Buçaco National Forest

To walk along its paths, with the light filtered through the leafy trees, with the silence that reigns there and with its particular freshness is, in itself, a unique experience. But it is also an opportunity to get to know the vast historical, religious and military heritage that exists here, such as the hermitages that evoke the Stations of the Cross, the votive chapels, some shrines, once shelters of the friars in meditation, the small lakes and the many fountains.

The Military Museum of the Buçaco and the Obelisk, that allude to the Battle of the Buçaco, fought in that mountain range, in 1810, and still, in full heart of this natural patrimony, the Palace Hotel of the Buçaco, jewel of the architecture and the Portuguese history, once residence of réis, and the Convent of Santa Cruz of the Buçaco, unique in Portugal, for having the church situated between the four patios that form a type of cloister, are marks of its history.

Other must-sees in a visit to Mata do Buçaco are the wonderful Vale dos Fetos (Valley of the Ferns), the Fonte Fria (Cold Fountain) that transports us to an idyllic environment, and the Cruz Alta (High Cross) viewpoint, the highest point of Serra do Buçaco, which provides a wonderful panoramic view.

The Mata do Buçaco is therefore a place that gathers a landscape of unique beauty allied to a whole historical and religious aspect of great relevance.