Route: Santar garden village - Casa de Santar vineyards - Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Prazeres - forested slopes of the Dão river valley – Santar.
Distance: between 6 - 10 km
Duration: 3 - 6 hrs depending on group
Hiking level: moderate
Lunch: optional at Restaurant O’Figueiras.
Costs: between € 12,50 and € 25 for the hike depending on distance (half price for children ages 5 to 15), lunch € 12,50
Starting point & time: 10h at parking area in front of Casa Santa Misericordia
Additional activities in the area: river beach with cafe's and playground in Alcafache.
All the qualities of the Dão valley in one hike. From the enchanting historic village of Santar, through endless Dão wine grape fields and the forest on the steep slopes of the Dão valley.
This hike begins and ends at a small café in ‘Santar garden village’, with its many old estates and various famous wine houses. We start with a small tour through the village, getting to know some of the rich history. From here we walk into the seemingly endless grape fields of ‘Casa de Santar’ that border the village. As we walk on the old caminhos towards the Chapel of Sra. dos Prazeres the landscape changes from agricultural land to forest.
From the chapel the hike leads down towards the river on a windy old cobblestone road and offers some beautiful vistas of the river valley. From down by the river the route follows a Roman road up the steep forested slopes back towards Santar where our reward is waiting at the edge of the village: a good Portuguese lunch at Restaurant O’Figueiras.
This hike can be shortened to 2 hours or extended to a full day hike upon request.
