In the central section of the Portuguese coastline, intense reflections on the water lend their name to this happy designation: Costa de Prata (Silver Coast).

Located between Lisbon and Oporto, with the country's largest motorway (the A1) crossing it in the north-south direction, Costa de Prata has nothing going for it that contradicts the wealth implied by its name.The mild temperatures and white sandy beaches offer one the choice between practising water sports and the calm life of the seaside. The curative springs and the lush vegetation of secular forests have preserved all the rewards of their unspoilt nature.

The monasteries, convents, castles, churches, and museums witness the priceless historic and artistic heritage of renowned universal value. As one of the most economically developed regions in the country, Costa de Prata is also home for famous traditional art treasures, such as its porcelain and crystal, as well as its gastronomy, strongly influenced by the sea and counterbalanced by its tasty Bairrada wines and mouth-watering sweets.

In the fishing villages or urban historic centres, the kindness of the people is but another asset to add to this bountiful area's vast list of qualities.