Environment
Castelo Branco 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 200 km away.
It is 50 km to the mountains and 3 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 more than 50 km away.
Climate : Inland clima with hot dry summers and cold winter weather Town character : Cultural-town Primary Industry : Service industry
Population in the city: 30.600 inhabitants. Population in the municipality: 56.000 inhabitants.
Castelo Branco is a city and a municipality in Centro region in the east inland Portugal and is one of the largest municipalities in Portugal.
Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman castro or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca, on the summit of the hill of Colina da Cardosa. The population grew on the slopes of this hill.
It was around 1215 the Templars built the walls and the castle in Castelo Branco. The most important monument in Castelo Branco is the Jardim do Paço Episcopal (Garden of the Episcopal Palace). It is one of the most beautiful baroque gardens in Portugal and contains statues of allegories, kings and zodiacal signs, arranged around ponds, terraces and staircases.
The district of Castelo Branco is also famed for the Castelo Branco cheese.
Education
Castelo Branco is home to the Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco - a state-run polytechnic institute of higher education - prising schools of agriculture, technology, management, education, art and health.
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.
