The best walks and hikes around Maçainhas

Here in Vale Verdinho, between the imposing Serra da Pedra Furada and the hill crowned by Sortelha Castle, the landscape exudes serenity. The mountain range rises as a backdrop to countless trails, shaping the landscape with its imposing and tranquil presence.

In the heart of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, Valhelhas River Beach transforms the young course of the Zêzere into a haven of freshness and leisure. Between mountains and generous shade, this space has everything for a perfect day: clear waters, good infrastructure, and a setting that invites you to forget about the clock. In summer, the music sometimes extends the party into the night, attracting those who can't resist the charm of a river still in its infancy, but already full of life and stories to tell.

Between Vale de Amoreira and Valhelhas, the Zêzere meanders through a flat, narrow bed, shaped over centuries by the accumulation of fertile alluvium, rich sediments left behind by the river's generous floods. Today, these deep soils support fertile fields, while from up here, the valley opens up into sweeping, breathtaking panoramas, where the landscape stretches like a living canvas of the Serra da Estrela.

Among the municipality's 37 listed, predominantly granite buildings are churches, manor houses, fountains, and former public buildings. Of particular note are the castle complex and city walls dating back to the 13th century.

This pillory was built in the 16th century in the Manueline style. It has been classified as a property of public interest since 1933.

Belmonte, one of the twelve Historic Villages of Portugal, is the home of Pedro Álvares Cabral and guardian of the country's largest Jewish community, a legacy that endured centuries of Inquisition. Between walls and memories, mystique and history abound, with the Serra da Estrela on one side and the Malcata Reserve on the other. The food completes the enchantment: Jewish flavors like fried offal coexist with broths, migas, esparregados, and traditional Beira sweets: rice pudding, papas de carolo, and filhós. Here, the landscape and the food merge into a delightful experience.

Classified as a National Monument, Belmonte Castle is an unavoidable symbol of the town's history. Built in the 13th century, it still preserves the imposing walls that form an open-air amphitheater, open to time and memory. In the 15th century, the fortress was transformed into a fortified manor house for the family of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the navigator who was born within these walls. A notable detail remains in the Manueline window of one of the facades: the family coat of arms carved into the granite, a true masterpiece from which you can see the Serra da Estrela mountain range.

St. James' Church and the Cabrais Pantheon, adjacent to the left, are a national monument encompassing these two spaces. They are examples of late Romanesque architecture dating back to the mid-13th century.