There’s little left of Castelo Branco's hilltop castle, which was built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century and subsequently extended by Dom Afonso IV a century or so later. Nowadays, a phone mast stands where the chapel once was and a garden has supplanted the walls. However, there are grand views to be enjoyed and the old lanes up from the town centre are picturesque, if a little dilapidated.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Centro de Cultura Contemporânea de Castelo Branco
0.36 MILES
Castelo Branco's modernist cultural centre has quickly established itself as town landmark since it was inaugurated in 2013. The cutting-edge building,…
24.98 MILES
This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…
0.23 MILES
This delightful retreat is the garden of the former bishop's palace, an 18th-century baroque whimsy of clipped box hedges, pools and grand staircases…
28.22 MILES
Reopened in 2009 after being converted into a museum, the site comprises the original synagogue – two rooms (one for women and one for men), a wooden…
28.19 MILES
Originally Castelo de Vide’s inhabitants lived within the castle’s sturdy outer walls; even now there remains a small inner village with a church, the…
22.11 MILES
Tucked into a corner of the walled village sits the 6th-century Visigothic cathedral, surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of scattered archaeological remains…
Museu de Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior
0.23 MILES
Occupying the sober 18th-century bishop’s palace, this long-standing museum has an excellent display of local archaeological finds. Its highlight, however…
28.22 MILES
By the castle is a small judiaria – the former Jewish district. A sizeable community of Jews settled here in the 12th century, then larger waves came in…
Nearby The Beiras attractions
0.1 MILES
This extraordinary museum is spread over two buildings, a mid-18th-century house in Rua dos Cavaleiros (Knights Street) and a clashing contemporary…
2. Museu de Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior
0.23 MILES
Occupying the sober 18th-century bishop’s palace, this long-standing museum has an excellent display of local archaeological finds. Its highlight, however…
0.23 MILES
This delightful retreat is the garden of the former bishop's palace, an 18th-century baroque whimsy of clipped box hedges, pools and grand staircases…
4. Centro de Cultura Contemporânea de Castelo Branco
0.36 MILES
Castelo Branco's modernist cultural centre has quickly established itself as town landmark since it was inaugurated in 2013. The cutting-edge building,…
22.1 MILES
This a 19th-century stone barn near the cathedral houses an impressive olive-oil press made in the traditional way with huge tree trunks providing the…
22.11 MILES
Tucked into a corner of the walled village sits the 6th-century Visigothic cathedral, surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of scattered archaeological remains…
22.12 MILES
The only remaining vestige of the defences the Knights Templar built in the 13th century is the Torre de Menagem. Also known as the Torre dos Templários,…
24.98 MILES
This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…