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GENERAL INFORMATION
- Capital of the district of Santarém
- Founded in: 1095
- Ribatejo Province
- Region (NUTS II): Alentejo
- Sub-region: Lezíria do Tejo
- Area: 552,5 km2
- Population: 58,671 inhabitants (2021)
- 18 parishes
- Municipal Holiday: March 19
Facts and History
High on a plateau, Santarém is a viewpoint over the fertile region of the Lezíria, the Tagus river valley known for agriculture, cattle raising and bullfighting.
The city was part of the lands of the Order of Christ that financially supported the Discoveries of the Portuguese, having developed a lot at that time, which is still reflected today in the monuments, so important for the history of Portuguese art.
The meeting point to start your visit to Santarém is normally the Jardim das Portas do Sol, the fortress of the old castle that D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, took the Moors by surprise on a night climb in 1147. After admiring the landscape from this natural viewpoint, where the UrbiSacallabis Interpretation Center is located, we can then explore the city.
Santarém has a central location facing the country. Offering excellent accessibility either by road or by rail. Santarém is served by the main railway in the country: the northern line (double line, electrified and with a large number of connections both to Lisbon and to other parts of the country).
In an urban context, the city of Santarém has to offer the visitor: theaters, cinemas, art galleries and other spaces destined to activities of a cultural nature. Recently restructured, the Sá da Bandeira theater offers a varied program, including lectures, music, theater, cinema, among others. On the other hand, the Taborda theater is mainly oriented towards the presentation of plays.
The city also has six movie theaters, in the WShopping (Shopping Center) (50 meters from ISLA), which offers the latest cinematographic novelties. For those interested in art, the Respública gallery and the Mário Viegas Forum have regular exhibitions, with the participation of national and foreign artists, exhibitions held throughout the year.
TRADITION
Festa Brava and the Emotion of the People...
The Ribatejo tradition cannot be explained, it is lived.
The bravery of the bull is joined by the bravery of the people who, over time, reaped the benefits of that immense land, but also resisted.
What we see today as a landscape full of natural beauty was often harsh for those who lived in it.
And there is always room for one more.
The Festa Brava
This is, unquestionably, a unique product in Ribatejo and one that characterizes the region.
The Tile
Where the light changes and gives life to the Tile. An extremely rich azulejo heritage
The Ribatejo Fandango
In the Lezíria do Tejo the intimate connection of the people with their culture and traditions is quite evident.
O Pão Ribatejano
OSaloio Ribatejano The Ribatejo asserts itself, in its almost plenitude, with wheat bread at the table.
The handcraft of the Lezíria do Tejo
By joining the natural characteristics of the Lezíria – the Tagus, with the vegetable simplicity
Fishing for shad
The wind was blowing strong over the
willows on the banks of the Tagus,
near the mouth of the Alviela.
The Embroideries of Gloria
“Marks” of Glorian Culture It is an art that still persists. The art of “scoring”.
The Ribatejo Tomato and Rice
Tomatoes are by far the most important vegetable
of greater importance in the Ribatejo of
major task
Links lead to the site of the Intermunicipal Community of Lezíria do Tejo
CULTURE
The pilgrimages, fairs, and festivals are the city’s ex-libris and great drivers of regional and national tourism. The old Ribatejo fair, currently called the National Agricultural Fair, offers visitors a whole ambience characteristic of the city, the flavors, the agricultural activity and the lezíria, the livestock. It is, without a doubt, a landmark and an asset to the region that is worth a visit, for June, at the National Center for Exhibitions and Agricultural Markets (CNEMA), in the southern access to Santarém.
In May, the Expocaça (an event dedicated to the whole universe of hunting, weapons and accessories for the hunter); in September, the International Folklore Festival (dedicated to ethnography, traditions and customs from various countries); in October, Lusoflora (floriculture and horticulture exhibition); in November, Avisan (dedicated, in general, to pet animals, with special emphasis on birds, an exhibition that also includes some canine competitions).
Finally, the most recent of these events is the National Gastronomy Festival (the biggest of its kind in Portugal), which brings to the city of Santarém, in October, the most diverse gastronomic offerings from all over the country and counts on the presence of countless participants and professionals in the art of tasting.
Click for the Calendar of Events of the Câmara Municipal de Santarém
TO VISIT
Church of Our Lady of Grace
Built in the early 1380s, with the support of João Afonso Telo and his wife D. Guiomar de Vilalobos, it was only finished around 1420.
