Mealhada
Mealhada is a city and municipality of about 20,000 people in Beira Litoral, Portugal. It's in the subregion of Bairrada, an agro-viticulture zone of central Portugal.
Understand
Mealhada (mee-uh-LYAH-duh, /mi.ɐ.ˈʎa.dɐ/) municipality has 19,358 residents (2021 preliminary). The municipality includes the towns of Luso and Pampilhosa.
Get in
By car
A1 motorway exit: Mealhada.
By train
Trains between Aveiro & Coimbra.
The principal stations in the area are: Linha do Norte: Pampilhosa, Mealhada, Mogofores, O.Bairro, Oia, Paraimo/Sangalhos, Curia, Aguim.
Linha da Beira Alta: Pampilhosa, Luso/Bussaco, Quinta do Valongo/Vacarica, Trezoi.
Ramal da Figueira/Cantanhede: Pampilhosa, Mala.
Get around
walk
See
- 🌍 Miradouro da Cruz Alta, Luso. Viewpoint at the highest point of Serra do Buçaco at 547 m (1,795 ft). There's a tall cross in dense wooded forest.
- 🌍 Parque da Cidade de Mealhada (Mealhada's City Park). 14 hectares (35 acres) for leisure-time enjoyment, including sports and recreation. There's an Environmental Interpretation Center to inform about ecological issues.
Do
Central Mealhada/jardim/cafes.
Carnaval da Bairrada/Mealhada
Eat
- 🌍 Rei dos Leitões, Av. Restauração 17 (N1 road), ☏ +351 231 202 093. €40.
- 🌍 Restaurante Pedro dos Leitões, Rua Álvaro Pedro 1 (N1 road), ☏ +351 231 209 950. €40.
Drink
Regional spumantes (wines/vinho espumante da Bairrada).
Sleep
- 🌍 Bussaco Palace Hotel, Mata do Buçaco, Luso, ☏ +351 231 937 970, bussaco@almeidahotels.pt. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Five-star, 64-room hotel in an old royal palace. There is an onsite restaurant, Mesa Real. €92-148.
Go next
Coimbra, a university town with several monuments, city museums, parks.
- Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal, a city with canals.
- Beaches: Mira, Figueira da Foz, Serras do Bucaco & Caramulo..
- The bucolic town of Luso, the villages of Bucaco (Bussaco Palace hotel), Forest/Mata do Bussaco, Cruz Alta.
Also: Curia (spa/garden and lagoon).
- Aveiro/Barra/Costa Nova/Ilhavo (Vista Alegre/ceramics)/Ria de Aveiro/Sao Jacinto peninsula.
- Coimbra, hub city, university & other monuments in the capital of central Portugal.
- Mira/Praia de Mira (beach).
- Agueda/Fermentelos (lagoon).
- Figueira da Foz, a panoramic city at the mouth of Mongedo; beach/Costa de Prata, casino.
- Porto, monumental city (cidade Invicta), capital of Norte.
- Viseu, historic city,museum.
- Penacova, a town by the Mondego river.
- Lousa, a lovely mountain town.
Plus:
- Pinhel, castle and Coa valley.
- Guarda, cathedral/Se and Serra da Estrela.
- Tomar, Templar city.
- Leiria, castle and Pinhal de Leiria(pinewood).
- Espinho, beach casino/Costa Verde.
| Routes through Mealhada |
| Porto ← Aveiro ← | N S | → Coimbra |