The bit between the two cities that nobody stops in
Almost everyone lands in Lisbon and turns south, or lands in Porto and stays put. The middle of the country — pine forest, dune coast, university towns, hills — is where Portuguese families have gone for their own holidays for decades.
Pombal, in the Leiria district
Pombalis a market town on the old road north, with a castle on the hill above it and the A1 running past. It is not a resort and does not pretend to be: there is a Saturday market, a handful of good, cheap restaurants, and everything a household of eight needs within a few minutes' drive.
What the position buys you is choice. The Atlantic is half an hour west. Coimbra and its university are half an hour north. Fátima is half an hour east. Lisbon and Porto are an hour and a half in either direction, which makes both of them a day out rather than a base.
It also means you are unlikely to queue for anything. The beaches here are wide and dune-backed and, even in August, nothing like the Algarve.
A note on the seasons
July and August are hot, dry and busy on the coast, and the pool earns its keep. June and September are the sweet spot: warm enough to swim, quiet enough to park anywhere. May and October are mild and green and much cheaper, with the caveat that the Atlantic is bracing.
Winter is wet and soft and nobody is here. If you want the house for a month of work with an office in the attic and a fire in the evening, that is when to ask.
Rates by season are on the home page, and what is worth driving to is on the day trips page.
A whole house in the quiet middle of the country
4 ensuite suites · sleeps 8 · private pool · the whole house, never shared
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