# Two Nights in the Serra da Estrela, Two and a Half Hours from Salamanca

The roof of Portugal in a weekend: Manteigas as a base, the glacial Zêzere valley, the birch lagoon of Covão d'Ametade, the Torre and the Poço do Inferno waterfall.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/serra-da-estrela/itineraries/two-nights-from-salamanca-by-car · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Serra da Estrela

The Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain in mainland Portugal and is closer to Salamanca than many Spanish ranges: two and a half hours by car through Fuentes de Oñoro, Vilar Formoso and the A25 to Guarda, and from there to Manteigas, at the bottom of a U-shaped glacial valley. From Cáceres it is a little over three hours. It is a two-night getaway to walk without big climbs if you prefer, eat sheep's cheese with a spoon and drive up to the Torre, at 1,993 metres, from where on clear days you can see the Sierra de Gredos.

## How do you get there from Salamanca?

By car, about 215 km: motorway to the Fuentes de Oñoro and Vilar Formoso border, the A25 to Guarda and a mountain road to Manteigas. When you cross the border the clock goes back an hour. Since 1 January 2025 the A25 has had no toll. Without a car, the CP Intercidades train reaches Guarda and Covilhã from Lisbon, but to climb into the mountains you need a taxi or a car: the range cannot be explored by public transport.

## Where to sleep?

Manteigas is the best base: it is at the bottom of the Zêzere valley, with hot springs and stone houses, and everything is less than an hour away. In the village, the Hotel Berne is a family hotel with 17 rooms with balconies, an outdoor pool, a garden, family rooms and free parking, and its restaurant is open to the public. On the slope above the valley, on the way to Penhas Douradas, the Casa de São Lourenço occupies one of the first pousadas in Portugal, from 1940: five stars, 20 rooms and suites overlooking the glacial valley, a spa and the panoramic restaurant Fatiga. Higher up, the Casa das Penhas Douradas, in cork and birch, has a spa, the restaurant Nubbin and eight trails from the door. On the southern slope, above Covilhã, the Pousada Serra da Estrela occupies the former sanatorium of Penhas da Saúde, remodelled by Souto Moura, with a heated indoor pool, a children's club and room for a small dog.

WhereWho it suits

Hotel BerneManteigas, in the valleyFamilies and mid-range budget

Casa de São LourençoAbove Manteigas, with a view of the valleyCouple, five-star treat

Casa das Penhas DouradasPenhas Douradas, in the heart of the mountainsWalking from the door, spa

Pousada Serra da EstrelaPenhas da Saúde, above CovilhãChildren, indoor pool, small dog

## The glacial valley of the Zêzere

It is 13 km long and U-shaped, and is one of the largest glacial valleys in Europe. On the sides rise the Cântaros, Magro, Gordo and Raso, three granite masses of up to 1,928 m. The whole range forms the Estrela Geopark, with marked routes and panels explaining erratic boulders, moraines and U-shaped valleys. Drive it from bottom to top at the end of the day, when the granite turns golden and there are almost no cars, or on foot along the trails at the bottom if you have a third night.

## With children

Covão d'Ametade is flat and peaceful, Poço do Inferno is close to the road and there is snow at the Torre in winter. The long routes in the valley are for children used to walking.

## El plan

### Friday · 18:30 · Arrival in Manteigas
Leaving Salamanca at 17:00, Spanish time, you arrive in daylight almost all year. A short walk round the stone village and dinner at the restaurant of the Hotel Berne, open to the public and with large windows onto the mountains: Manteigas trout, the village's feijocas or grilled kid. On Friday it serves dinner from 19:00 to 21:00; book.

### Saturday · 09:30 · Covão d'Ametade
At the foot of the Cântaro Magro, at about 1,500 m, where the Zêzere begins to take shape: a former glacial lagoon with birches and meadows. Flat and peaceful. In summer, at weekends the car park fills before midday: arrive early.

### Saturday · 12:00 · The Torre, the roof of Portugal
Along the valley road to the top. At 1,993 m, it is more a viewpoint with a car park and shops than a wild summit, but on a clear day you see from Gredos to the Figueira da Foz coast. Bring a coat: up there it is much colder than in Manteigas.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at Nubbin, in Penhas Douradas
On the way down from the Torre, the restaurant of the Casa das Penhas Douradas serves mountain cooking at midday, from 13:00 to 15:00, with wines from the regions surrounding the Estrela. It does not publish a closing day: book by phone or email. Afterwards, a siesta or a short trail from the hotel.

