30 Best Hotels in Coimbra and Central Portugal, Portugal

Near some of the city's prettiest parks, this elegant town house is a little removed from the hustle and bustle. The guest rooms are small but interestingly decorated, some with antique beds. As you linger over the complimentary breakfast buffet, your friendly hosts can help organize activities in the region, including walks in Serra da Estrela and Serra do Caramulo.

At an elevation of 4,231 feet, this granite lodge sits in the heart of the Serra da Estrela, 13 km (8 miles) from the spa town of Manteigas. The views are stunning, stretching all the way to Spain on a clear day. Redesigned from top to bottom, the luxurious guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and sunny terraces where you can enjoy your morning cup of coffee.

Just inside the village walls, Casas do Campanário consists of two apartments---one can accommodate two people, the other six. Rooms have a real homey charm with antiques, low ceilings, and warm color schemes. The owners run the adjacent Bar Campanário, which has one of the most dramatic settings in town—its terrace is located on a giant boulder.

A 16th-century palace houses this elegant pousada in the quiet town of Condeixa-a-Nova, ideally situated for visiting the Roman ruins at Conímbriga, 1 km (½ mile) to the south. The hotel has undergone several major refurbishments, and now features an upscale on-site restaurant, a large outdoor pool with terrific views, and a poolside bar in summer. Guest rooms are spacious and decorated in sunny colors, and have small private terraces overlooking the distant hills.

The approach down a tree-lined drive to this magnificent four-story art nouveau hotel is like the beginning of an old movie. In fact, parts of the Buster Keaton Story were filmed here. The centerpiece of 15 acres of gardens, vineyards, and orchards all supply the kitchen. The marble-floored reception area transports you to the 1920s; corridors with names such as Avenue of the Roses lead to large guest rooms. Ogling a small collection of antique cars, wandering in the aviary or the deer park, taking the children to the petting farm, and dining on outstanding Portuguese fare at Belle Époque, are just some of the activities here.

Looking a bit like a lighthouse, this hulking complex topped by a towering turret is a mishmash of architectural styles that were popular in 1945, though the guest rooms are large and airy and have sleek modern furnishings. Some also have terraces overlooking an Olympic-size pool fed by the natural spring. The hotel is adjacent to the renowned Termos de Luso (accessed via a tunnel), with its many therapeutic programs. The on-site restaurant serves a good selection of creatively prepared regional foods.

Once Viseu's leading lodging, the Grão Vasco is still a good choice and a great value; plus, its location near a wooded park but just steps from the main square combines the convenience of the city and the quiet of the country. Many guest rooms have balconies that look out on an oval pool in the garden (there's one indoors as well). The restaurant serves a wide variety of principally Portuguese dishes.

The elegantly domed Astória faces the Rio Mondego and has been a striking art nouveau landmark since it first opened its doors in 1917. If you like your hotels with old-world charm and comforts, then this veteran fills the bill. Some of the rooms are a bit dated, but plush furnishings and spacious bathrooms more than compensate. Choose between a river view, or the rooftops of the old town. Two tower suites have the best views of all and are appropriately sumptuous.

With a sloping exterior designed to maximize stunning sea views, this sandcastle-shaped hotel also impresses with modern amenities, private balconies, and a beachside location just a mile from the center of town. The facilities are impressive, including both indoor and outdoor pools, whirlpool tubs, and tennis courts. Rooms have polished wood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light. The restaurant serves sound international and Portuguese cuisine, including pasta and a good selection of meat and fish dishes; there is also a small bar.

This small, modern hotel with a creamy yellow exterior and a barrel-tile roof sits on a quiet backstreet, a few blocks from the main canal. The homey guest rooms have shiny parquet floors and soothing color schemes.

In an impressive historic building overlooking the main canal, this grand hotel offers slick and comfortable accommodations. You can opt for a city or canal view, the latter punctuated by colorful moliceiro boats. There are some charming features, such as the panel of traditional painted tiles in the breakfast room that date back to 1937, when the hotel first opened. The hotel doesn't accept large group bookings, or children aged six or younger. 

The views of the Rio Zêzere and the mountains beyond are the selling point of the gleaming white Hotel Belsol. Stone terraces lead to swimming pools and landscaped terraces. Local businesspeople favor the restaurant for its excellent Portuguese food, including trout fresh from local waters. The guest rooms have rosy wood furniture and floors that make a nice counterpoint to the contemporary fabrics. You will need wheels if you stay here—the hotel is around 8 km (5 miles) from town on the main N18 road.

One of the city's most popular venues for conferences, this modern glass-and-marble hotel complex appeals especially to business travelers and is just a few minutes from the business district. Guest rooms sport glossy, dark-wood floors and attractive modern furnishings. Added perks are the indoor pool, spa, and tennis court. There are several meeting rooms and a business center, and the restaurant serves good Mediterranean cuisine.

This modern hotel on one of the main approaches to the Serra da Estrela is immediately recognizable by its rosy pink facade. The ground-floor O Foural restaurant is popular with locals; service is attentive, and although the menu and prices change daily, the roast kid is always a good bet.

Named for the gondola-style boats that glide along Aveiro's waterways, Hotel Moliceiro has a prime location on the banks of the city's main canal, right in the heart of downtown. The elegant exterior hints at the slick art noveau touches inside, and the grandeur of the breakfast room is a fitting space for lavish buffet spreads each morning. Reception staff are friendly and attentive, and guests are able to use hotel bicycles free of charge. 

