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CALDAS DA RAINHA

Hospitality, Health, Tradition, Creativity

We have a wide range of tourist attractions to offer you. The city of Caldas da Rainha is a hidden treasure where you will feel like taking refuge. Discover its charms!

As Ramalho Ortigão wrote: “Caldas da Rainha is the center of the most historic, most picturesque region in the entire country.”

Founded by Queen Dona Leonor in 1495, the city developed around the Thermal Hospital which, after five centuries of existence, continues to annually receive hundreds of tourists who seek treatment and rest in these spas.

Ceramics is a strong artistic presence that still shapes the image of Caldas today. The pottery tradition of this city is lost in time. Figures such as Maria dos Cacos, Manuel Cipriano Gomes (the “Mafra”), Francisco Elias and Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, gave Caldas ceramics the characteristics that made it famous.

Other arts, such as painting and sculpture, have been confirming Caldas da Rainha as a center of fine arts, with Master José Malhoa standing out in painting and, in sculpture, Master António Duarte and João Fragoso, both natives of Caldas da Queen. To visit its Museums is to visit authentic living cultural spaces.

Caldas da Rainha has, on its seafront, the beaches of Salir do Porto and Foz do Arelho. The latter, privileged by its nature which, appearing between Óbidos Lagoon and the Sea, becomes the ideal place for water sports and fishing.

In contrast to the coast, rural landscapes emerge, full of history and rich in trees, where a prosperous agriculture in fruits and vegetables supplies the traditional fruit market on a daily basis.

Its hardworking and hospitable people, living essentially from agriculture, the ceramic industries and trade, offer those who visit the warmth of their welcome and its five centuries of history, full of nobles and great events.

Discover more about Caldas da Rainha by watching the following video:

ÓBIDOS

The medieval village of Óbidos is one of the most picturesque and best preserved in Portugal

Sufficiently close to the capital and located at a high point, close to the Atlantic coast, Óbidos had a strategic importance in the territory. Already occupied before the Romans arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, the village became more prosperous from the moment it was chosen by the royal family. Since King D. Dinis offered it to his wife D. Isabel, in the century. XIII, it belonged to the House of Queens who, throughout the various dynasties, benefited and enriched it. It is one of the main reasons for finding so many churches in this small town.

Inside the walls, we find a well-preserved castle and a labyrinth of streets and white houses that enchant those who walk there. Between Manueline porticoes, flowered windows and small squares, there are several reasons to visit, good examples of religious and civil architecture from the heyday of the village.

The Igreja Matriz de Santa Maria, the Igreja da Misericórdia, the Igreja de São Pedro, the Pelourinho and, outside the walls, the Aqueduct and the Sanctuary of Senhor Jesus da Pedra, with a round plan, are some of the monuments that deserve a careful visit. . As well as the Municipal Museum of Óbidos, where the works of Josefa de Óbidos can be found. It was, in the century. XVII, a reference painter and a woman with an irreverent artistic attitude in her time. Her paintings reflect her apprenticeship with great masters of the time, such as the Spaniards Zurbarán and Francisco de Herrera, or the Portuguese André Reinoso and Baltazar Gomes Figueira, her father.

Any time is a good time to visit Óbidos. Due to the love stories that are told there and the medieval atmosphere, it is an inspiring suggestion for a romantic or simply peaceful weekend. And if you include a night's accommodation in the castle, then the setting will be perfect.

In the local gastronomy, fish stew from Lagoa de Óbidos stands out, even better if accompanied by wines from the Demarcated Region of the West. Another attraction is the famous Ginjinha de Óbidos, which can be enjoyed in various places, preferably in a chocolate cup.

Throughout the year, a program of events brings some excitement to this small town, but undoubtedly the most popular are the International Chocolate Festival, the Medieval Market and Christmas, when the village is decorated with motifs alluding to the time. Also worth mentioning are the Seasons of Classical Baroque Music, Harpsichord and the Opera Festival, which give Óbidos a special atmosphere, with open-air shows on hot summer nights.

Not far away is the long sandy beach of Praia d’El Rey, where golfers can enjoy a golf course overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Passing the town of Caldas da Rainha, whose history is also linked to Casa das Rainhas, is the beach at Foz do Arelho, connecting Óbidos Lagoon to the sea. A good place for a seafood and fresh fish lunch or for a late afternoon at sunset, by the sea.

Discover more about Óbidos by watching the following video:

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