### Saturday · 17:00 · Penhas Douradas at sunset
The mountain balcony above Manteigas, with a former meteorological observatory and oddly shaped rocks. With the low sun, the ranges of the centre can be seen in layers.

### Saturday · 20:00 · Dinner at Fatiga, above the valley
The panoramic restaurant of the Casa de São Lourenço cooks Beiras recipes with seasonal produce, with its big windows over the glacial valley. It is the special dinner of the weekend; its website does not publish hours or prices, so book by phone before you go.

### Sunday · 10:00 · Poço do Inferno
A waterfall at 1,080 m on the Leandres stream, between granite and slate, a few kilometres from Manteigas along a narrow mountain road. Close to the road: good with children.

### Sunday · 12:00 · Lunch at the Hotel Berne
On Sunday at midday it opens from 12:00 to 14:00 (closed in the evening): order the trout or the Manteigas feijocas, or a cheese fondue if it is cold.

### Sunday · 14:00 · Serra da Estrela cheese and the return
Buy the cheese at a dairy in the valley: ask whether it is cured or amanteigado, creamy, opened at the top and eaten with a spoon. Leaving at 14:30 Portuguese time, you reach Salamanca around 18:00 Spanish time.

## Cuándo no ir

The Torre on a snowy Sunday: traffic jams on the road, full car parks and not much snow for so many people.

## Aviso

### With snow, the high roads close.
In winter, the climb to the Torre is often cut off by snow or ice. Check road conditions before setting out and bring chains.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Salamanca to the Serra da Estrela?
About two and a half hours by car to Manteigas, about 215 km. From Cáceres, a little over three hours. In Portugal it is an hour earlier.

### Can you drive up to the Torre?
Yes, there is a road to the top and a car park. In winter it is often closed by snow.

### What is the best time?
From May to October, with the high roads open. In October the trees in the valley change colour.

