explore central Portugal
Whether you are looking for a busy city break, some rural relaxation or sensational sightseeing
the area surrounding PausaCENTRO has it all.
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Stay up late and watch Coimbra come alive, and relax the next day at a river beach.
Get your coffee fix at Ansião before taking in history, culture and nature throughout Rabacal Valley. Spend the day hiking the Caminho da Santiago and top it off watching the sun set
from atop one of the many surrounding hills.
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Interested in something specific?
Get in touch with our expert team here.
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No matter what you are looking for,
PausaCENTRO is the ideal destination to make your next trip perfect.
Enjoy rich local culture and history with ultimate convience and supreme comfort.
Coimbra
Coimbra is Portugals 3rd City, and is a vibrant University hub.
On the banks of the River Mondego, it is 30mins drive from Pausa centro, and boasts all of the modern amenities you would expect.
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The old town is a maze of streets, with many boutique artisan shops, cafes, bars & restaurants.
Catering for all tastes, you can eat traditional or modern Portuguese fare, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, to name but a few.Â
Coimbra is also well served by Vegetarian & Vegan restaurants.
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What better way to spend a day than wandering around one of the oldest universities in Europe (Unesco world heritage site),
taking a stroll through the Botanical gardens, or getting lost in the maze of the old Medina.
Stop off and sit outside a café to take in the people & have an excellent Portuguese coffee.
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Coimbra is well worth a visit.
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Flussstrände
River Beaches are one of Central Portugals hidden gems.
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Within a 20min drive east from PausaCENTRO, we have Fragas da Sao Simao (The cliffs of Saint Simon) which is truly magical.
This mountain river has been dammed to provide a series of bathing pools at the base of a stunning limestone gorge.
With a picnic area, & small café, it is the perfect place to cool off with a dip in the heat of the summer.
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Check here for details of this and other river beaches close by.
Ansião
Ansião is a small market town on the banks of the River Nabao.
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It is the closest town to Pausa Centro, and has all of the amenities you will need for your day to day living;Â
banking, supermarkets, post office, cafes, restaurants and bars.
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Ansião is only 10mins by car from Pausa Centro, and will not disappoint.
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Strände
The Silver coast boasts approximately 800km of clean white sand beaches, where Portugal meets the Atlantic.
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From the wildness of the pine trees & sand dunes at Praia Osso da Baleia,
to the wide expanse of golden sand at Praia de Claridade (Figueira da Foz),
there are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from within a 45min drive of PausaCENTRO.
Geschichte
Rabacal-Tal
The Rabacal valley boasts rich cultural history and heritage.
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From the Celts, to the Romans, to the Moors, the valley seems timeless with its
Olive grove & vineyards seeming to have stood still in time.
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Conimbriga, a 10min drive from Pausa Centro is one of the largest & best preserved roman settlements
on the Iberian peninsula. A Unesco world heritage site, it is well worth spending a morning
touring the ruins to view the vivid & intricate mosaics still in place.
Castelo Melhor
The Castelo Melhor at Santigo da Guarda is a 10min drive from Pausa Centro & well worth a visit.
A real hidden gem that is intimate & gives a real flavour of life through the ages in Central Portugal.
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A fortified manor house, it was discovered during renovation works in the 1970s that the house was in fact built on the footprint of a roman villa, & intricate mosaic floors were uncovered.
The building also boasts fine Manueline architecture from later phases of its history.
Tomar
Tomar must be one of the prettiest towns in Central Portugal.
It is home to the famous Convento de Cristo, home to the Templars & the magnificent Charola (Rotunda) which sits at the centre of the complex. Forget about all the other cathedrals you may have visited.
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This one takes the breath away. Only 45mins from Pausa Centro,
it is well worth taking a day to make your visit.
Natur
PausaCENTRO is located close to the heart of the Sico Massif, which boasts an incredibly diverse and rich natural heritage.
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At the edge of the Sico limestone massif, the landscape is that of limestone bluffs, striking hills, & pleasant pastures.
Much of the land is still used today for the production of Olives, Grapes, & cheese.
In the spring it is a glorious display of flowers which seem to burst from every field, wall, & riverbank.
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A stroll along the Caminho da Santiago, which meanders through the Olive groves following the Rio Mouros is well worth the time.
Pass by ancient villages that seem to have been forgotten by time. See the goats & sheep that produce the milk for the famous Rabacal cheese.
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See the Eagles soaring overhead as you pass by Juromelo.
We have witnessed some amazing nature here, from Fireflies in the warm evenings of June, to Skop owls, Nightingales, Barn owls, Wild boar, Snakes (they are more afraid of you) to Praying mantis, amazing Swallowtail butterflies, & much much more. A nature lovers paradise.
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