One of the only lodging choices in the center of Castelo Branco, Hotel Rainha D. Amélia makes sure you don't pass by its unassuming facade by writing its name in big letters down the sidewalk. It offers good-size guest rooms that are pleasant and airy. Public areas—including Varanda Real, a small restaurant with crisp white tablecloths and subtle lighting—are inviting. Because of its proximity to the Serra da Estrela, the Dona Amélia is busiest during the ski season between November and May.

Looking like it belongs on Miami Beach, this 1950s-era hotel has a sleek mid-century modern exterior and a perfect location on the broad, sandy beach. From the glossy marble lobby to the slick modern rooms, the decor is inviting. Rooms are spacious and airy, with sea views costing slightly more than city views. Seafront rooms have small balconies, and the large pool has a view of the beach. The restaurant, Astrolabio, serves international dishes as well as regional specialties.

Designed as a royal hunting lodge and set in a 250-acre forest, this bizarrely ornate hotel is an architectural hodgepodge with elements that run the gamut from neo-Gothic to early Walt Disney. There's an elevator, but who can resist walking up the grand, red-carpeted stairway, its walls lined with azulejo panels, and past the suit of armor? Guest rooms are large, high-ceilinged, and luxuriously furnished with antiques. It's worth the steep price at the Mesa Real ("Royal Table") restaurant just to sit at a finely laid table and take in the carved-wood ceiling, inlaid hardwood floors, and Manueline windows. An elegantly prepared leitão (suckling pig) perfectly complements the Buçaco wines stored in the hotel's immense cellars.

Built right into the town walls and dating to the 16th century, this stone-walled edifice exudes historic charm. The rooms in the older part of the building are the most atmospheric, with high ceilings and towering windows with views of the town. You can also enjoy the hotel's delightful garden with its 18th-century chapel, accessed via a catwalk across the top of the old town gate.

On the slopes of the Serra da Esperança, this sumptuous stone-clad pousada occupies a restored Franciscan monastery founded in 1563 by a descendant of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the first European to reach Brazil. The blend of ancient and modern has been accomplished with finesse. Rooms are well equipped, handsome, and have balconies with views of the surrounding hills. The outdoor pool also has stunning views, and there's a small poolside bar serving drinks and snacks. The interior cloisters are a delight. The restaurant here is widely renowned as the best in town, with a seasonal menu and regional variations such as stuffed partridge with wild mushrooms.

One of the latest additions to the Pestana hotel group's string of historic pousadas, this handsome neoclassical building dates back to 1793 when it served as the town's hospital. The large, tastefully decorated rooms retain rich architectural details like high ceilings and huge windows. Suites have spacious living areas and huge bathrooms. There's a slick restaurant on the ground floor, and a lovely internal courtyard with a trendy cocktail bar. 

About a 30-minute drive north of Aveiro, this 1960s property sits on pillars above the water, midway down the narrow, pine-covered peninsula that separates the Ria da Aveiro from the sea. Part of the Pestana collection of luxurious guesthouses, it has a real sense of remoteness and has a small private beach, surrounded by plants and trees. Through picture windows in 10 of the cheerfully furnished rooms you can watch colorfully painted moliceiros glide along the water. The spacious restaurant has a summer terrace with equally lovely views.

At this working winery, about 18 km (10 miles) southeast of Viseu, you can reserve either modern apartments or antiques-filled rooms in a 19th-century manor house. The historic main building has a stone-clad sitting room outfitted with chandeliers and a fireplace. The friendly owners will happily arrange tastings of the wines produced on-site. This area is famous for its birdlife: partridges, hoopoes, and red kites are just a few of the species you might spot here.

The gardens of this elegant castle are part of Portuguese history: it was here where Pedro, son of King Afonso IV, and Inês de Castro, lady in waiting to the royal court, met secretly and fell deeply in love. It was a tragic tale, and they say the garden's ancient fountain runs with her tears. The palace is now a luxurious hotel with a plush velvet reception area, a library and other numerous opulent common rooms, and even a small chapel. There's a Turkish bath and sauna, large outdoor and indoor swimming pools, and---rarest of amenities for a city hotel---a golf course. Arcadas, one of the city's best restaurants, sits in the gardens.

Located in the tiny village of São Lourenço do Bairro, this delightful 18th-century manor—surrounded by vineyards and pine groves— has comfortable guest rooms with wooden floors, period furniture, and modern bathrooms. A couple of rooms have antique iron headboards, and one has a four-poster bed (which is well worth requesting). Guests can make use of the library, game room, and playground.

A stylish boutique option close to the university, Sapientia impresses with its attention to detail (think: a welcome glass of wine and thoughtful design elements) plus an excellent restaurant with one of the prettiest terraces in the city. Two pairs of architects worked on the project, which transformed three architecturally distinct buildings into one overwhelmingly chic hotel. A rooftop bar with lovely views over the city is another selling point, and it's a terrific place to watch the sunset.

Set in the old town, this boutique hotel feels right at home with the city's historic buildings and is a short walk to most of the city's attractions. Split between several buildings in the immediate area, the rooms are individually decorated and many feel like they could be featured in a magazine spread. Breakfast is served in the room, and there are some nice welcoming touches like wine and cakes. The suites even have extras like their own whirlpool tubs.

To absorb Guarda's history, book a room in this beautiful 17th-century mansion just around the corner from the cathedral. Lodgings are comfortable and furnished with flowing draperies and colorful tapestries. Don't worry, you also have TVs and other modern comforts. There's even a small family chapel.

You'll find the pleasant, well-run Veneza Hotel, a classic 1930s art deco mansion with a red-tile roof, near the railway station. The building has a lovely sunny yellow-and-white exterior. A fat palm tree sits in front, and you enter through an old wooden door. Inside, the rooms are spacious with tasteful furnishings and well-equipped bathrooms (several rooms are named after European cities and have distinctive color schemes).