The best road cycling routes around Romeira

Val'Doce is a pastry shop of the same name located in the district of Santarém. Specifically, it is located in the town of Vale de Figueira. Information about Val'Doce Address: R. Dr. Vitor Semedo 8 B, 2000-741 Vale de Figueira, Portugal, in the district of Santarém. Specialties: Known for its varied pastries, hamburgers, and daily specials, such as soup. Opening Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 7:00–22:30. Friday, Saturday: 7:00–00:00. Sunday: 8:00–22:30. Tuesday: Closed. Amenities: It has an outdoor seating area, is wheelchair accessible, and accepts credit cards.

Salt is extracted from shallow, concrete or stone pans of varying sizes, where saltwater drawn from a well is conveyed through ditches. Currently, the water is pumped by a motor and distributed according to a system that is generally accepted and respected (not always) by all the owners. Drainpipes, threshing floors, and wooden salt storage houses complete the complex known as the Rio Maior Salt Pans. According to technicians, a large and deep rock salt mine, traversed by an underground stream that feeds a well, makes the extracted water salty, seven times saltier than seawater. The salt is obtained from its exposure to the sun and wind, and the resulting evaporation of the water. This salt is deposited at the bottom of the pans, which are then piled up in pyramid-shaped heaps to dry until harvest. The process is rudimentary and similar to that used in seaside salt mines. The only difference is the picturesque valley that surrounds them, the well, the unique style of the sailors (as the men who work in the salt mines are known), the wooden houses and the country air that you breathe.

This establishment is located on the Way of St. James.

Pleasant café with a terrace where you can bring your bike.

Just three kilometres from Rio Maior, on the southern tip of the Serra dos Candeeiros, lie the only inland salt pans in Portugal, and the only ones still active in the whole of Europe. Surrounded by vineyards and cultivated fields, they are a true wonder of nature, as the sea is 30 kilometres away. Their history dates back to at least 1177, but it is said that rock salt has been mined since prehistoric times. The water, seven times saltier than that of the ocean, emerges from a well after passing through an underground deposit, leaving behind the pure vestige of an ancient sea.

Santarem has been Portuguese since 1147 and, with an old town center of almost 2 square kilometers, is one of the largest in the country. The city may be a little old, but it is definitely worth a visit.

The palace was built by the superintendent Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique (1733-1805), who held several positions during the time of the Marquis of Pombal. His connection to the town, which came to be called Manique do Intendente and was initially called Alcoentrinho, and which belonged to the Order of Christ, dates back to the time of his uncle, who established a manor in favour of his nephew in 1773. Thus began a very ambitious project, which envisaged the creation of a town with a rationalist architectural design and which included, in addition to the palace (whose construction remained unfinished), the Town Hall, the pillory, the Palace of Justice and the church. This plan did not go ahead due to Pina Manique's removal from the position of superintendent and his premature death.

The Rio Maior Salt Pans are located about 3 km from the city centre and are nestled in a valley at the foot of the Serra dos Candeeiros, in the heart of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park. Classified as a Property of Public Interest since December 1997, these are the only inland salt pans in Portugal, and the only ones in full operation in Europe. The first reference to their existence dates back to 1177, but it is thought that the use of rock salt was already being made in prehistoric times.