Beira-Baixa’s capital and district headquarters, situated in the center of a plateau region where the border between a granitic region to the North of the city and a shale region to the South and West of the city is established.It’s an old city, where lies the ruins of a templar castle built in the 13th century.

The city is situated in the border between the mountain ranges of both Gardunha and Estrela, and Alentejo. It’s located near Spain and there’s a number of interesting places that make it particularly relevant when visiting this region of Portugal.

Castelo Branco has a well preserved historical part, with steep streets, modest houses and old manors that reflect the environment of other times. The 16th century portals route is of particular interest. These entrances in 16th century granite are the most well preserved ones from that time in Portugal. Different designs, that reflect the different statuses of the households are still visible in some houses that adapted throughout the centuries.

The famous silk embroidery and quilts that date back to the Age of Discovery are from Castelo Branco.Unique throughout the world, it’s not exactly known how they were brought to Castelo Branco but it’s safe to say that it’s due to the relations and influences from the east, particularly China and India.

There are various places of interest like Sé Catedral, gardens like the garden of Paço Episcopal with famous statues and a large group of museums where you can learn how the city and region were in the past. The Francisco Tavares Proença Museum with archaeological findings, tapestry collections of the XVI century and portuguese primitive art. The silk museum where you can watch the process of obtaining silk and the production of quilts in Castelo Branco, the Cargaleiro museum with known works of Mestre Manuel Cargaleiro, and the museum of modern art with regular showings of contemporary art.

From Castelo Branco you can visit the region, its historical villages, schist villages, and Estrela and Gardunha mountain ranges. These visits can be easily combined with visits to the Spanish Extremadura, one of the regions with the richest history in the patrimony of the neighbouring country.