Schist Villages of Lousã Mountain: Artistic and Natural Rewards in a Half-Day Tour from Coimbra

Embark on a half-day tour from Coimbra to explore the Schist Villages of Lousã Mountain. Immerse yourself in the artistic inspiration and natural beauty of these small villages nestled in the mountains.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Cerdeira - The Schist Village of Cerdeira, right in the heart of the mountains, distinguished by its natural beauty. It is a place of artistic inspiration based on the School of Arts and Crafts that promote art and creativity in line with the silence and the surrounding natural wealth. Perfectly rebuilt with houses integrated into the landscape, thanks to the reuse of shale stones, clay and brown wood.

  • Aldeia Do Candal - The Schist Village of Candal, the best located, developed and most visited, thanks to its easy access. Nestled in the mountains on a hill facing south, the visitor walks through the narrow, steep streets and from the top of the viewpoint contemplates the beautiful views over the valley.

  • Aldeia do Talasnal - The Schist Village of Talasnal, the largest and best preserved. The village with the most charisma, endowed with a natural setting that makes us immerse ourselves in a magical world. Discovering the village through the narrow, steep streets of the hillside is timeless. There are alleys to discover, stairs to go up or down and balconies to admire. Here Nature and Human hand are brought together.

What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges included
  • Professional driver/guide
  • Comfortable transport in an air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Travel to the Schist Villages of Serra da Lousã, a group of small villages of shepherds spread across the mountains.

The visit begins at the Village of Cerdeira, right in the heart of the mountains. It is a place of artistic inspiration based on the School of Arts and Crafts that promote art and creativity in line with the silence and the surrounding natural wealth.

We continue through the Village of Candal. Nestled in the mountains on a hill facing south, the visitor walks through the narrow, steep streets and from the top of the viewpoint contemplates the beautiful views over the valley.

The Village of Talasnal, the largest and best preserved. Discovering the village through the narrow, steep streets of the hillside is timeless.

We return to Coimbra after this journey “in time” to our rural ancestor.

Location
Av. Emídio Navarro 21
Avenida Emídio Navarro
In front of Astória Hotel
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(25 Ratings)
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Trevortrotter
Sep 20, 2024
A great half day out. - The Schist villages are fascinating and the landscape beautiful and restful. Xavier was a great guide. Very knowledgeable about the history, engaging and attentive to our needs and wishes. We can highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jill_e
Sep 17, 2024
A Unique Experience - We enjoyed spending the morning with Pedro exploring the three Schist Villages. These villages are unique and very interesting. Pedro was an excellent tour guide providing us with lots of information. He was a careful driving on the mountain roads. Thank you Pedro. We highly recommend visiting these Schist villages.
Review provided by Viator
Sharon_s
Sep 6, 2024
Simply amazing to see ancient Schist Villages! - The entire experience was incredible not just one thing! And to have a private tour guide who knows the area and can drive the very narrow mountains was priceless!! Xavier was so kind and knowledgeable, id book a tour with him any day of the week!
Review provided by Viator
O2491lfmartaf
Aug 4, 2024
XISTOvilhosa Experience - We would like to express our sincere thanks to Xavier for the excellent service provided during our visit to the three Villages of Shisto (Cerdeira, Candal and Talasnal) in Lousã. His deep understanding of local history and culture, combined with his professionalism, sympathy and great sense of humor, made our experience truly unforgettable! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for guiding us through these charming places! We strongly recommend your services to all those who wish to explore the region in an authentic and enriching way...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancy_k
Jul 5, 2024
Schist Tour - Great overview of the Schist Villages. It was prudent that the tour owner drove to the villages given the narrow roads with hairpin turns and switchbacks.
Review provided by Viator
Lindsey_g
Jun 16, 2024
Would book again - This was a wonderful tour and great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable. The villages were very beautiful.
Review provided by Viator
Susanry1123an
Jun 14, 2024
Great tour and tour guide. - I thought this tour was fascinating. Xavier is the best tour guide I have ever had. He was so knowledgable and informative. He was punctual in collecting us from an easy to find meet up point. Very comfortable car. The three villages we visited were quite different to each other and all very interesting. Loved this half day tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_v
Apr 16, 2024
A Wonderful History Lesson in a Beautiful Area - Beautiful trip. Our driver and driver in training were very knowledgeable, engaged with us, and made our trip enjoyable. They had great senses of humor. They were patient in answering our many questions. A great experience!
Review provided by Viator
Debra_c
Mar 14, 2024
We loved our tour of Schist Villages! - Our guide was wonderful and made our trip to Schist Villages so informative and enjoyable. The pickup spot and in Coimbra was easy to locate. Our guide told us the history of the villages as well as showed us many other interesting things on the way to and from the villages. It was our favorite Portugal tour and we loved it. The settings for the villages is in the mountains so we saw mountain streams and hiking trails among the houses. We learned about the red and yellow hiking signs which explain the routes through the mountains. The construction of the houses is fascinating. We definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Carolyn_n
Jul 27, 2024
A different experience - Pedro was informative and very nice. It was an interesting afternoon. He showed us around the villages and answered our questions. It was not what I had expected but an interesting afternoon.
Review provided by Viator
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October 2024
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