The 12 Historic Towns of Portugal

Where can you feel the freedom of countryside vistas and the cozy security of walled enclosures? Put your boots on a hiking trail and perch above it all? Taste Roman history as well as savory cuisine? That’s easy: Portugal’s Beira Interior region.

The Heart of Portugal

In 1991, the government initiated a program to restore and promote 10 historic villages, ancient settlements important to the country’s past. Two more were added in 2003, bringing the total to 12.

The relevance of the area lies in its location, close to the Spanish border, where the need for defense meant planting villages and castles to both populate and fortify the territory. Two major forces were Portugal’s first king, Dom Afonso Henriques, and Dom Dinis, the regent who signed the treaty establishing the final border with Spain.

Here’s a look at the villages, listed in order to facilitate a road trip.