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Summer hours:from July 21st to September 10th 10:00 – 13:00 | 14:00 – 18:00 | CLOSES – Holidays
Hours: 09:15 – 12:30 | 14:00 – 17:15 | CLOSES – Holidays
CHURCH OF N.S. ASSUNÇÃO DE MARVILA
The building of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção de Marvila is a reconstruction from the beginning of the 16th century
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The portico of the Marvila temple, a symbol of the so-called Manueline style, is splendidly beautiful and elegant, with tri-lobed polycentric arches that are surrounded by trunks and other ornaments typical of the style of the Ventureful King such as the cordage mixed with vegetalistic motifs.
Hours: 10:00 – 12:00 | 14:00 – 17:30 | CLOSES – Monday, Tuesday and holidays
CONVENT OF S. FRANCISCO
Its foundation dates back to 1242, being part of the “mendicant” current, visible in the amplitude of the space
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Hours: 09:00 – 12:30 | 14:00 – 17:30 | CLOSES – Monday
Municipal Market
Dating from 1930, at the risk of Architect Cassiano Branco, it came to replace the open-air market that survived for centuries…
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Walls of the Gates of the Sun
Little remains of the imposing fortifications of Santarem. The Portas do Sol is built on walls and also has three turrets.
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SANTIAGO'S DOOR
It was the main door of the castle of Santarém, therefore called the door of the Alcáçova, the first mention of which dates from 1249
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URBI SCALLABIS INTERPRETATION CENTER - USCI
This museum exhibits archaeological finds from the ancient Alcáçova and its surroundings in showcases,
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Hours: 09:15 – 12:30 | 14:00 – 17:15 | CLOSES – Monday, Tuesday and holidays
ANSELMO BRAAMCAMP FREIRE HOUSE-MUSEUM
Housed in the former palace of the Barons of Almeirim, this museum has a very valuable artistic and bibliographical collection.
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Schedule: 09.30 – 18.00 | CLOSES – Weekends and holidays
IGREJA DE NOSSA SENHORA DA PIEDADE - IIP Classification
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade was built in 1664, by royal initiative of D. Afonso VI,
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The history of the church is linked to a small hermitage arranged/founded by the Capuchin arroyo, Afonso da Piedade, in 1611. It rivaled the Ermida de Nª Sª da Guadalupe, founded in the reign of D. Afonso V. It was around this image that occurred “the miraculous signs” (May 26 and 27, 1663), that the believers and later the Cathedral of Lisbon came to call the “Miracle of Our Lady of Piety” associated with the Portuguese victory in the Battle of Ameixial, which practically ended the War of Restoration (July 11, 1663).
In January 1664, King Afonso VI decided to order the construction of a church with royal patronage, dedicated to Senhora da Piedade, using the foundations of its chapel. In 1665 construction began, but was not finished until late in the reign of the founder’s brother, Pedro II, between 1688 and 1691.
IIP Classification (Real Estate of Public Interest): 1934-08-11
Hours: 09:00 – 12:30 | 14:00 – 17:30 | CLOSES: 4th. and Saturday afternoons; Sundays and holidays
Royal Falconry
Falconry is a modality of hunting practiced in Portugal since the 20th century. XII and marked in the territory since the foundation of nationality.
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Hours: Tuesday through Sunday.
Santarém Cathedral
The Church of the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, initially belonging to the priests of the Society of Jesus and, after 1780
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It is a building with a Mannerist structure and facade built between 1672 and 1711. The frontispiece of the church has five distinct bodies, giving a strong impression of strength and power. An impression of power that is increased and complemented by the two symmetrical parts of the built whole, forming as it were a single great palace of God. It was the object of intervention in 2008 by master organ-builder Nuno Rigaud.
Sita na Praça Sá da Bandeira
National Monument Classification: 1917-03-14
Hours: 10:00 – 18.00 | CLOSES on Tuesdays.
S. Nicolau's Church
The Parish Church of S. Nicolau de Santarém is a Mannerist construction from 1613.
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It was destroyed by a violent fire.
The facade is simple, impressing by its verticality of lines and revealing mannerist characteristics. It develops in five bodies divided by asymmetrical vertical pilasters. It has only one tower, not very tall, topped by spires and spheres.
