The best road cycling routes around Lomba

Sabugal Castle is one of the most imposing and well-preserved medieval fortifications in Portugal. It is known as the "Castle of the Five Corners" due to the unusual shape of its impressive pentagonal keep, the castle's most iconic feature. Its pentagonal (five-cornered) plan is considered unique in Portuguese military architecture. It is approximately 30 meters high and offers incredible views. The castle has a double ring of walls. You can walk along the ramparts on top of the walls for a panoramic view over the city and the Côa River. From the top, you can see the Côa River winding its way through the city and the natural landscape of the Serra da Malcata mountain range.

Sabugal, a town that deserves a visit to its castle and the entire surrounding area, especially the magnificent river beach on the Côa River.

The history of Meimoa is revealed through studies and excavations, which link its name to ancient "mammoas" or the Latin mammula, protohistoric burial structures, half-buried and rounded in appearance. Today, the village combines heritage and leisure: the Roman-Philippine bridge, the village's calling card, and a riverside area popular in the summer keep its identity alive.

On the banks of the river that gives it its name, Meimoa River Beach is an invitation to relax. Between shaded lawns, a natural pool, and futsal and beach soccer fields, there's plenty of space to have fun or simply relax. The bar with a terrace completes the perfect setting for cooling off on hot summer days.

Penamacor, once one of the most imposing border fortresses, still bears traces of its military importance. The medieval castle, classified as a National Monument, stands as a testament to the ancient defensive line of Beira. Amidst narrow streets and walls, memories of the Jewish quarter, a refuge for Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, also emerge. In this context, Penamacor is above all the birthplace of António Ribeiro Sanches, a physician, philosopher, and medical reformer who served Catherine of Russia.

This pillory was built in the 16th century in the Manueline style. It has been classified as a property of public interest since 1933.

Vilar Maior breathes history in every stone. From the 11th century until the Treaty of Alcanices in 1297, it passed from the Kingdom of León to Portugal under King Dinis, who reinforced the castle with the keep. Between medieval walls, the ruins of the Church of Santa Maria, the Manueline pillory, and prehistoric engravings, the place holds centuries of memory. Today, the streets descend from the old fortress to the plain, where manor houses, bridges, and churches continue to tell the long story of this border town.

Alfaiates holds centuries of history intertwined with the very formation of Portugal. Its castle, once called Castillo de la Luna (Moon Castle) because it seemed to touch the sky, was built in the 13th century and passed to Portuguese territory by the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297. Between charters, royal alliances, and battles, it was the scene of moments of glory and strategic defense, even withstanding the French invasions. Today, amid crumbling walls and living traditions like the capeia arraiana (a bullfight in which the bull is faced by 20 or 30 men who hold off its charges with a huge pitchfork), Alfaiates continues to reveal the charm of its legendary memory.