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Beiras
Beiras is a region which includes three provinces (Beira Litoral, Beira Alta and Beira Baixa) but it is the wooded coastal strip that holds most appeal for tourists.
COIMBRA: Portugal’s third-largest city, Coimbra boasts one of the oldest universities in the world and is characterised by twisting streets and terraced houses. Worth visiting are the University, the magnificent Romanesque Cathedral (Sé), the Art Museum housed in the former Bishop’s Palace and the 12th-century Monastery of the Holy Cross. Coimbra is also renowned as a centre of Fado, traditional Portuguese folk music.
ELSEWHERE: Aveiro, the ‘Venice of Portugal’, is a fishing port surrounded by salt flats, beaches and lagoons, and dissected by three canals. Torreira is a typical fishing village, lying between ocean and lagoon, which can be reached by boat from Aveiro. Figueira da Foz is a small, but growing resort with an excellent surfing beach and casino. Anadia, the centre of the wine-growing region of Bairrada, offers tastings in its cellars. At Conimbriga, fine Roman mosaics dating from the first century AD can be seen. Buçaco is renowned locally for its ‘enchanted forest’, cultivated by the Carmelite monks who arrived here in the 17th century. Pinhal do Rei is a beautiful pine forest with walking trails and some pristine beaches. Viseu, an impressively sited medieval town with a cathedral and bishops’ palace (now a museum) lies in a part of the country best known for its Dão wine. There are spas at Luso, Curia and São Pedro do Sul. Serra da Estrêla is a natural park, with mountain scenery best appreciated from the car.
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