### Are there tolls?
Not on the A25: Portugal removed the toll on this motorway on 1 January 2025.

### Can you go without a car?
The train from Lisbon reaches Guarda and Covilhã, but for the mountains you need a taxi or a car.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Casa das Penhas Douradas**: A hotel on the mountain's balcony
The Casa das Penhas Douradas is at Penhas Douradas, the old mountain resort above Manteigas, with sanatorium architecture that still survives. The hotel was rebuilt with natural materials, cork and birch wood, with simple lines and coloured fabrics; it blends into a landscape of granite and pines. It belongs, with the Burel factory in Manteigas, to the same mountain project.
Rooms, spa and trails
All the rooms look onto the mountain and have wifi, air conditioning and heating. They do not accept cots or extra beds, but there are connecting rooms for families. It has a mountain spa and its own restaurant, Nubbin. From the door leave eight waymarked trails with the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, six short and two long.
Getting there
You drive up from Manteigas along the Penhas Douradas road. The Penhas Douradas are at the door; the glacial valley and Torre, a good half hour away. In winter, expect snow on the road.
- **Pousada Serra da Estrela**: Sleeping in the old sanatorium
The pousada is at Penhas da Saúde, on the slope of Covilhã, in the building of the mountain's former sanatorium, which the architect Eduardo Souto Moura restored while respecting its lines. The arched windows of the restaurant look onto the mountain. For large families there are connecting rooms with a sofa bed, up to eight people.
Pools, spa and games
It has a heated indoor pool all year round for guests, an outdoor pool in summer among gardens, sauna, Turkish bath and spa (from 9:00 to 18:00). For children, a games room and children's club. It is also a hotel for cyclists, and accepts one small dog per room, up to 15 kg, for €30 a night. Free parking.
Eating
The restaurant mixes traditional mountain dishes with a modern approach; lunch is from 13:00 to 15:00. The bar opens from 11:00 to midnight, with a wine corner and boards of the region's cheeses and cured meats.
Getting there
By the N339 from Covilhã, where the CP Intercidades arrives from Lisbon. Torre is a short drive up the same road, which in winter is often closed by snow. Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
- **Hotel Berne**: A valley hotel in Manteigas
The Hotel Berne is at Quinta de Santo António, in Manteigas, the village at the bottom of the Zêzere glacial valley. It is a quiet family hotel with 17 rooms, all with a balcony or terrace looking onto the pool or the hillside. From here you can drive up to Covão d'Ametade, the Poço do Inferno or the Torre.
The rooms
They have parquet floors and simple wooden furniture, central heating and air conditioning, a TV, a telephone and a bathroom with a hairdryer. There are doubles or twins and family rooms of several sizes, designed for parents with children. The cot and the extra bed are requested beforehand and paid for separately.
The rest
Outdoor pool, garden and terrace, a games room with billiards, chess and a fireplace, wifi throughout the hotel and free parking. Breakfast is a buffet with homemade bread, cheeses and cured meats, in the same dining room as the restaurant, which looks onto the sierra. They hire out leisure equipment, such as skis or bikes, and have a laundry.
Getting here
From Salamanca you enter by Vilar Formoso and the A25, toll-free since 2025, as far as Guarda; from there you drive down to Manteigas. The hotel gives about three hours from Lisbon along the A23 and the Belmonte exit. In winter, check the state of the sierra roads before crossing it.
- **Casa de São Lourenço**: The old pousada above the valley
The Casa de São Lourenço is on the EN232, on the slope above Manteigas, on the way to Penhas Douradas. It was one of the first pousadas in Portugal: it was designed in 1940 by the architect Rogério de Azevedo and Maria Keil drew its interiors. It reopened in 2018 as the first five-star hotel in the Serra da Estrela, from the same group as the Burel wool factory and the Casa das Penhas Douradas.
Rooms and suites
