The Military Museum of Buçaco, created and inaugurated in 1910 at the 1st Centenary of the event with the presence of King D. Manuel II, shows in its rooms the rich legacy of the time, namely military pieces from the beginning of the 19th century, uniformed figures, scripts and medals, miscellaneous material and equipment, uniforms, engravings, a 9-pound campaign piece that took part in the battle and its garrison, miniaturized evocations and a complete model showing the positions of the forces in combat.

The building, extended and reorganized on 1962, sits next to the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Vitória e Almas (Our Lady of the Victory and Souls) that was used by the Barefoot Carmelite Monks as a field hospital where they attended the wounded of the battle without any distinction of nationality.
The display consists of several pieces of armament, equipment, uniforms and others related to the Peninsular War in general and the Battle of Buçaco, in particular.

This will not be the biggest or fanciest museum of the Napoleonic Wars that you can visit, but being that it's settled on one of the most iconic locations of the Campaign for the Peninsular Wars, you can be sure that it will not disappoint in terms of what it stores in its collection. A large range of documentation is available at sight for those who wish to acknowledge deeper about the local history related to those times, and also some very rare pieces are available in display.
The curator was lovely as he tried his best to explain the most out of every single custom and weaponry that was in sight.

Ponte Medieval de Foz de Arouce
RP 40

Ponte Medieval de Foz de Arouce dated from the 14th century. It consists of five round arches and a trestle Board. This bridge, also known as Medieval Bridge, is considered as one of the oldest in the central region, dating back to the 14th century, therefore the end of the Middle Ages.
Stone bridge that crosses the Ceira river, it is formed by five arches of perfect round with supports of strong pegs and endowed with water breaks, serving as base for an easel board.
Located at the foot of the mountain of the Portuguese village of Lousã. The origins of this village were lost in the mists of time, also the historic medieval bridge that, according to what they say, was a witness to the Napoleonic wars, in an environment of great scenic beauty, where the river flows and where you can also see a great Waterfall, most visible, if possible, in autumn or winter.

Starting point: Sweet Atlantic hotel & Spa, Figuerira da Foz, Portugal
End point: Sweet Atlantic hotel & Spa, Figuerira da Foz, Portugal