A day trip in Piódão. Things to do in the most charming village of Portugal

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by

There is a small village nestled up in the mountains of the Serra do Açor that looks out of a fairytale. This village is called Piódão and it’s so small that there is just one mailbox hanging from a tree in the main square. It’s so small, that some of its alleys are good only for cats! It’s so small, that only 120 people live there. It’s this real? Yes, and you can plan a visit there while in Portugal! In this blog, you can find all you need to know to plan a day trip in Piódão. Read below and discover more!

What you should know about Piódão

Piódão is one of the 12 Portoguese villages classified as “Aldeias Históricas de Portugal” (Historical Villages of Portugal) under a government scheme aiming to the promotion and restoration of villages that had a historical importance for the nation. Piódão has been historically famous since the XIV century. Rumours say that it was often used by medieval fugitives trying to hide in the mountains of the Serra do Açor. However, only in the most recent years (probably due to the social media sharing) the village has gained more touristy attention.

Indeed, you can find it now in various tourist guides (e.g. Lonely Planet) but it has also its own (and brand new) tourist office! More media attention means more tourists. More tourists means also the need of souvenir shops that are now open here and there among the little schist houses. Luckily, the village it’s small enough that it’s physically impossible to host more than two-three souvenir shops and this help to not ruin its traditional atmosphere and countryside feeling. Piódão is famous for its monochromatic architecture with dark schist stone and its white-washed church visible from up in the mountain.

A day trip to Piódão. Things to keep in mind before visiting.

• The village is literally buried inside the mountains (for this reason is known as Nativity village) and its impossible to reach without a car (unless you are already in the Arganil region e.g. for trekking reasons).
• Piodão is not accessible for people with mobility problems. Indeed, it’s very steep, full of tiny stairs and slopes. The only accessible area is the main square.
• Piodão is not stroller friendly. You will need a backpack to carry your babies.
• The weather into that part of Portugal is quite unpredictable due to the mountains. You can face thunderstorms, wind and even fog (also during summer).
• Despite the recent touristy attention, most villagers are still not used to tourists and might be not really happy of people taking pictures of their homes. Be considerate when wandering around or taking pictures because people live in those lovely houses!
• Only a few people speak English and these are working at the local bar/restaurant.
• Your mobile provider might not work in that area of Portugal. Be ready to have an offline map to wander around.

Adventuring into the Serra do Açor

When I planned our trip to Piodão weeks before, I didn’t certainly expect to arrive in the middle of a thunderstorm. Nevertheless, that’s what happened. The weather forecast didn’t look good since the morning we departed from Coimbra. Indeed, we left the sunshine in the city but the weather became progressively worse while crossing the Arganil region. After a quick stop in Coja for lunch, we adventured the winding roads crossing the green Serra do Açor. The dark clouds were so low that I felt I could touch them with my hand and a creepy thunder sounds closer at every mile we drove by car. For one second, I thought it was probably better to not venturing further with two little babies (especially because you are literally in the middle of nowhere). However, we were already close to Piodão. So, we decided to move on.

A first glimpse of Piódão

When we arrived, it was literally raining cat and dogs. The rain was so strong I could barely see the white church in the background of the main square. It was seriously one of the most powerful storms I witnessed in the past few years. We remained in the car for about 10 minutes without knowing what to do. The only bar/restaurant on the square was at just a few meters from us but the rain was still too strong to run with the babies. We decided to take the risk when the rain became a little less powerful. It was quite a funny scene. Two adults and two babies enter in a bar almost soaked hoping to have a cup of coffee. Half of the village population was seated there watching a football match until we became the main entertainment.

We did felt a bit under scrutiny just for being THERE. It was clear that most of those people didn’t like tourists given the grim looks we received from some of the seated guests. However, this uncomfortable feeling didn’t last long. The employees of the bar were actually very kind and we were able to undertake a conversation by mixing Portuguese, Italian and English. We remained there for a good part of the early afternoon waiting for the rain to subside. We had coffee, we tasted the delicious Cajadas de Piódão and we bought a few souvenirs. When the sun finally came out, we were finally able to explore the little village and it was amazing.

Exploring Piódão

I would say that we were quite lucky to arrive during a thunderstorm. This because when the sun came out, we were the only tourists there! There was an absolute silence around the village and the only sound you could hear was the one of the little streams flowing down the village alleys from up the hill. We loved to walk the peaceful little schist street. Photographing the charming houses with their blue doors and enjoy the pure, clean air of this part of Portugal. Piódão is such a little gem that still preserves that authentic beauty of a traditional historical village. It’s by far one of my favourite stops in our road trip and I hope to come back one day.

