Castle Leiria Historic Sights

Leiria has a long and uncertain history. It was certainly occupied by the Turduli, an indigenous people from Iberia, who established a settlement near Leiria about 7 kilometres away. The Romans later occupied Leiria who expanded it under the name Collippo. The stones of the ancient Roman town were used in the Middle Ages to build much of Leiria. Little is known about the area in Visigothic times, but during the period of Arab domination Leiria was already a village with a garrison. The castle was captured from the Moors by Afonso Henriques in 1135 and was transformed into a royal residence for Dom Dinis in the 14th century. Inside the walls is a peaceful garden rambling and the ruined Gothic Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha - originally built in 12th century and rebuilt by Joao I in the early 15th century. There are beautiful leaf-like carvings over one of the arches. The most striking feature of the Castle is the gallery with small seats which provides a fantastic viewpoint over the town and its multitude of red tiled roofs. In the castle keep the Nucleo Museulogic displays replicas of brutal medieval weapons and armour - you'll have to use your imagine though as there is no English interpretation available.

Dom Afonso III convened a parliament here in 1254 and in 1411 the town's sizable Jewish community built Portugal's first paper mill here. Leiria was the first place to make paper in Portugal. The mill no longer makes paper but a ceramic tile panel still marks the site where the paper mill was built. The cathedral to the southeast of the castle was started in the 16th century and the cloister, and chapter houses date from 1583 to 1604. Its bell-tower is not part of the main building, but situated in a street nearby, where a gateway once led into the castle. Opposite the cathedral is the wonderfully tiled Pharmacy Leonardo Paiva with blue and white azulejos depicting Hippocrates, Galen and Socrates. Novelist Eca de Queiros used to live in Rua da Tipografia next to the cathedral and would meet his literary group at the pharmacy.

There are various museums and factories that can be visited as part of the "Glass Route" including Museu do Vidro da Marinha Grande which houses glassware from the 17th-20th centuries in the former palacial home of William Stephens. Palacio Stephens, Praca Guilherme Stephens, 2430-960 Marinha Grande. Tel: 351 244 560 209. Fax: 351 244 561 710. Email: museu.vidro@cm-mgrande.pt. Open Tuesday to Sunday, October-May: 10 am 6 pm, June-September 10 am 7 pm. Closed Mondays. Check the details at the Leiria Fatima Tourist website (links right).

Leiria Town

The town has traditional narrow streets in its old quarter with cobbled streets that open out into squares that are often filled with cafs. Candido dos Reis is a particular haunt for the students of the town. The old town is focused around Praca Rodriques Lobo with several hotels and restaurants nearby. The hilltop castle is a short walk uphill to the north. There are free car parks to the north of the town and it's easy to find parking around the outskirts of the old town.

Leiria is a good base for exploring the sights that are pretty much clustered around Leiria at Alcobaca, Fatima, Batalaha or the beaches of the Silver Coast and the 700 year old pine wood at Sao Pedro de Muel. All these are connected by bus.

The train station is 4 kilometres northwest with frequent bus connections. Leiria is on the Cacem to Figueria da Foz line connecting it to the suburbs of Lisbon. Buses run to Coimbra, Fatima and Tomar. Regular express buses run to Lisbon.

The Regional Leiria/Fatima Tourism Office is at Jardim Lus de Camoes - Apartado 1115, 2401-801 Leiria. Tel: 351 244 84 87 70/1. Fax: 351 244 848 779. Email: info@rt-leiriafatima.pt. The town's Tourist Office is at Jardim Lus de Camoes, 2400 Leiria. Tel: 351 244 848 770.

Leiria Football Stadium

In more recent history Leiria was a host town in the Portugal 2004 European football championships as part of Euro2004, the town received a facelift as a result.

Leiria Football Stadium, Estadio Municipal Dr Magalhes Pessoa, has a 30,000 capacity. Leiria's home team is Uniao de Leiria, a solid first division side in the Portuguese domestic league. The stadium was remodeled for the Euro2004 matches. It is in the city centre in the southern part of the town near the river. The nearest airport is Lisbon, 150 kilometres away to the south, easily accessible via the main A1 or A8 motorways.

Car Hire Leiria Portugal

A selection of the main car hire firms have offices in Leiria (National, Avis, Europcar, Hertz). Hiring a car gives you more freedom to explore the area including the Portuguese coastline of the Costa de Prata and the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park nearby which is not so well served by public transport. Check our car hire tips - link right. You can also check the Holiday Autos weblink right for the best online deals or ring the Iknow-Holidays booking line direct.