The Municipality of Covilhã rests on the eastern slopes of the Serra da Estrela mountain range. It is in the north of the Castelo Branco Region. The Castelo Branco region is bordered by Spain and surrounded by the Districts of Guarda to the North, Portalegre in the South and Leiria, Coimbra and Santarém to the West.

Covilhã was once the largest city in the district of Castelo Branco; it is made up of four urban parishes: São Mar tinho, São Pedro, Santa Maria and Conceição. Its status as a city was bestowed by King Luis I on 20th October 1870, and in 2010 they celebrated 140 years as a city. The Municipality has an area of over 550 thousand hectares and around 54.000 inhabitants in 31 parishes.

Covilhã offers visitors' fantastic views of the surrounding landscape; the city seems to cling to the side of the hill and is almost cuddled by the surrounding mountains. It is a welcoming city, which combines the old town with the modern contemporary University City. It is dynamic and full of life, and offers visitors a wide range of cultural, social and sporting hospitality. Remember if you are visiting in the winter to wrap up warm as its lower town sits at 450m and the upper reaches are at 800m above sea level and often have winter snow.

Holding a strategic position between the Carpinteira and Degoldra Rivers, Covilhã has excellent pastures for sheep breeding and essential conditions for the manufacture of cloth. In the past the landscape was full of water-mills, flour-mills, dyer-shops and tents and later, factories. In 1673 under the orders of the Regent Prince, later King Pedro II, five experts were brought from England to set up the textile factories in Covilhã.; another link in the long history between Portugal and England.

Covilhã is at the centre of Country's textile industry. In the 1960s, the Portuguese Colonial war, emigration and mechanization lead to a decline but it still remains one of the biggest woollen fabrics producers in Europe producing 40.000 km of fabric each year. You can still see the remnants of the mills if you drive up in to the hills above the town.

You will find many handicrafts in local shops and markets, including wicker baskets, cloth dolls, all manner of leather, woollen and linen articles as well as lace and tapestry work and of course the famous Serra da Estrela Cheese. This gloopy cheese is best eaten with a spoonand served with crackers. It is made under strict rules from sheep's milk.

Covilhã is home to the University of Beira Interior, and like many university towns, is full of life and activity; the main building was the Royal Textile Factory in a former life. There are many places to eat and drink and just watch life go by. It is a short drive up the mountain to the Ski resorts (Vodafone Ski Resort and Skiparque) where you can enjoy an array of winter sports. Skiparque also have an all-year-round dry ski slope and other outdoor pursuits.

If you want to visit and stay awhile there are many hotels in Covilhã and more information is available from the Turismo website, although it is only in Português.

Covilhã has a railway station, bus station and a private airport, so you have a choice of how to get there. If you are taking your skis & boots and travelling to the top of Serra da Estrela then the car might be best.

Serra da Estrela

According to local legend the name was given to Serra da Estrela by a shepherd who lived in the Mondego valley. He spent his nights contemplating a star so bright that it illuminated the summit of a mountain nearby. The star attracted him and in the company of his faithful dog he set off for the summit. After many days of climbing they reached the summit.

Impressed with the brightness of the star, he said to his dog, "this place seems to be favoured by the stars so I will call it Serra da Estrela and as you accompanied me I will give you the same name." The peak of the Serra da Estrela is the highest point in mainland Portugal at 1993 meters, and is marked by a tower (Torre) and accessible by road from Covilhã and Seia.

The natural park of Serra da Estrela was created in July 1976, and covers several counties and 101,060 acres of land. In the largest mass of the central ridge there is a vast plateau and the ridge itself stretches for 100km and is 30km at its' widest point. It is near the top of the mountain, that you will find the source of the rivers Mondego and Zêzere. There are glacial valleys and lakes that are left over from the Ice Age. The area is a haven for walkers, photographers and nature-lovers, with many small settlements dotted among the great soaring rocky ridges and the fertile fields of corn and vines. Tourism is an important feature, since the mountain's slopes attract lovers of skiing in winter, and nature tourists in summer. The flora and fauna is extremely diverse and there are many unique species to be found in this area.

Covilhã is on the far east edge of central Portugal but extremely well worth a visit. If you can, make it a long weekend as you will find that once you are there, there is plenty to see and many interesting towns and villages to visit; if you can spare the time, make sure you check out the higher locations such as Manteigas, Sabugueiro, Seia and Gouveia.

The Turismo office can be found at Praça do Município, 6200-151 Covilhã 
(GPS 40°16'49.90"N 7°30'15.62"W)

www.turismocovilha.pt