Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Beiras
Why Go?
Three worlds rolled into one, the Beiras offer as much diversity as any region in Portugal.
Along the Atlantic, the Beira Litoral lures surfers and sun-seekers with scores of sandy
beaches. Here, the sophisticated university city of Coimbra and the brash casino-party town
of Figueira da Foz arm-wrestle for visitors' attention.
Move inland to the Beira Alta highlands and the mood shifts entirely. Stoic stone vil-
lages cling to the slopes of Portugal's highest mountains - the Serra da Estrela - casting
their gaze down at the fertile wine country of the Dão valley.
East of the mountains, in the hypnotically beautiful Beira Baixa, vast expanses of olive
and cork oak forest spread across a hotter, lonelier landscape. Here, surveying the border-
lands from the ramparts of nearly abandoned medieval fortress-towns, you feel centuries
away from the coast you just left behind.
When to Go
Early May Queima das Fitas fills Coimbra's streets with students in dashing capes.
Jun Before summer crowds descend, and beaches are warm enough for a swim.
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