There are 15 rooms and 5 suites, all different, with picture windows over the mountain and the Zêzere glacial valley, Portuguese design furniture and burel wool blankets. The largest is the Suite Panorama Plus, of 47 m², with two bathrooms and two balconies. According to the website, a stay includes a buffet breakfast, an afternoon snack from 16:00 to 18:00, a daily guided walk if the weather allows, a soak in the outdoor ofurô and a visit to the Burel factory; confirm what is included in your rate when you book.
Eating and resting
The Fatiga restaurant cooks recipes from the Beiras with seasonal produce, with a view of the valley and a ceiling of golden burel stars. There is a panoramic spa with treatments and a pool. The website displays the Michelin Guide One Key distinction for 2025.

## Dónde dormir in style
- **Casa das Penhas Douradas**: A hotel on the mountain's balcony
The Casa das Penhas Douradas is at Penhas Douradas, the old mountain resort above Manteigas, with sanatorium architecture that still survives. The hotel was rebuilt with natural materials, cork and birch wood, with simple lines and coloured fabrics; it blends into a landscape of granite and pines. It belongs, with the Burel factory in Manteigas, to the same mountain project.
Rooms, spa and trails
All the rooms look onto the mountain and have wifi, air conditioning and heating. They do not accept cots or extra beds, but there are connecting rooms for families. It has a mountain spa and its own restaurant, Nubbin. From the door leave eight waymarked trails with the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, six short and two long.
Getting there
You drive up from Manteigas along the Penhas Douradas road. The Penhas Douradas are at the door; the glacial valley and Torre, a good half hour away. In winter, expect snow on the road.
- **Pousada Serra da Estrela**: Sleeping in the old sanatorium
The pousada is at Penhas da Saúde, on the slope of Covilhã, in the building of the mountain's former sanatorium, which the architect Eduardo Souto Moura restored while respecting its lines. The arched windows of the restaurant look onto the mountain. For large families there are connecting rooms with a sofa bed, up to eight people.
Pools, spa and games
It has a heated indoor pool all year round for guests, an outdoor pool in summer among gardens, sauna, Turkish bath and spa (from 9:00 to 18:00). For children, a games room and children's club. It is also a hotel for cyclists, and accepts one small dog per room, up to 15 kg, for €30 a night. Free parking.
Eating
The restaurant mixes traditional mountain dishes with a modern approach; lunch is from 13:00 to 15:00. The bar opens from 11:00 to midnight, with a wine corner and boards of the region's cheeses and cured meats.
Getting there
By the N339 from Covilhã, where the CP Intercidades arrives from Lisbon. Torre is a short drive up the same road, which in winter is often closed by snow. Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
- **Casa de São Lourenço**: The old pousada above the valley
The Casa de São Lourenço is on the EN232, on the slope above Manteigas, on the way to Penhas Douradas. It was one of the first pousadas in Portugal: it was designed in 1940 by the architect Rogério de Azevedo and Maria Keil drew its interiors. It reopened in 2018 as the first five-star hotel in the Serra da Estrela, from the same group as the Burel wool factory and the Casa das Penhas Douradas.
Rooms and suites
There are 15 rooms and 5 suites, all different, with picture windows over the mountain and the Zêzere glacial valley, Portuguese design furniture and burel wool blankets. The largest is the Suite Panorama Plus, of 47 m², with two bathrooms and two balconies. According to the website, a stay includes a buffet breakfast, an afternoon snack from 16:00 to 18:00, a daily guided walk if the weather allows, a soak in the outdoor ofurô and a visit to the Burel factory; confirm what is included in your rate when you book.
Eating and resting
The Fatiga restaurant cooks recipes from the Beiras with seasonal produce, with a view of the valley and a ceiling of golden burel stars. There is a panoramic spa with treatments and a pool. The website displays the Michelin Guide One Key distinction for 2025.

## Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Casa das Penhas Douradas**: A hotel on the mountain's balcony
The Casa das Penhas Douradas is at Penhas Douradas, the old mountain resort above Manteigas, with sanatorium architecture that still survives. The hotel was rebuilt with natural materials, cork and birch wood, with simple lines and coloured fabrics; it blends into a landscape of granite and pines. It belongs, with the Burel factory in Manteigas, to the same mountain project.
Rooms, spa and trails
All the rooms look onto the mountain and have wifi, air conditioning and heating. They do not accept cots or extra beds, but there are connecting rooms for families. It has a mountain spa and its own restaurant, Nubbin. From the door leave eight waymarked trails with the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, six short and two long.
Getting there
You drive up from Manteigas along the Penhas Douradas road. The Penhas Douradas are at the door; the glacial valley and Torre, a good half hour away. In winter, expect snow on the road.
- **Hotel Berne**: A valley hotel in Manteigas
The Hotel Berne is at Quinta de Santo António, in Manteigas, the village at the bottom of the Zêzere glacial valley. It is a quiet family hotel with 17 rooms, all with a balcony or terrace looking onto the pool or the hillside. From here you can drive up to Covão d'Ametade, the Poço do Inferno or the Torre.
The rooms
They have parquet floors and simple wooden furniture, central heating and air conditioning, a TV, a telephone and a bathroom with a hairdryer. There are doubles or twins and family rooms of several sizes, designed for parents with children. The cot and the extra bed are requested beforehand and paid for separately.
The rest
Outdoor pool, garden and terrace, a games room with billiards, chess and a fireplace, wifi throughout the hotel and free parking. Breakfast is a buffet with homemade bread, cheeses and cured meats, in the same dining room as the restaurant, which looks onto the sierra. They hire out leisure equipment, such as skis or bikes, and have a laundry.
Getting here
From Salamanca you enter by Vilar Formoso and the A25, toll-free since 2025, as far as Guarda; from there you drive down to Manteigas. The hotel gives about three hours from Lisbon along the A23 and the Belmonte exit. In winter, check the state of the sierra roads before crossing it.
- **Casa de São Lourenço**: The old pousada above the valley
The Casa de São Lourenço is on the EN232, on the slope above Manteigas, on the way to Penhas Douradas. It was one of the first pousadas in Portugal: it was designed in 1940 by the architect Rogério de Azevedo and Maria Keil drew its interiors. It reopened in 2018 as the first five-star hotel in the Serra da Estrela, from the same group as the Burel wool factory and the Casa das Penhas Douradas.
Rooms and suites
There are 15 rooms and 5 suites, all different, with picture windows over the mountain and the Zêzere glacial valley, Portuguese design furniture and burel wool blankets. The largest is the Suite Panorama Plus, of 47 m², with two bathrooms and two balconies. According to the website, a stay includes a buffet breakfast, an afternoon snack from 16:00 to 18:00, a daily guided walk if the weather allows, a soak in the outdoor ofurô and a visit to the Burel factory; confirm what is included in your rate when you book.
Eating and resting
The Fatiga restaurant cooks recipes from the Beiras with seasonal produce, with a view of the valley and a ceiling of golden burel stars. There is a panoramic spa with treatments and a pool. The website displays the Michelin Guide One Key distinction for 2025.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Casa das Penhas Douradas**: A hotel on the mountain's balcony
The Casa das Penhas Douradas is at Penhas Douradas, the old mountain resort above Manteigas, with sanatorium architecture that still survives. The hotel was rebuilt with natural materials, cork and birch wood, with simple lines and coloured fabrics; it blends into a landscape of granite and pines. It belongs, with the Burel factory in Manteigas, to the same mountain project.
Rooms, spa and trails
All the rooms look onto the mountain and have wifi, air conditioning and heating. They do not accept cots or extra beds, but there are connecting rooms for families. It has a mountain spa and its own restaurant, Nubbin. From the door leave eight waymarked trails with the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, six short and two long.
Getting there
You drive up from Manteigas along the Penhas Douradas road. The Penhas Douradas are at the door; the glacial valley and Torre, a good half hour away. In winter, expect snow on the road.
- **Pousada Serra da Estrela**: Sleeping in the old sanatorium
The pousada is at Penhas da Saúde, on the slope of Covilhã, in the building of the mountain's former sanatorium, which the architect Eduardo Souto Moura restored while respecting its lines. The arched windows of the restaurant look onto the mountain. For large families there are connecting rooms with a sofa bed, up to eight people.
Pools, spa and games
It has a heated indoor pool all year round for guests, an outdoor pool in summer among gardens, sauna, Turkish bath and spa (from 9:00 to 18:00). For children, a games room and children's club. It is also a hotel for cyclists, and accepts one small dog per room, up to 15 kg, for €30 a night. Free parking.
Eating
The restaurant mixes traditional mountain dishes with a modern approach; lunch is from 13:00 to 15:00. The bar opens from 11:00 to midnight, with a wine corner and boards of the region's cheeses and cured meats.
Getting there
By the N339 from Covilhã, where the CP Intercidades arrives from Lisbon. Torre is a short drive up the same road, which in winter is often closed by snow. Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
- **Hotel Berne**: A valley hotel in Manteigas
The Hotel Berne is at Quinta de Santo António, in Manteigas, the village at the bottom of the Zêzere glacial valley. It is a quiet family hotel with 17 rooms, all with a balcony or terrace looking onto the pool or the hillside. From here you can drive up to Covão d'Ametade, the Poço do Inferno or the Torre.
The rooms
They have parquet floors and simple wooden furniture, central heating and air conditioning, a TV, a telephone and a bathroom with a hairdryer. There are doubles or twins and family rooms of several sizes, designed for parents with children. The cot and the extra bed are requested beforehand and paid for separately.
The rest
Outdoor pool, garden and terrace, a games room with billiards, chess and a fireplace, wifi throughout the hotel and free parking. Breakfast is a buffet with homemade bread, cheeses and cured meats, in the same dining room as the restaurant, which looks onto the sierra. They hire out leisure equipment, such as skis or bikes, and have a laundry.
Getting here
From Salamanca you enter by Vilar Formoso and the A25, toll-free since 2025, as far as Guarda; from there you drive down to Manteigas. The hotel gives about three hours from Lisbon along the A23 and the Belmonte exit. In winter, check the state of the sierra roads before crossing it.
- **Casa de São Lourenço**: The old pousada above the valley
The Casa de São Lourenço is on the EN232, on the slope above Manteigas, on the way to Penhas Douradas. It was one of the first pousadas in Portugal: it was designed in 1940 by the architect Rogério de Azevedo and Maria Keil drew its interiors. It reopened in 2018 as the first five-star hotel in the Serra da Estrela, from the same group as the Burel wool factory and the Casa das Penhas Douradas.
Rooms and suites
There are 15 rooms and 5 suites, all different, with picture windows over the mountain and the Zêzere glacial valley, Portuguese design furniture and burel wool blankets. The largest is the Suite Panorama Plus, of 47 m², with two bathrooms and two balconies. According to the website, a stay includes a buffet breakfast, an afternoon snack from 16:00 to 18:00, a daily guided walk if the weather allows, a soak in the outdoor ofurô and a visit to the Burel factory; confirm what is included in your rate when you book.
Eating and resting
The Fatiga restaurant cooks recipes from the Beiras with seasonal produce, with a view of the valley and a ceiling of golden burel stars. There is a panoramic spa with treatments and a pool. The website displays the Michelin Guide One Key distinction for 2025.