Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a comfortable
hostel
( 277 208 051;
www.pousadasjuventude.pt
;
Praça da República 32, Idanha-a-Nova; dm
€12, d without/with bathroom €26/30, f €52;
)
in a prime position.
Dec-Oct;
Information
Turismo
( 277 914 280; Rua da Sé; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-
Sun Apr-Oct)
Staff lead free guided town visits daily if there are enough people. It's opposite
the cathedral in the museum complex.
Getting There & Away
There's a daily bus service to/from Idanha- a-Nova (40 minutes), from where you can
catch onward buses to Castelo Branco (€3.85, 45 minutes, two to three daily). Alternat-
ively, you can hike the beautiful but exposed 7km trail from Monsanto or get a pricey taxi
from Idanha-a-Nova (around €30).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sortelha
POP 444 / ELEV 760M
Perched on a rocky promontory, Sortelha is the oldest of a string of fortresses guarding the
frontier east of Guarda and Covilhã. Its fortified 12th-century castle teeters on the brink of
a steep cliff, while immense walls encircle a village of great charms. Laid out in Moorish
times, it remains a winning combination of stout stone cottages, sloping cobblestone
streets and diminutive orchards.
'New' Sortelha lines the Santo Amaro−Sabugal road. The medieval hilltop fortress is a
short drive, or a 10-minute walk, up one of two lanes signposted '
castelo
'.
Sights
Old Town
The entrance to the fortified old village is a grand, stone Gothic gate. From here, a
cobbled lane leads up to the heart of the village, with a
pelourinho
(stone pillory) in front
of the remains of a small castle to the left and the parish church to the right. Higher still is
the bell tower - climb it for a view of the entire village. For a more adventurous and scen-
HISTORIC AREA
