Carregal do Sal

It is located in Viseu district, between the mountains of Estrela and Caramulo, and bounded by the rivers Dão to the north and the Mondego to the South. The municipality of Carregal do Sal, as we know it today, was created in 1836 under the administrative reform undertaken by Passos Manuel. If Carregal was named after a place in Currelos, an extinct municipality, then "Sal" derives from the fact that in the eighteenth century large salinas have been built, which for nearly two centuries served as a deposit for the salt transported from Figueira da Foz on boats. The occupation of this region comes from prehistoric times and was continuous. There are numerous traces still today of the different peoples' presence. Alongside the medieval layout still present in various parts of the county, the centenarian pelourinhos, the emblazoned houses in Oliveira do Conde and the traces of old manor houses in Cabanas de Viriato, there are also some classified monuments worthy of a visit: the Dolmen of Orca in Fiais da Telha, the Igreja Matriz de Oliveira do Conde, where the tomb of Fernão Gomes de Góis is located, or the Casa do Passal in Cabanas, where Aristides de Sousa Mendes was born and where he lived during World War II. During his time as Consul of Portugal in Bordeaux, he provided numerous visas and thereby saved thousands of Jews from the Nazi Holocaust. In the local crafts, take a look at the iron and woodcarving work, the tinsmith and the tiled paintings. Gastronomically, Carregal do Sal also carries the weight of tradition. Cabrito assado à moda de leitão (roasted lamb dish with fried potatoes), coelho à capitão-mor (stewed rabbit meat), lamb roasted in a wood-fired oven and enguias à piano are the most typical dishes, which must be duly supplemented with a good doc Dão wine. For dessert, bolo torto! Finally we come to culture to an event that in recent years has taken over as the region's welcome card and that is becoming the municipality's cultural ex-libris: the Carnival of Cabanas de Viriato, with its traditional "dança dos cus" and the "entrudadas" – declamation of popular courts where the "rotten" of the village are denounced.

What to do in Carregal do Sal

Where to eat in Carregal do Sal

Where to sleep in Carregal do Sal

Hotel Salinas
Hotel Salinas

2 star

Accommodation with 18 rooms with toilet, laundry service (when requested) and restaurant, among others.

Casas do Zagão
Casas do Zagão

In the Centre of the town lies this granite House with more than 300 years, characteristic of beirã zone, keeping the traditional wood-burning oven, haystack a…

Near Carregal do Sal

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