castle
Castelo de Almourol
A Templar castle on a rocky island in the Tagus river, reached by short ferry from a riverside car park.
27 km · about 30 min drive
EuropePortugalSantarém
Vale de Figueira
Santarém, Portugal · Europe
About Vale de Figueira
Vale de Figueira is worth a stop: 10 minutes from São Vicente do Paul, 50km from Nazare.
Vale de Figueira is in Santarém, Portugal, with about 2,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is São Vicente do Paul, about 5 km away.
Vale de Figueira is a former civil parish in the municipality of Santarém, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish São Vicente do Paul e Vale de Figueira. The village has almost 2,000 inhabitants. It is close to Santarém, the capital city of its region, Ribatejo. It sits on a valley, parallel to theRead more
Bela Vista plateau, being famous for the mouth of the river Alviela, a tributary of Tagus river, inserted on the diversity of colours which, all combined, create a picturesque landscape.
It is a land of campinos (the regional name given to the cattle herders), horses, bulls and nature that help making Vale de Figueira a unique place in the Ribatejo region. The village is rich in the production of vine and cereals.
There is not a consensus, but most believe the origin of the name Vale de Figueira comes from the no-longer existing coating of fig trees that used to cover the area. Still, its foundation is believed to be from the Roman Empire times and the village has been graced by the visit of some Portuguese royalty throughout time and more recently by some Presidents of the Portuguese Republic, such as Américo Thomaz.
Also, the village had a Franciscan Friars' Monastery, named as "Convent of Our Lady of Jesus from St. Francis Order", from which there are only a few ruins left, including a window said to be the window from where the friars would give out food to the poor.
The beautiful meadowlands of Vale de Figueira, known as Lezíria, are bathed by both rivers Tagus and Alviela and are famous for their beauty. Actually, since 2008, a project known as Rota dos Avieiros has been initiated to help develop, touristically, villages like Vale de Figueira so, a series of paths have been created along the rivers and into the woods, making it possible to explore the best of this village's nature and wildness beauty. As for the village itself, touristic guide visits are being studied, as well as some water and extreme sports, among other leisure and cultural activities, but all depends on the funds provided by the government for the effect.
Also famous are the many farms (Quinta (rural)) in and about the village, each with precious content that goes from ancient chariots, used by the rich families of the farms, to chapels decorated with gold and other valuable and ornamental materials from previous centuries. Good examples are Quinta do Castilho, Quinta de Nossa Senhora da Conceição and Quinta da Boa Vista. Some of these farms are also very famous for their livestocks (ganadarias) of bulls, cows and horses. Another farm which is worth to be visited for its own woods and villa with swimming pool and garden is Quinta da Sobreira.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Vale de Figueira was very rich in the production of olive oil with six olive oil mills working altogether. This is why the olive tree leaves are represented in its coat flag, along with the fig tree leave and the campino's hat, all above the blue and silver lines that symbolise the rivers Alviela and Tagus.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Vale de Figueira?
Within an hour or so of Vale de Figueira: Castelo de Almourol (27 km), Sanctuary of Fátima (36 km), Convent of Christ, Tomar (38 km), Convento de Cristo, Tomar (38 km).
Are there any good drives near Vale de Figueira?
The nearest famous roads are N2: Portugal's Route 66, Tram 28 Route, Lisbon and Estrada Marginal (N6).
Where is Vale de Figueira?
Vale de Figueira is in Santarém, Portugal, about 5 km from São Vicente do Paul.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,000
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Portugal
- Region
- Santarém
- Timezone
- Europe/Lisbon
- Coordinates
- 39.3057, -8.6288
Tags
Worth the detour from Vale de Figueira
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
Sanctuary of Fátima
One of Catholicism's great modern pilgrimage sites, built where three shepherd children reported Marian apparitions in 1917: a vast esplanade twice the size of St Peter's Square links the 1953 basilica and the 9,000-seat Holy Trinity church.
36 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Convent of Christ, Tomar
A UNESCO-listed former Knights Templar headquarters with a remarkable blend of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, and Renaissance architecture.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Convento de Cristo, Tomar
A UNESCO-listed Templar monastery with a Manueline round church and the celebrated carved Chapter House window.
38 km · about 45 min drive
cathedral
Alcobaça Monastery
Portugal's largest church, a UNESCO Cistercian abbey founded in 1153, holding the facing carved tombs of King Pedro I and his murdered lover Inês de Castro: placed foot-to-foot so they rise facing each other at judgement.
40 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Batalha Monastery
A Gothic and Manueline masterpiece built to commemorate the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota, with its famous Unfinished Chapels.
43 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Obidos
A fairy-tale walled medieval town of whitewashed houses with blue and yellow trim, famous for its ginjinha cherry liqueur.
46 km · about 55 min drive
natural wonder
Nazare
A fishing town famous for producing the world's largest surfed waves, with 30-meter swells breaking at the Praia do Norte canyon.
50 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Vale de Figueira
7 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 70 kmPonte Vasco da GamaOne of Europe's longest bridges, an arrow-straight 12km span across the Tagus estuary.
- 72 kmN2: Portugal's Route 66Portugal's longest road runs 738 kilometers from Chaves to Faro through the country's rural heartland and Alentejo plains.
- 78 kmMiradouro da Senhora do MonteLisbon's highest viewpoint, a quiet terrace surveying castle, river and rooftops at sunset.
- 79 kmTram 28 Route, LisbonLisbon's iconic vintage yellow tram rattling through the city's steepest and most atmospheric historic neighborhoods.
Driving in Portugal
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€9.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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