Descriptions

The house is located on a little hill with a view to a valley, where a river runs to the city of Pombal.
The house faces the east and the sun lights and warms all the rooms in the wee hours of the morning. It’s a very cozy one-storey residence, spacious, with lots of big windows facing a beautiful garden and a terrace.
The living room has a wonderful fireplace, where you can relax and enjoy the garden, listening to the birds.
You can walk along the riverside to Pombal downtown (it’s only 3 kilometers), or you can drive, use a bicycle or take the city bus right in front of the house.
In the city you can find indoor swimming pools, tennis courts and, in the outskirts, an amazing water park.
The city of Pombal, right in the middle of Portugal, has a privileged location to visit the entire country.
It’s only 149 kilometers to the Lisbon airport and 172 kilometers to the Oporto airport.
If you’re not interested in renting a car, Pombal has train and bus stations from where you can travel across the country.
Here are some of the places and activities of interest in the central region of Portugal (around Pombal):
Coimbra: an ancient city with one of the oldest universities in Europe (1308 A.D.) where you can visit the famous and elegant library. Close to downtown, you can take long walks along the beautiful Mondego River.
Conínbriga: just a few kilometers from Coimbra there’s an ancient Roman city that recently was considered by Bloomberg one of the new seven wonders of the world. The Roman ruins of Conimbriga date back to the 2nd century BCE. They were rediscovered about a century ago and thanks to booming tourism in Portugal, the site may soon find itself in the spotlight again.
for those interested in nature, very close to the city of Pombal there’s the Sicó mountain range with lots of interesting hiking trails and rock climbing. To the north, you can find the Lousã mountain range with it’s famous villages of schist, all made of stone. To the south, there are incredible caves in the mountains of Aire and Candeeiros.
if you like canoeing or boat trips, there are lots of places to visit, like the Mondego River or Cabril Dam with its amazing lake. There are also lots of beautiful river beaches.
the Atlantic coastline, less than 40 kilometers from the city of Pombal, is perfect for beach lovers and fresh fish enthusiasts. Figueira da Foz, once considered the Queen of the portuguese beaches, is the largest urban beach in Europe. Nazaré town has become world-famous for the giant waves that hit its coast every winter from October to February and attract lots of surfers and spectators from all over the world. In some beaches you can still watch Arte Xávega, a traditional form of fishing, and buy the fish directly from the fishermen. Many of the beaches in the central region of Portugal have been awarded a blue flag for meeting with certain international standards regarding safety, water quality, facilities and environmental management.
for historical monuments, you can visit, in this region, three of the seven wonders of Portugal (the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça, and, in the medieval town of Óbidos, it’s beautiful castle).
for religious sites, less than 40 kilometers from the house, you can visit the famous Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima. You can drive, or even walk like millions of pilgrims, myself included - a personal life changing experience.

For a real Portuguese experience, Vale Cottage will be your shelter.