Birches and meadow at Covão d'Ametade, beneath Cântaro Magro

Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL · CC BY-SA 2.0

Covão d'Ametade, the glacial lagoon of Cântaro Magro

A birch meadow at about 1,500 m at the foot of Cântaro Magro, where the Zêzere begins to take shape. Walk · 1 h · Everyone

InformationFree

Price: Free
Duration: 1 h
Season: Spring to autumn; in summer, arrive early
Who it's for: Everyone; rest area with tables

A former glacial lagoon turned into a meadow, with birch trees and Cântaro Magro rising behind, at about 1,500 m. Here the Zêzere is still a stream. It has a rest area for visitors and is the prettiest picnic spot in the mountains; on summer weekends the car park fills before midday.

With young childrenAs a familyWith teenagers

Directions See all of Serra da Estrela

Opening hours and prices can change: check them before you go.

Round off the plan

Where to eat, where to stay and what else to do

To eat nearby

A table laid by the window, with Manteigas and the sierra behind

Hotel Berne Restaurant

Restaurant · Manteigas · €€€€

What to order: the Manteigas trout or the feijocas, the village's bean stew.

A couple having dinner beside the fireplace while the waiter pours the wine

Nubbin, restaurant of the Casa das Penhas Douradas

Restaurant · Penhas Douradas (Manteigas) · €€€€

What to order: at midday, the mountain cooking; in the evening, the signature menu beside the fireplace.

A chef plating up and a piece of meat grilled over the coals

Fatiga, restaurant of the Casa de São Lourenço

Restaurant · Manteigas · €€€€

What to order: the seasonal menu, with a table by the window at sunset.

To stay nearby

The large former sanatorium building among pines on the mountain slope

Pousada Serra da Estrela

Penhas da Saúde · Former sanatorium · Indoor and outdoor pool · Spa · Small dogs allowed

Dogs welcome

Why we like it: A pousada in the former sanatorium at Penhas da Saúde, remade by Souto Moura, with a heated indoor pool, spa, games room and children's club.

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The hotel's outdoor pool with the green slopes of the sierra behind

Hotel Berne

In Manteigas · Rooms with balconies over the sierra · Outdoor pool and garden · Family rooms

Why we like it: Family hotel with 17 rooms with balconies in Manteigas, at the foot of the Zêzere glacial valley, with an outdoor pool, a garden and a restaurant serving mountain cooking.

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The hotel lit at dusk among pines, at Penhas Douradas

Casa das Penhas Douradas

Penhas Douradas · Mountain views · Mountain spa · Nubbin restaurant · Connecting rooms for families

Why we like it: A mountain hotel at Penhas Douradas, above Manteigas, made of cork and birch wood, with a spa, a signature restaurant and eight waymarked trails.

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Useful services

Manteigas tourist pointMunicipal tourist office in the centre of Manteigas, with maps of the Manteigas Trilhos Verdes trails and the state of the mountain roads.

More to do nearby

Itineraries

Features in these plans

Itinerary · 2 nights Two Nights in the Serra da Estrela, Two and a Half Hours from Salamanca Serra da Estrela · 9 stops

Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/serra-da-estrela/things-to-do/covao-d-ametade