The Beiras region – a land of fortified hill villages, giant boulders, creamy sheep cheese, and Portugal’s most august university – makes a rewarding transition between the fries green north and the cultural hotbed radiating from Lisbon.

Officially, the Beiras region is subdivided into Alta, Baixa, and litoral, to which you could easily add a fourth, the mountainous spine of the Serra da Estrela. To the west of this massif lie outgoing, dynamic towns, while on its eastern side a string of defensive castles and walled towns face the old enemy, Spain.

These medieval outposts evolved over centuries of conflict, but long before that the Romans had left their mark at Conimbriga, to the west. Today this area remains the socio-cultural heart of the Beiras in the form of Coimbra. This lively, attractive university town entrances the visitor with its cultural sights, fado music, gastronomy, outdoor activities, and a number of nearby bucolic escapes.