Arganil

Where is Arganil located? Arganil the place in Central Portugal where bed and breakfast Casa Traca is located. It is a vast municipality with many small authentic and picturesque villages. The municipality of Arganil is also home to many places of interest. Like the slate village of Piódão, the waterfalls of Fraga da Pena or the special chapel on Mont’Alto.

In this blog I would like to limit myself to the town of Arganil. I would like to take you to the special places, the best restaurants, river beaches and stores in Arganil.

Although Arganil is not very large, about 3500 inhabitants, there are some sights worth seeing. You can park the car in the center and visit everything else on foot. This way you will immediately see all the nice little streets.

The only exception is the Chapel of St. Pedro. This chapel from the 13th century is located on the road to Sarzedo just outside Arganil. The chapel is very simple inside but perhaps all the more impressive for that. The chapel is open on a limited basis.

Chapels in Arganil

There are quite a few chapels in Arganil. The most famous and also the one most in use can be found in the extension of the town hall. If your back is to the town hall then take the first street on the left. Halfway down you will see a tower clock on a hill to the left. If you walk down the street you can walk right into the chapel. Like many chapels in Portugal, this one is richly decorated.

Another chapel can be found diagonally across from the hospital. Hidden in the row of houses in the street going towards the center. I myself discovered this chapel once on my walk from the hospital to the pharmacy, a hidden gem!

For those who enjoy hiking, the park is highly recommended. You start through a fairly neatly laid out section of walking paths. Along part of the paths are beautiful mosaics to admire. All the towns of the municipality are represented here. As you continue walking it becomes a bit more wooded and rugged. Here, if you look carefully, many sights from throughout the municipality have been recreated.

Arriving at the top you have a nice view of the municipality and you can also see Mont’Alto again where bed & breakfast Casa Traca can be found. If you walk that way out of the forest, turn left. If you walk a little further you will come to the smallest war museum you can imagine.

There are also some river beaches in Arganil itself. I myself regularly go to Praia Fluvial da Sarcina. This is right on the border of Arganil and Sarcina before the bridge you turn right down the forest path. You drive right through to the water. There are no facilities here but you can swim, there is a rapid and the dog is also allowed here.

Food & drink in Arganil

There are more than enough options for eating and drinking in Arganil. There are numerous restaurants, terraces, cafes and pastelarias. In a previous blog article I wrote about restaurants in the area. So now only within the boundaries of Arganil itself.

Drinks & small food: You can do this at the Theater Café on the corner on Main Street across from the city park. The theater cafe is also known as the meeting place to arrange things. Also at Pão o Quente these days, you can sit outside and enjoy homemade pastries. The food here is not as good.

Lunch, coffee and cake: Eduardus next to the Finanças is a great place for coffee and cake. Highly recommended is the cheesecake! You can also enjoy lunch here.

Lunch & dinner: For kebab lovers: on the main street at the square with the water wheel there is a delicious kebab store. Although it is open almost all week, it only has kebabs from Wednesday through Saturday. Toward the market is Grelha restaurant. This restaurant is my favorite for a good dinner. The squid here is very good!

Shopping in Arganil

I am the first to admit that Arganil is not a bustling shopping town. For that you are better off going to Coimbra or Viseu. However, there are more and more nice stores in the small streets and alleys.

Take a stroll through the center, through the small streets and discover clothing shops, shoe stores, gift shops, office supply stores, furniture stores and much more. There are also several nice stores outside the center. In Arganil, you will succeed perfectly for your vacation souvenirs and nice gifts for those back home.

Arganil Coimbra Portugal

If by then I haven’t convinced you of the diversity of this nice place in Central Portugal. Take another look at the tourist website of the municipality. Here you can also find bed & breakfast Casa Traca! See you soon in Arganil in Central Portugal!