Visit: Heritage | Nature | Beaches

The county of Caldas da Rainha is part of Leira district, away from this 50 kilometers and Lisbon about 80 kilometers. Its centrality in the Western Region and its urban development, position the Caldas da Rainha as a major pole of trade, services, culture, social development and tourism. This council is composed of 16 parishes: A-dos-Francos, Alvorninha, Carvalhal Benfeito, Coto, Foz do Arelho, Landal, Nadadouro, Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, Salir de Matos, Salir do Porto, Santa Catarina, São Gregório, Serra do Bouro, Tornada, Vidais and Santo Onofre.

Lying north of the municipality of Alcobaça, east of Rio Maior and south of Bombarral, Cadaval and Óbidos, the county has a rich historical and cultural heritage and great tourist value.

While in the Portuguese capital spreading the Black Death, the Queen Leonor took off to Obidos, with the lady’s retinue, knights, squires, cam girls, among other elements of the party. The August 28, 1484, this entourage headed to the battle, to meet King John II, where both observed the last battle of King Alfonso. In this way, the Queen witnessed the ragged poor and other patients bathed in Caldas, in inhuman circumstances, the sensitized. In order not to forget the place where he found the episode, the Queen sent up a masonry pattern. And after a year, ordered to start the construction of the Hospital so that all people could comfortably handle.

The foundation of the city was a cultural act of a Queen who chose to development stage of your projects, protecting the arts and its artists, enabling the experience of aurelos times over the centuries, a city that has preserved its historical and cultural values and pays tribute to his queen.

The village grew around the Royal Hospital of Caldas, and in 1488 began to be considered village, and in 1511 received the autonomous municipal court for granting and demarcation of King Manuel, at the request of Leonor. From this moment on, there was a rapid population growth, Caldas da Rainha has become a Thermal Resort very busy, reaching its apogee in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Caldas da Rainha has the city for 11 decree August 1927.

Giving priority to their geography, Caldas da Rainha is a passage in the tourist and cultural circuits, and is the center of a region of a landscape and different and diverse activities. Its genesis is the hydrotherapy, giving it an urban and commercial dynamics that allowed developing other traditional aspects of the city, such as ceramics, that shaped the modern image of the city. Another area of development is agriculture that is oriented to supply the urban center, promoting the daily market. In my sea, high cliffs allowed two openings of great environmental and tourist value, the shell of St. Martin and the beach of Salir do Porto and Obidos Lagoon, on the beach of Foz do Arelho.