The Aqueduct Estate located in one of the most picturesque areas of Portugal. The location of this wonderful resort is the Silver Coast, running the Atlantic from Lisbon in the South to Porto in the North. The Aqueduct Estate really does offer something for everyone. Situated in the Ribatejo area of central Portugal, it’s about one hour’s drive from the international airports of Lisbon and one and a half hours from Portugal’s second city of Porto, famous for its Port wine. The small City of Entroncamento, close by the resort, is the main railway hub of Portugal with a direct line to Madrid, Spain and the North and South of Portugal. The new motorway IC9 links Tomar with the west coast beaches, and several golf courses can be reached in 40 minutes. The road infrastructure, is excellent with motorway (highway) connections to all areas of Portugal and Spain. The A1, Lisbon-Porto motorway is only 10 minutes away from the resort, with the estate connected by good local roads.
In terms of culture, the Portuguese still celebrate customs dating back to medieval times. Many of these traditional festivals can be experienced during a visit to the area. The charming walled town of Obidos has a Chocolate Festival. There’s the ruined city of Coinimbriga where are numerous Knights Templar castles and churches within a 50 kilometre radius. You can visit Coimbra, the site of Portugal’s oldest University dating back to the 12th century, now vying for Europe’s oldest. Other attractions include the monastery of Alcoba where the first King of Portugal is buried, and the town of Batalha, taking its name from the final battle in Portugal’s war of Independence. Close to Batalha is the Roman Catholic Sanctory of Fatima, attracting millions of pilgrims each year. Golega is the home of the Lusitano Horse, a quiet town which comes to life in November for the colourful equestrian festival, drawing visitors from around the world.
The City of Tomar, celebrates the four-yearly festival of the Tabeleiros (Flowers). Though hardly known outside of Portugal, the event attracts more than one million visitors during the one week-long celebration. Tomar is the location of the Convent de Christo, a World heritage Site, and last headquarters of the Knights Templar, who existed for almost 100 years after their suppression by the Vatican in the early 14th century. It’s one of the great monuments of the western world. Tomar contains several churches of exceptional artistic value, private palaces and a 15th century synagogue.
Castelo do Bode dam and Lake is one of the great artificial lakes of Europe where all kinds of nautical sports can be enjoyed. It’s located 15 kilometres to the South West of Tomar providing various exciting activities including windsurfing, sailing, jet-ski, canoeing, wake-boarding and fishing. In 2015 the Wakeboard World Championship’s, were held in front of 20,000 spectators and a worldwide audience.
The Pegoes Aqueduct is a remarkable piece of engineering and architecture. It was erected by the will of Philip 1 of Portugal, with construction starting in 1593 under the supervision of Philip Zi. It was completed by Pedro Fernades de Torre in 1614 carrying 180 arches and stretching for six kilometres. It was declared a National Monument in 1910. From Lisbon to Porto, Portugal boasts some of Europe’s most picturesque cities replete with cobbled streets and intricate azulejo tiled murals. The country is also home to the Douro Valley, one of the world’s oldest wine producing regions, and the Algarve, full of beaches and countryside.