How to get to Piódão

Piódão is located in the mountainous Arganil region, within the green and extensive Serra do Açor. It is good to visit as a day trip from Coimbra or as a part of a longer itinerary of the Arganil region. Being located in such a remote and secluded part of Portugal, the only possible way to reach Piódão is by car. It will take about 1h and 34 mins to reach it from Coimbra (the distance is about 95 km). However, the road is quite winding and depending on the weather conditions, it might take longer than normal. If you are travelling from Porto, it is about 2h and 22 mins drive. However, according to my experience is better to travel from Coimbra.

There are no trains or buses going to Piódão. You may find some organised tours stopping there as for example this one I found on Viator. However, I am not sure if they are good or not as I didn’t try any of these (plus they also look quite expensive for a group of four).

How much time do I need in Piódão?

I think that one day or a half day in Piódão are more than enough to see everything you need to see in the village. Indeed, Piódão it’s very small and you can check off everything in a few hours. However, if you plan some trekking exploration into the Serra do Açor or want to visit other nearby villages, you may want to add some additional days in the area.

Best things to do on a day trip to Piódão

Even if little, Piódão offers the opportunity of having a very nice day trip. Read below for a list of best things to do in the village!

Visit the white-washed Igreja Matriz

Igreja Matriz is probably the most iconic and famous attraction of Piódão. A white-washed church that shines against the dark schist dominating the village architecture. The church itself is a late addition to the village. Indeed, it was completed only in the second half of the 18th century. However, the current architecture is the result of the renovation works done in the last century. Indeed, the facade was crumbling and it was completely renovated. The renovation included also the construction of the bell tower and the four strong cylindrical buttresses that rise above the nave and are topped by cone.

According to the Aldeia Historicas de Portugal website (source) the architecture of the church is “a unique case of Manueline-Mudejar revivalism: a hybrid style, which developed between the 12th and 16th centuries, especially in Alentejo, which combines Manueline architecture with Islamic art”. The church was unfortunately closed when we arrived (possibly because of the terrible weather). However, I loved to photograph its beautiful and peculiar architecture.

Taste the delicious Cajadas de Piódão

If Lisbon is famous for its delicious Pasteis de Nata, Piódão has its own sweet and delicious treat. It’s famous with the name Cajada de Piódão. I didn’t know about its existence until the waiter proposed us to taste it. He wasn’t able to explain us in English all the ingredients but assured us “don’t worry it’s good”!. So we tried one, we loved it so much and ordered a second one!

I did a little research about these little pieces of delicious sweetness and their story its quite interesting. It looks like historically, those sweet pastries were cooked by some friars who were sent to Piódão as a punishment. The original recipe was lost for a long time and then recovered by a famous baker known as Tuxa, the “Baker of the Serra” (Padeira da Serra). After various attempts, she managed to recreate the original recipe that includes a delicious paste of chestnuts, nuts and honey. The pastries are now produced in Coja but still keep the name Cajada de Piódão.

Ps: you can taste these at the local restaurant/bar called O Solar dos Pachecos.

Take home a mini version of the Piódão’s schist houses

As said before, Piódão has now its own souvenirs that, differently from other places in Portugal, are home-made by local people. Indeed, one of the nicest souvenir you can buy is a mini version of the Piódão’s schist houses. These come in various sizes, from bigger ones (e.g. to put on a table as decoration) to small ones (e.g. magnets). We opted for a little magnet given our limited space at home (and considering also the babies attitude to grab everything).

Count all the blue doors of the village

How many blue doors can you count? The colourful blue doors and windows are now a symbol of Piódão but this comes with a story. In fact, it looks like when the villagers wanted to renovate their houses, the only colour they found at the nearest shop was this bright blue. This because at that time Piódão was quite isolated from the rest of the country and it was difficult even to reach it. Nevertheless, this colour is part of what makes this village so peculiar.

Climb Piódão’s steep alleys up to the last house

Exploring Piódão steep alleys is definitely a challenge. The village is built entirely over a steep hill and the only way to go up is climbing the tiny schist stairs up to the top. The rain made our path a little more slippery than normal and the backpack with a 10 kg baby didn’t help but we made it to the top. I highly recommend it! You will be rewarded with the best of the views.

Enjoy a breathtaking view from the best Piódão viewpoint

One of the best places to enjoy a spectacular view of Piódão is located on the road M508-1. You can stop by the hotel Inatel Piódão and take some of the most breathtaking pictures from the nearby viewpoint. However, be careful when stopping the car on the road. Be sure to be on a specific designed viewpoint because the road is winding and you might not see the cars coming in the opposite way.

Trekking to the nearby Foz de Égua

Foz de Égua is located at just 4.3 km from Piódão. For this reason, when organising a trekking in this area, it is usually the nearest place to go from the village. The trekking route pass through the CM1134 and it takes around one hour to finish. If you can’t go trekking, you can always visit by car (like we did). This is at just 9 minutes drive from Piódão.

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