Aldeia de Sistelo, in Arcos de Valdevez, became mainly known after winning the title of one of the 7 Wonder Villages of Portugal, in the Rural Village category. Known as the Little Portuguese Tibet, Sistelo has become known for its unique terraces, which envelop the entire village.
It is in this peculiarity of scenery, classified as a National Monument, that the villagers dedicate themselves to agriculture and livestock. However, despite the beauty of the landscape, the village in itself is small, with only a few roads and houses, therefore, it can be visited in a few hours.
Sistelo is one of the 7 Wonder Villages of Portugalwinner in the Rural Village category
In the village with medieval origins, you can visit, for example, the Castel House (a two-tower house that stands out from the rest), the Parish Church, the 'lavadouro', the granaries and the Sistelo River Beach. Additionally, we recommend taking the Sistelo Walkways trail (post here.) and visit the several viewpoints , such as the Chã da Armada viewpoint.
Bear in mind that the viewpoints are all at least 1km on foot from the village, so we recommend bringing the necessary clothes for this short walk – in summer this village reaches very high temperatures, where jeans are not a good choice.
Known as Little Portuguese Tibet, the landscape of Sistelo is classified as a National Monument.
In addition, there are several other trails, which allow a better view of the village and its terraces. You can consult the information leaflet with the main information here..
In our case, we chose to do the Passadiços Trail, a small trail of approximately 2 km, which passes through the River Beach of Sistelo (perfect for cooling off on the hottest days) and the Walkways of Ecovia do Vez. Afterwards, we did the Bridges Trail, about 1km long, and which passes through a set of medieval bridges in the village. Both are good routes to see the most natural part of the village.
onde comer em Sistelo
As for places to eat in Sistelo, there is a cafe-restaurant and two restaurants.
First, the café-restaurant, called Solar do Visconde, is located further into the village, next to Castel House, and is easily found.
There is also Cantinho do Abado, a restaurant with a beautiful terrace, and the Tasquinha da Ti´Mélia, where we ate and loved it
In this second, we opted for the fried cod with tomato rice and it was amazing. In both these restaurants it is not possible to make reservations, at least at the time we visited.
A little further away from the village, there are other restaurants, such as the Recanto D’ Avó, where they end up avoiding the confusion of those who visit Sistelo.
how to get there and where to park
Despite being a small village in an area further away from the Peneda-Gerês National Park, this region is easily reached. The roads are good and so is the path, and the GPS has no problem getting there.
However, the car cannot enter the village, so you must park in the area where there is a sign indicating that the village won the 7 Wonders of Portugal Villages award, a few meters before the village.
This is the parking available: on the side of the main access road to the village. The car is on the side of the road, off the road and without great risk. From here, head to the village on foot, and this is how it should be visited.
more to see
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