Portugal

294
COIMBRA & THE BEIRAS
12
LEIRIA
Visitor Information
The Leiria Tourist Office is at Jardim Luís de Camões (& 24/484-87-70; www.rt-leiria
fatima.pt). The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5:30pm.
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN LEIRIA
EXPLORING THE TOWN From any point in town, you can see the great Castelo de
Leiria (& 24/481-39-82), once occupied by Dinis, the poet-king, and his wife,
known as Sta. Isabella. The imposing castle has been extensively restored. The castle
church, like the palace, is Gothic. From an arched balcony there’s a panoramic view
of the city and its surroundings. The Moors had a stronghold on this hill while they were
taking possession of the major part of the Iberian peninsula. Portugal’s first king, Afonso
Henríques, took the fortress in the 12th century and twice recovered it after the Moors
had retaken it.
Admission to the fortress is 2€; the museum admission is 3.50€. It’s open Tuesday to
Sunday April to October 10am to 6:30pm, and November to March 9:30am to 5:30pm.
For more information, ask at the tourist office (see above). You can drive right to the
castle’s front door. On the way, you might visit the Igreja de São Pedro, Largo de São
Pedro, which dates from the 12th century.
Around Leiria is one of the oldest state forests in the world. In about 1300, Dinis
began the systematic planting of the Pinhal do Rei, with trees brought from the Landes
area in France. He hoped to curb the spread of sand dunes, which ocean gusts were
extending deep into the heartland. The forest, still maintained today, provided timber
used to build the caravels Portugal used for exploring.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES If you’d like to combine sightseeing with some beach life,
head to São Pedro de Moel, 23km (14 miles) west of Leiria and 135km (84 miles) north
of Lisbon. Take N242 west of Leiria to the glass-manufacturing center of Marinha
Grande, and then take N242 the rest of the way (9km/51 ⁄2 miles) to the ocean. São Pedro
de Moel, perched on a cliff above the Atlantic, is known for its bracing ocean breezes.
New villas have sprung up, yet the old quarter retains its cobblestone streets. The whitesand
beaches run up to the village’s gray-walled ramparts, and the scattered rocks offshore
create controlled conditions, rolling breakers, and rippling surf. On a palisade above the
beach at the residential edge of the village is a good hotel, the Hotel Mar e Sol, Av. da
Liberdade 1, 2430-501 Pedro do Moel, Marinha Grande (& 24/459-00-00; fax 24/459-
00-19; www.hotelmaresol.com). A double room is 55€ to 110€, including breakfast.
SHOPPING For such a small town, Leiria has a large number of shopping centers,
called centros comerciales. We usually prefer to wander the streets of the historic core,
looking for bargains and unusual handicrafts on Praça Rodrigues Lobo and the many
narrow medieval streets radiating from it.
WHERE TO STAY
Moderate
Hotel Eurosol Jardim This is not only the best hotel in town, it also happens to
be the town’s social hub—locals come here to congregate in its rooftop lounge bar and
dining room. The hotel itself consists of two contemporary midrise towers, which compete
with the stone castle crowning the opposite hill to dominate the skyline. The midsize
rooms, well liked by business travelers, are equivalent to those in any first-class hotel
in the north. They’re all smart yet simple, with views, built-in headboards, and woodpaneled
wardrobe walls.