Serra da Lousã

The rugged hills of the Serra da Lousã, only 25km southeast of Coimbra, make a fine day-trip from the city, though you’ll really need to stay the night if you plan on doing any serious exploration. The handsome town of Lousã is the main base, providing access to a series of aldeais do xisto, or mountain schist villages, that were largely depopulated in the 1960s but are now gradually being revived by the increasing interest in rural tourism. Five villages (Casal Novo, Talasnal, Cerdeira, Chiqueiro and Candal) are now part of central Portugal’s Schist Village scheme (wwww.aldeiasdoxisto.pt), which establishes waymarked walks and craft shops and revives village festivals and customs.