A medieval Portuguese town with a 12th-century hilltop castle and ancient city walls. Known for its traditional pottery workshops and regional olive oil production.
Pombal, a city in central Portugal, grew around a 12th-century Templar castle on a hilltop. You can climb the castle's rectangular keep for views across the surrounding plains, explore the Portuguese Folk Art Museum with its 2,000 craft pieces, or cycle through the Mata Nacional do Urso pine forest to reach the Atlantic coast. The city's connection to the Marquis of Pombal, who lived here in the 1770s, has left its mark in the form of 18th-century buildings and artifacts now displayed in local museums.
Getting to Pombal
Trains run from Lisbon and Porto to Pombal, with the journey taking 2 hours from either city. The station sits in the city center, a 15-minute walk from the castle. If you're driving, take the A1 motorway - the city lies 190 km north of Lisbon and 160 km south of Porto. Buses connect Pombal to nearby Leiria every hour during daytime.
The Medieval Castle
The Knights Templar built Pombal Castle in the 12th century as a defensive stronghold. The castle's keep rises 20 meters high across two floors, with thick stone walls topped by prismatic battlements. Walk along the ramparts for views of the city, or visit the exhibition space inside the keep to learn about medieval military tactics and weapons. French troops damaged parts of the castle during the Napoleonic Wars, but a 1970s restoration returned much of its original structure.
Museums in the Historic Center
The Marquis of Pombal Museum, located in the former city prison, displays 18th-century furniture, paintings, and documents from the statesman's life. In a 1776 granary building nearby, the Portuguese Folk Art Museum exhibits 2,000 craft pieces including pottery, textiles, and agricultural tools from different regions of Portugal.
Natural Spaces and Beaches
Walk or cycle through the Mata Nacional do Urso, a pine forest stretching 15 km to the coast. At its western edge, Praia do Osso da Baleia beach extends for 3 km along the Atlantic, with wooden walkways crossing the dunes. East of Pombal, hiking trails wind through the limestone cliffs of Serra de Sicó, where you can explore several cave systems with a guide.
Local Food and Festivals
Many restaurants around the main square serve bacalhau à lagareiro (codfish roasted with olive oil and garlic) and tortulhos (locally foraged mushrooms prepared with herbs). During the five-day Bodo Festival in late July, food stalls fill the streets, and you can try biscoitos de Louriçal (anise cookies) and broa de azeite (olive oil cornbread) while watching music performances.
Recent Discoveries
In 2017, a local construction project revealed an 82-foot-long sauropod dinosaur skeleton, one of the largest found in Europe. You can see photographs and preliminary findings from the excavation at the city museum, while paleontologists continue their work at the site.
