Name: Belmonte Historic Village
Rating: 2

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Portugal

Castelo Branco

Belmonte e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre

Belmonte Historic Village

Discover

Places to see

Portugal

Castelo Branco

Belmonte e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre

Belmonte Historic Village

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Recommended by 12 hikers

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Location: Belmonte e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre, Castelo Branco, Portugal

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Best Hikes to Belmonte Historic Village

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1. Belmonte Historic Village – Torre de Centum Cellas loop from Belmonte

14.4km

04:09

360m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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2. Belmonte Historic Village loop from Belmonte

13.1km

03:40

250m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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3. Belmonte Historic Village loop from Belmonte

2.76km

00:49

90m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Bryan | Exploro Ergo Sum

August 27, 2025

Belmonte, one of the twelve Historic Villages of Portugal, is the home of Pedro Álvares Cabral and guardian of the country's largest Jewish community, a legacy that endured centuries of Inquisition. Between walls and memories, mystique and history abound, with the Serra da Estrela on one side and the Malcata Reserve on the other. The food completes the enchantment: Jewish flavors like fried offal coexist with broths, migas, esparregados, and traditional Beira sweets: rice pudding, papas de carolo, and filhós. Here, the landscape and the food merge into a delightful experience.

Translated by Google •

Claudia

December 19, 2021

Worth seeing, interesting history and birthplace of the port. National hero of the recent national history.

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Pacmen64 🇵🇹

April 19, 2025

Located just off the main road south of Guarda (which at 1,053 metres is the highest city in Portugal), it is one of twelve aldeias históricas (historic villages), a government-sponsored initiative to promote the immense heritage of the beautiful Beiras region.

Belmonte’s most famous son is without doubt Pedro Álvares Cabral, a major figure of the Age of Discovery who was born in the village in 1467. As a young and very ambitious sea captain of just 32 years old, he commanded a fleet of thirteen ships with some 1,500 men that departed from the shores of Lisbon on the 9th of March, 1500.

Six weeks later Cabral dropped anchor off the north-east coast of Brazil, becoming the first Portuguese navigator to reach South America. It was also the first known expedition to have touched all four continents of Europe, Africa, America and Asia.

Built in the 13th century, Belmonte Castle (the village’s key attraction) became the birthplace of the young explorer in 1467 after his father received it as a loyalty payment from King Afonso V and adapted it as the Cabral family residence.

One of the region’s most prominent landmarks, the castle offers today’s visitors fine views of the Estrela mountains and the surrounding Lower Beiras countryside from its towering keep, which stands proud at an altitude of 615 metres above sea level.

Adjacent to the castle stands the church of São Tiago which is of the same period and has many interesting features, including a a painted 14th-century granite pietà and the pantheon of the Cabral family, although the navigator’s body now rests at the Convento da Graça in Santarém.

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Elevation 600 m

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Sunday 5 October

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Location: Belmonte e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre e Colmeal da Torre, Castelo Branco, Portugal

Belmonte Historic Village

1. Belmonte Historic Village – Torre de Centum Cellas loop from Belmonte

2. Belmonte Historic Village loop from Belmonte

3. Belmonte Historic Village loop from Belmonte

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