Our next “stay the night” stop in Portugal after Coimbra was the Douro Valley, where we would spend one night at Quinta Nova. We didn’t drive directly from Coimbra to the Douro Valley, though, as Google Maps had shown me something interesting along the way: Mata nacional do Bussaco.
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Mata Nacional do Mussaco
This park (10 hectares) has different entrances and can be accessed by foot, by bike or by car. If you’re really brave and have enough time, you can go by foot or by bike, but I strongly recommend you go by car (it’s €5 per car, while it’s free to go on foot).
Why? Well, mainly because the interesting hiking paths don’t start until you’re well into the park and as the park is situated on hilly terrain, you’ll gladly skip the less interesting part. There are several places within the park were you can park your car to go explore, or you can immediately drive to the center of the park where you’ll find the visitors shop, which doubles as an info center. There you can get a map of the different hiking routes.
Another thing you’ll find there is the 5-star Palace Hotel do Bussaco, housed in a former monastery.
And located next to the visitors shop, there’s a small terrace where they sell some snacks, ice cream and drinks. I’m mentioning this because Boyfriend ordered a hot dog there and this is what he got:
That’s right: there are tiny fries/chips on the hot dog! And they tasted good.
A stop to make
I highly recommend visiting the park. It offers great hiking possibilities, the hotel is beautiful and it’s an ideal stop if you’re heading from Lisbon to the north or the other way around. It’s pretty hilly terrain, but we even saw one courageous mountain biker there.
I didn’t go inside the hotel, but you can find plenty of reviews on booking sites.
Side note: funny was that a couple we’d seen at breakfast at our hotel that morning was visiting Mata Nacional do Bussaco on the exact same day as we were.
Where to stay in Portugal
check Booking.com for an extensive list of options for all budgets and needs.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Lisbon in a day
Climbing Porto’s hilly streets
Quinta Nova, a peaceful paradise in the middle of the Douro Valley
Exploring Coimbra
Mike says
Because of the long trek you were headed to inside the park I thought you were kidding for second on the 5-star part the Palace Hotel do Bussaco. The place is a stunningly, beautiful property! I hope all is well, Sofie :)
Sofie Couwenbergh says
I never kid! Just kidding :) It looked gorgeous with personnel dressed up really nicely. You know, the kind of place you’d splurge at:)
Heather says
That looks BEAUTIFUL! I love ruins, a I like hiking, and I don’t like walking when taking a car is better. Sounds like you did exactl what I would have done! Thanks for the photos of an interesting place, and thanks for the tips too.
Sofie Couwenbergh says
My pleasure Heather! That’s why I started this blog: to share my travel experiences so they might help people plan their own trip and to inspire people to get out there.
I’m in LA at the moment and a couple of days ago I hiked all the way up to the Griffith Observatory. It was blistering hot but SO worth it. A great view is always better when it took some effort to get there.
Sand In My Suitcase says
Looks like some great hiking! And a great place to rest one’s tootsies afterward… Pack us in your suitcase the next time you hike around the Palace Hotel do Bussaco.
Sofie Couwenbergh says
I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to carry you far:)