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Boulder village of Monsanto (Portugal) – Tips + photos

Last updated on December 22, 2020 By Claire, the Travel Planning Geek

Perched on a hilltop, the village of Monsanto, Portugal has a unique charm as it has been built around huge boulders. It is a fun place to explore to find the strangest structures under or around those rocks. Plus, the views of the region are stunning! Below is my guide to help you plan your visit.

Village Monsanto Portugal Village
Quick Navigation
Why visit the village of Monsanto in Portugal? - Video
Planning tips - Monsanto Portugal village
Monsanto village from the distance
Lower fortifications
Miradouro do Forno and the most famous boulder house
Other structures in the Boulder village
Pé Calvo Boulder and the Monsanto castle
Farming area and Pigpens
Monsanto hike above the Village

Navigate back to the complete Travel Portugal Guide

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Why visit the village of Monsanto in Portugal? - Video

Monsanto is one of the most amazing and fun villages to visit in Portugal. 
The hilltop is covered with boulders and houses have been built around them, using them as walls or roofs. This creates architectural wonders.
It deserve a long visit to take the time to explore all the streets and discover the many structures. This one is the most famous: 

Boulder Village of Monsanto, Portugal

Boulder Village of Monsanto, Portugal

Below is a short video of my visit around the Monsanto Portugal Village: the drive, the views, the houses... So much fun! 

Do you understand why it is one of the top attractions in Portugal?

Many more photos and details after the tips.


Planning tips - Monsanto Portugal village

How to get to Monsanto 

  • To the East of Portugal, near the Border with Spain, roughly at the same latitude as Coimbra
  • It is quite a detour from most touristic roads
  • North East of Castelo Branco
  • Lisbon to Monsanto = 3h drive via motorways - or train Lisbon to Castelo Branco followed by bus
  • Coimbra to Monsanto = 2h15

This location with its GPS coordinates and planning info is included in the eBook to help you easily plan your Portugal road trip:

Be overwhelmed by the beauty, not the planning!

Portugal road trip guide ebook cover

Plan your perfect trip around Portugal with:

  • 13 easy-to-plan Maps
  • 120+ pre-selected scenic locations
  • Planning tips to make the most of your time
  • 200+ large photos to decide where to go
  • GPS coordinates direct to the carparks

LEARN MORE

Parking and access to Monsanto 

Parking issue: There is very little place to park at the entrance of the village (I think something like 30 places) and then you can park a bit along the road going up. In summer it fills up very quickly. In that case you have to park at the bottom of the hill and walk or take the bus to the village.

Bus Stop monsanto
Lower parking

Visiting Monsanto Portugal

  • Plan half a day to visit - there are good signs indicating the main features
  • You can find a Monsanto Map on Portugal Virtual
  • Wear good shoes, the streets are rough and sometimes steep
  • The climb to the castle is quite steep
  • There are many cafés and restaurants in the village. The service we experienced was not the best, but OMG those Toastas were delicious!!!!! We had lunch at Fornum Du Viriato
Signs in Monsanto
Eating in Monsanto Portugal

Accommodation in Monsanto Portugal

It is possible to stay in the village overnight and enjoy amazing views both at sunset and sunrise!!! I wish I had planned a night here. I really enjoyed the village.

Check the accommodation options and their availability. 


Monsanto village from the distance

The Monsanto Portugal Village is part of the Idaha-a-nova Municipality. You can see it from far away with the hill and its giant boulders. (Don't worry the track in the photo is not the road to the village...)

Monsanto Portugal Village hilltop 1
Monsanto Portugal Village hilltop 2

Most Portuguese village in Portugal

Because of its uniqueness, the village has been named the 'Most Portuguese village in Portugal" in 1938 (which is funny because it does not look like anywhere else in Portugal, so not very 'typical').
It has also be named one of the 12 "Historical Villages" in 1995.


Lower fortifications

View from the Bastion Mirador

As you arrive in the village, there is a large viewpoint called Bastion Square or Baluarto. It is a polygonal structure designed to defend the angles of the fortifications with artillery.

On your left you see the bottom part of the Monsanto:

Monsanto Village Portugal - Bastion 1

And around you discover the stunning valley:

Monsanto Village Portugal - Bastion 2
Monsanto Village Portugal - Bastion 3

Tower of Lucano

If you keep climbing one of the main roads, you will reach the Tower of Lucano, the most prominent feature.

Many thought that is was a reused military structure but there is nothing in the architecture to confirm that. It is now thought that it is a bell tower possibly constructed in the 18th century.

At the top is a replica of the Silver Rooster trophy awarded in 1938 by Estado Novo to the "Most Portuguese village in Portugal"

Monsanto Village Portugal - Tower of Lucano

The views from the bottom of the tower are also beautiful:

Monsanto Village Portugal - Tower of Lucano view

Miradouro do Forno and the most famous boulder house

Then you can climb a bit higher to find the most famous houses in the village of Monsanto. This is the one you see the most photographed and the one representing the village. 

Look at that! Easy to understand why:

Monsanto Portugal village - Miradouro do Forno 1
Monsanto Portugal village - Miradouro do Forno 2

The viewpoint is a nice place to have a break

Monsanto Portugal village - Miradouro do Forno 3

Other structures in the Boulder village

The Monsanto village in Portugal is a great place to have fun exploring. You want to take every alley and look at every turn. And you find some crazy things. Below is a selection:

Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures 3
Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures  4
Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures  5
Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures  6
Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures  7
Village of Monsanto Portugal - Boulder structures  8

Pé Calvo Boulder and the Monsanto castle

Above the right side of the village (when going up) is one of the paths to the castle. It first lead to Pé Calvo, a gigantic fissured boulder. It is one of the few boulders which have been named a long time ago by people living in this settlement.

With Monsanto's many boulders, you get to see a lot of shapes and formations created by erosion in the long process of granite weathering.

Monsanto Portugal Village - Pe Calvo Boulder

You can continue hiking between the boulders all the way to the oldest part of the settlement: the fortified wall and dungeon, called the castle.

Monsanto Portugal Village - Castle 1
Monsanto Portugal Village - Castle 2

Farming area and Pigpens

Originally the pigpens were spread out in the village. Later they were regrouped in one location for public health reasons. Pigs were an important source of food over the long term.

Today you can still see some pigs inside

Monsanto Portugal Village - Farms and Pigpens 1
Monsanto Portugal Village - Farms and Pigpens 2

Monsanto hike above the Village

To hike above and up to the castle you can also go right from the center (when looking up). The path winds out of the village and past the Joined boulders. 2 boulders which seem to be leaning on each other. 

And once again you get fantastic views from there:

Hike Monsanto POrtugal Village
Hike Monsanto POrtugal Village Joined boulders
Hike Monsanto POrtugal Village view

Monsanto Village was my top 1 on my list of the 5 best villages to visit in Portugal


Want to see more of PORTUGAL?

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Portugal Travel Guide - Portugal destinations

Have you ever seen anything like it?

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