The church of S. Nicolau has an adjoining chapel, whose patron saint is S. Pedro and which possesses the magnificent Gothic tomb of Fernão Rodrigues Redondo, dating from the 14th century and also classified as a national monument.
The pipe organ of the Church of S. Nicolau was restored in 2008 by master organbuilder Dinarte Machado. It is a positive cabinet organ, with a case built in Flanders pine wood and later painted.
This instrument is characteristic of the Portuguese organ school, built in 1818 by António Xavier Machado e Cerveira (1756-1828).
Hours: 09:00 – 19:30 |.
aquatic complex
Sports equipment where you can enjoy pleasant moments of rest, socializing, or keeping fit.
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Summer hours: Monday to Friday – 08:00 – 21:00 Saturday: 09:00 – 17:30 | Closed: Sunday (except in June, July and August)
GARDEN | MIRADOURO PORTAS DO SOL
It occupies the primitive walled area of Santarém (citadel or Alcáçova), and its current function is the result of a project by João Fagundo da Silva
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Space with cafeteria, restaurant, game and playground, museum.
Schedule: 09:00 -22:00
FREEDOM GARDEN
In the transition between the historic center and the new part of town there is an excellent park for walking and relaxing, the Liberty Garden,
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Sá da Bandeira Theater
Built in the early 20th century, this building became, at the time, one of the city’s main cultural references.
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Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM | CLOSES: Sunday, Monday and holidays
HOUSE OF BRAZIL
This 18th century building was constructed from residential structures belonging to the family of Pedro Álvares Cabral.
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Hours: 9:00 -12:30 | 14:00 – 17:30 | CLOSES – Sundays, Mondays and holidays
SCALABITAN CULTURAL CIRCLE
For 110 years, that is, since 1895, theater has been performed in this space, named after the actor Taborda.
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This association produced, uninterruptedly, musical theater shows, operettas and comedies, some of which had locally produced music and lyrics, others were interpretations of Portuguese and foreign plays.
Thus, this space marked the cultural formation of the city of Santarém, starting in 1895, encouraging musicians, artists, and writers, to compose music for theater and also for orchestra, theatrical creation, in all its forms, and even dramaturgy and poetry.
W Shopping
The W Shopping, located in the historic center of Santarém, is the district’s largest shopping center.
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Inaugurated on October 28, 2003, the year in which it was awarded the “Best Development of 2003” prize by the real estate magazine. With an innovative architecture, it has unequivocally requalified the center of the city of Santarém.
The W Shopping has 70 stores, 6 movie theaters, a supermarket, a food court, and 600 covered parking spaces.
In a constant renovation, the W Shopping reformulated in 2012 the food court, providing two new areas on this floor, W Kids and W Baby, focusing increasingly on the needs of families, offering greater convenience and comfort. In 2017 all the interior and exterior lighting was reformulated, contributing to a greater sustainability of our planet.
Actor Mario Viegas Forum
The Santarém Regional Cultural Center is a cultural decentralization project of the State Secretariat of Culture
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This is an animation project based on the aesthetic valorization of the space, created for the polyvalence of actions, allowing the interchange of experiences, betting on diversity.
You could say that the Forum has created an informal and assiduous audience. This is a public that the CCRS intends to respect and expand, both through the regularity of the initiatives, and also through the quality of the same.
The objectives that the Forum seeks to follow are:
– Reinforce the regularity of the actions, seeking to respond to requests coming from the environment;
– To deepen its regional dimension, carrying out actions that go beyond its physical space, promoting the artistic values of the region.
In 1996 this space was renamed Fórum Actor Mário Viegas in honor of the late great actor and poet, born in Santarém, Mário Viegas.
Municipal Museum of Santarem
Santarém’s museological reality was born with the publication of the charter of February 16, 1876,
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After remodeling work that took place between 1877 and 1889, the Museum opened to the public, with a district figure, in 1889, passing to municipal competence only three years later, on December 24, 1892. After a long hibernation, in 1992 the municipality of Santarém determines the closing of the old ‘Museu dos Cacos’, starting a deep restructuring.
The fundamental bases of the current museological reality rest on a polynucleated structure, integrating the already existing nuclei: Museological Nucleus of Art and Archaeology (S. João do Alporão Church), Museological Nucleus of Time – 1st phase (Cabaças Tower), Anselmo Braamcamp Freire House-Museum and Urbi Scallabis Interpretation Center.
