3 Best Sights in Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Central Portugal

These 18th-century gardens are planted with rows of hedges cut in all sorts of bizarre shapes and contain an unusual assemblage of sculpture. Bordering one of the park's five small lakes are a path and stairway lined on both sides with granite statues of the apostles, the evangelists, and the kings of Portugal. The long-standing Portuguese disdain for the Spanish is graphically demonstrated here; the kings who ruled when Portugal was under Spanish domination are carved to a noticeably smaller scale than the "true" Portuguese rulers. Unfortunately, many statues were damaged by Napoléon's troops when the city was ransacked in 1807.

At the top of the town's hill are the ruins of the 12th-century Castelo Templário. Not much remains of the series of walls and towers that once surrounded the entire community. Adjoining the ruins is the flower-covered Miradouro de São Gens, which provides a fine view of the town and surrounding countryside.

This small museum is housed in the old Paço Episcopal (Episcopal Palace). In addition to the usual Roman artifacts and odd pieces of furniture, the collection contains some fine examples of the traditional bordado (embroidery) for which Castelo Branco is well-known. Adjacent to the museum is a workshop where embroidered bedspreads in traditional patterns are made and sold.