Hotel Rural Quinta de Bispos

The Bussaco Palace

The impressive Bussaco palace (now a hotel) was built in the 19th century, in neo-manueline style, and is the last legacy of the Portugese kings.

The forest

No less an attraction than the palace is the woodland reserve surrounding it. This vast reserve (more than 100 hectares) is officially considered a national monument since 1943. It contains about 700 different species of trees, many of which exotic.
Part of the wood has a park-like aspect, with ponds, staircases and (for example) a passageway with carefully groomed huge ferns.