For more information, check out the Museu Municipal de Santarém website at http://museu.cm-santarem.pt/.
You can book a visit here.
Boat Ride | Rio A Dentro
A boat safari on the Tagus River with the immense beauty of the natural landscape of the riverbanks.
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THE “RIVER-TO-RIVER NATURE WALKS” GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN’T SEE IN MANY PLACES IN THE WORLD. A unique composite of nature: river, secondary canals, islands, magical corners, unique places, endless trees and plants, birds of the most diverse species, and horses on the islands and beaches.
Horseback Riding
Horseback riding through the beautiful landscape of Quinta de Lagoalva and vineyards by Cavalos na Areia, always accompanied by a guide.
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Thus, Horses in Lagoalva is born, with rides in close contact with nature.
Book your tour and enjoy a day in the countryside, in a large space full of fresh air.
– Reservations must be made 48 hours in advance and are subject to confirmation by email.
– If the weather conditions are not favorable, the tour may be canceled and any payment will be refunded in full.
– In the event that a client is not in a physical or psychological condition to participate in the program, the program may (by decision of the guide) be cancelled.Minimum age: 11 years
Maximum weight: 90kg
Balloon Ride
A hot air balloon ride is the ultimate adventure. Enjoy the beautiful Ribatejo landscape from above and the adrenaline rush of being in the air.
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Flying in a hot air balloon leads you to feel something inexplicable. It will fly at the same speed as the wind!
It all starts with the preparation of the wicker basket, where it will be taken to fly.
Inside, side by side with other passengers delighted by the experience, some more curious than others, you will be surprised.
The balloon will grow above your head by heating the air.
Then you just have to let yourself go…
Operators:
Windpassenger
www.windpassenger.pt
+351 243 660 006
Magic Balloon – Rui Farinha
www.balaomagico.pt
+351 961 805 015
Wine and Olive Oil Tasting | Lagoalva
The Qta. of Lagoalva has a varied wine range. Enabling all visits to be enjoyable and extremely informative
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The long tradition of Quinta da Lagoalva as a wine producer is attested in 1888, at the Portuguese Industry Exhibition, where it was present with 600 casks of wine.
The 45 hectares of vineyards of Quinta da Lagoalva are implanted in the best “terroirs” of the Tagus and are constituted by the national and world castes with the best oenologically proved aptitudes such as, in the whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Alvarinho, Arinto, Fernão Pires, Verdelho, Chardonnay; and in reds: Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta-Roriz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shyrah, Tannat and Castelão.
Companhia das Lezírias
During this activity you can breathe the purity of the sea breeze, appreciate the biodiversity of the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve
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Visit to the Winery – The Wine Cycle – Program for adults and children from 7 years old and up, where for 45 minutes we visit the Vineyards, the Winery and the Barrel Room
Price: 7.50€ / person
Condition: Groups with at least 4 people
Experience, The Discovery of the Terroir of Herdade de Catapereiro – In a two-hour visit, for a minimum of two people, you will get to know the Vineyards, the Winery and the Barrel Room and taste a Tyto Alba wine (White/Rosé/Red), a sparkling wine tasting of 1836, a liqueur wine tasting of “Senhora Companhia” and an olive oil tasting
Price: 20 € / person
Condition: Groups with at least 4 people
These experiences will introduce the visitor to the tradition and scenic beauty of Herdade de Catapereiro, passing through the vineyard where a historical introduction of Companhia das Lezírias is made, proceeding to a visit to the winery, full of technology and oenological tradition, and ending with a wine and olive oil tasting that will exemplify each of the “micro-terroir” of the property.
Birdwatching
EVOA – Tagus Estuary Birdwatching and Conservation Area, allows visitors to know and enjoy the unique heritage
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At EVOA, visitors can enjoy:
- 5 km of lake walks
- 4 observatories and several observation points
- Daily guided bird watching tours, using telescopes, binoculars and guides
- Visit the permanent exhibition, EVOA, Where the World Meets the Tagus
EVOA has the capacity to receive up to 120 visitors/day, ensuring the tranquility of the birds and the quality of the visiting experience.
In addition to the daily offer, EVOA holds several events throughout the year, making this space, which is renewed every day, more dynamic.