Wisetrips Travel Blog

After visiting Obidos and Caldas da Rainha, we drove for 30 minutes to Buddha Eden Garden of Peace in Bombarral. Once we purchased our tickets (12.00 euros/person), we waited to board a train to ride around the gardens. We got off at our first stop and started taking many photos. The train is relatively slow and has a few stops. Next time, I would skip it altogether. The gardens are enormous and beautiful, and we…

After stopping at Obidos, we had some free time and decided to visit the spa town of Caldas da Rainha. Once we found free parking in Caldas da Rinha, we strolled through the Parque Dom Carlos I , which overlooks a small lake with rowboats and large hospitals. If we had time, we would have liked to stroll through the park and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the little pond overlooking the hospital. Being pressed for tim…

Monday, September 30, 2024 After  a delicious breakfast at  Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas , we packed our suitcases and drove to Obidos. It was about 08:30, and some rush-hour traffic slowed us down on our way . We arrived in the vicinity of Obidos around 10:00 and parked in the unpaved but  Free Parking lot. From there, we walked across the street and entered the medieval city of Obidos (protected by city walls). …

Sunday, September 29, 2024 Since Inna had pre-purchased tickets  for the 15:00 English-speaking Tour of the  University of Coimbra Library , we ordered an UberX to get  there on time. Arriving on schedule, we waited for our tour to begin at the Ticket Office. Our tour guide,  Patricia , was excellent (with perfect British English pronunciation). She provided us with headsets so we could hear the explanations as we wandere…

Saturday, September 28, 2024 At around 17:30, we finally found our way to Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas (from Casal de São Simão). Although we arrived 30 minutes early, we could not find the car entrance, and both Google Maps and Apple Maps gave incorrect directions. We called the hotel, and the receptionist explained how to use the service entrance. Once inside the hotel's driveway, I had to back up my Nissan Qashq…

At noon, after checking out of  H2otel / Aquadome in Unhais de Terra, we drove the Nissan Qashqai to Casal de São Simão to hike along the wooden floorboards to the famous "Passadico das Fragas de São Simão." Upon arrival at 14:00, we were hungry and decided to stop for lunch at Restaurante Varanda do Casal . It was an unexpectedly fancy restaurant at such an unusual location. After being seated, we ordered the …

Friday, September 27, 2024 At around 09:30, we started our one-hour drive from Unhais da Serra to Piodao. The road was extraordinarily twisty and narrow, but it had beautiful views of the surrounding hills and mountains. Some of the hills were purple (perhaps Jacaranda )? Upon reaching Piódão, we parked our car and added extra layers of clothing, as it was a chilly 50°F, overcast, and windy. After a brief stop …