Environment
Caldas da Rainha is located in the central Portugal - in region Centro - a region of diversified landscapes.
There is the coastal plain with golden beaches
(Silver Coast)
- well known and favored by surfers from all over the world!
Here you will also find some of the best golf courses in Europe.
There is also the mountainous inland - dominated by the Serra da Estrela mountain. The green, rugged landscape
of this region is crisscrossed by rivers.
Outdoor activities are fishing, horse-back riding, hiking, tennis and canoeing (and, in the Winter season,
skiing in Serra da Estrela).
Some distances of interest
The closest airport is Lisbon Internationale Airport, located 80 km away.
It is more than 50 km to the mountains and 20 km to the nearest river.
In Portugal the Atlantic Ocean is always "close by" - distances from estern inland border will
maximum be a two hour drive. The closest beach is 10 km away.
Climate : Ocean clima with nice hot humid summers and with a cool breeze from the sea in wintertime Town character : Spa town Primary Industry : Manufacturing Industry
Population: 30.000. Population in the municipality: 52.500
The city is best known for its hot springs and pottery.
Caldas da Rainha ("Queen's Spa") was founded in the 15th century by Queen Leonor, who established a hospital at the site of some therapeutic hot springs. The Hospital Termal Rainha D. Leonor is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in world, with five centuries of history.
Caldas da Rainha is also home to many arts-related institutions. There are numerous museums in the city, mostly related to ceramics and sculpture. The city has a major arts and design school, as well as a school of ceramics. In 2008, the municipal government inaugurated a new cultural center.
More about the foundation of Caldas da Rainha
One day in 1484, while Queen Leonor (wife of King João II) travelled from Óbidos to Batalha, she found a group of peasants bathing in foul-smelling waters by the roadside.
Queen Leonor stopped to inquire about this oddity and was told that the waters possessed curative powers. She decided to try them for herself.
The Queen was pleased to find that she was quickly relieved of some affliction she had been suffering, and on that site, the queen ordered a thermal hospital built so that others may enjoy the relief that she felt.
Construction began the following year, 1485.
The name of the settlement that grew up around the site - Caldas da Rainha - refers to both its founder and the reason for its existence.
Wine from the region of Centro
Portugal produces some of the world's finest, oldest, unique and highest value-added wines.
The country has a large variety of native breeds - about 285 - producing a very wide variety
of different wines with distinctive personality.
