Thematic Routes in Solares de Portugal

Solares de Portugal wants to promote quality tourism, so we created new thematic itineraries and routes. The strategy has been driven by a determination to provide visitors with a quality experience in keeping with the special character and heritage of the buildings and the natural environment of the area. Rural areas often have small scale and widely dispersed enterprises, communities and administrative structures. The relationship between tourism, agriculture and other sectors in the local rural economy is increasingly important. Many different players are involved. Natural resources, cultural traditions, transport services and a whole range of tourism enterprises have an influence on the visitor experience, and in turn are affected by tourism impact. For these reasons, an integrated quality management approach to tourism is very relevant in rural areas.

Excellency of the Gardens of the Solares de Portugal The first tour is “A Excelência dos Jardins” , where you can find the great green fields and the big mountains all around the country. In Minho you can visit Ponte de Lima and its great gardens, like Parque Temático do Arnado. Here, you can also discover Casas Antigas, Quintas e Herdades e Casas Rústicas. In Guimarães, you can visit splendid gardens. In Cabeceiras de Basto, celorico de Basto and Fafe, in the romantic valley of the river Tâmega, you will find gardens with its immaculately trimmed Camellias contoured into graceful designs. If you prefer to travel on Douro, you must visit at about 5 km from Lamego, Regua and Mesão frio situated on the outskirt of the famous Douro Valley. Serra da Estrela is a very beautiful place to visit, also. In the South of Portugal, you also can find several gardens that desert a visit.

The second tour - “Traditions of Agroturismo” – allows you to discover and participate in the Solares de Portugal agricultural activities. You can make bread and cheese, you can produce wine and oil at several Solares de Portugal.

the “Ecoturismo” is another route to those who like to walk, to ride a bike our practice sea sports. In Ponte de Lima we suggest a walk on the “ecovia” and on the Bertiandos lagoon. You can also ride a bike from Ponte de Lima to Ponte da Barca or Viana do Castelo. If you pick the sea, you can stay in Viana do Castelo, where there are beaches with the Blue Flag, where you can surf and windsurf. You can also fish in Paredes de Coura, in Ponte da Barca, in Guimarães, in Arcos de Valdevez, in Vila Real and in several other beautiful places. In the Alentejo you can also make long walks specially created in Castelo de Vide and in Beja. In the Azores you can fins biodiversity and meet dolphins.

Sport at the Solares de Portugal “The golf Tour” is another route. The Algarve has special conditions to practice this sport. There are some golf fiels such as Parque da Floresta, Alto Golf, Penina, Quinta do Lago, Salgados and Pine Clifs.
In Lisbon and Vale do Tejo we have the golf fields Penha Longa, Quinta da Beloura, C.G. Estoril and Aroeira. In this region, Solares have several suggestions.
In the center of our country, we have Vimeiro, Atlantico Golf, Praia d’el Rey and Golden Eagle golf fields.
In the North, Estela Golf Clube, in Póvoa do Varzim, Quinta da Barca, in Esposende, and Campo de Golfe de Ponte de Lima, are three very beautiful golf fields. You have also the Oporto Golf Club. The Amarante Golfe Clube and the Golfe do Vidago with 2540mts are other options.

“Artesanato and Traditions” is another tour. You can find our artesanato (handmade objects made by artisans) and visit our fairs and local markets.

Tourism and Nature In theses days some travels prefer to spend their holiday in spas, thermal-spas and gymnasiums to do fitness and be healthiness. Therefore we developed “Mind and Body”. In Monção and Melgaço, the local thermal-spas are very looked for water treatments. Estância Termal do Eirôgo, another thermal-spa, is located in Barcelos, where Solares have houses. In Santo Tirso you can make your treatments is the thermal-spa Caldas da Saúde. Located between lakes and mountains, in the heart of Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, are the thermal-spas of Gerês and Caldelas. In Trás-os-Montes the Vidago and Caldas de Chaves thermal-spas offer you natural landscapes and leasure. Caldas de Felgueira thermal-spa, in Canas de Senhorim, invites you to a splendid location. Marco de Canavezes and Penafiel have their local thermal-spas, too. Cabeço de Vide thermal-spa is from the Roman era. Even the Romans have baths in those waters. If your holidays are in the Azores, you can try Furnas thermal-spa. But some Solares de Portugal have their own spas for more space to yourself.

The “Gastronomy Tour” allows you to taste our food. We have the cod fish, the arroz de sarrabulho, the migas and açorda, or even the “fresh fish”. You can eat the famous leitão da Bairrada in Mealhada and in Anadia. You can taste Serra da Estrela Cheese in Seia, or in Viseu. The carne maronesa (maronesa meat) is created in Vila Real. You can eat it in Sabrosa, and in Vila Real. Our neighbours from Spain appreciate our arroz de Lampreia (Lampreia rice). If you stay in Valença, you can try it. But if you prefer fresh fish, then you have to go to in Peniche. In Ponte de Lima you can try arroz and papas de Sarrabulho.

Toast with the Solares de Portugal Portugal wines are very well known and international awarded. To allow you to know theses wines, Solares de Portugal created the “Wine Tour”. The famous Alentejo Wine is produced in our houses in Beja, Crato, Borba and in Castelo de Vide. The Bairrada Wine is made in Anadia. You can find and taste Douro Wine on Solares located in Peso da Régua, Mesão Frio, Sabrosa, Pinhão and Lamego. If your option is to taste the Dão Wine you have to go to in Viseu, São Pedro do Sul or Canas de Senhorim. Last but not the least is the Vinho Verde (Verde Wine). You can drink in the Minho region.

There are several Solares de Portugal who are wine producer and where you can made wine tastings.

“Raça Lusitana – Horses Tour” allows you to meet our horses with pure lusitana race. You can ride theses horses in our houses. If you want to find wild horses, our garranos, you can go to the National Park of Peneda Gerês, and climb to Mezio, Soajo. On the other side of the National Park, in Vieira do Minho, you can see garranos, too.

The last tour is “Azulejos”. This tour gives you the opportunity to discover the Portuguese azulejos (tiles). This decorative element was brought to Portugal in the XV Century. Today you can find tiles everywhere in the country such as the Manor Houses. Several Solares de Portugal have some walls completely covered with colourful tiles. Also there are very interesting tile panels and walls in the Portuguese train stations, like S. Bento, in Porto, Aveiro and Pinhão. If you want to visit Douro and make a travel by locomotive between Régua and Pinhão, you can spend some nights.

These are the ten tours created by Solares de Portugal that allow guests to meet the heritage, the traditions and to enjoy the environment and the ambiance of the historical Manors and country and rural tourism.