Schist Villages Of Lousã Mountain, Half-day From Coimbra

It is very picturesque and fascinating area. We learned learned the history of the region and saw the rebuilding of one the villages.

The views are magnificent, the schist villages intriguing, and our guide Monica was amazing! Seeing the recent impacts from fires and storms was also moving.

It was a rainy and foggy day so that definitely impacted the beauty. But we made the best of it. It was a long drive up winding roads. So I'm sure it's lovely on a sunny day. Would have been nice to sit with a coffee and take it all in!

It was a great tour off the regular tourist track. Our guide Pedro gave us a lot of history and explanation. He was a wealth of information not just about the villages but Portugal in general. He gave us plenty of time to walk around and take in the beautiful, picturesque villages. Highly recommend if you are in Coimbra.

Xavier is an easy going, fun and informative guide. We really enjoyed walking thru three villages stopping for tea prior to leaving. The villages are extraordinary the views breathtaking

Xavier provided a wonderful half day experience. He is very knowledgable , and although he had to change his normal route because of the car rally, we still experienced and enjoyed the villages and the architecture and the scenery. Amazing!

A perfect afternoon with a wonderful guide! Outstanding explanation, Extra comfortable vehicle with super driver. Thank you

Wonderful scenery, professional guide, comfortable ride to places you could not get to otherwise and are completely worth it. Such an inspiration, yet another lovely hidden corner of Portugal!

It was a outstanding trip. Our guide Xavier, was fantastic. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Visited 3 villages, and had a nice coffee and Biera brake. I highly recommend this trip.

We had an excellent day. Xavier was a wonderful guide and host. I will tell you the drive is a little scary, but the villages were amazing. I highly recommend this tour.

The villages were stunning, deep in history beauty. Our local guide Xavier was extremely knowledgeable and a wealth of local information, culture and products. He made sure the tour covered all our interests, and gave us all kinds of information. Not just the local products but the story on why they are so unique. There so many different opportunities in each village if one wanted to explore them all. Just a fantastic tour highly recommend.

Xavier’s knowledge, experience and ability to communicate were all quite remarkable. He tailored his narrative to our questions & specific interests. He explained not only the history , but the unique cultural importance of the Schist villages to us.

This was a highlight of our trip. We loved getting out in the country, seeing the views & step climbing up the wazoo !!

Our guide was great-he knew a lot about the sites. What makes me less likely to refer this tour to someone else is first of all the difficulty of the climbs. Secondly, since the properties we toured had been mostly renovated, it didn't give us a true glimpse of the villages during medieval times.

The villages themselves are beautiful. Be prepared for lots of steep hills and climbing. You will see about 3 of the 27 villages. I feel this is a trip you could do by yourself. Wonderful viewpoints from the top of the mountain

Great way to see the mountain forest with a purpose. The buildings are artistically assembled and lovingly maintained thanks to government initiative and touristic visitation.

The Schist villages are fascinating and the landscape beautiful and restful. Xavier was a great guide. Very knowledgeable about the history, engaging and attentive to our needs and wishes. We can highly recommend this tour.

We enjoyed spending the morning with Pedro exploring the three Schist Villages. These villages are unique and very interesting. Pedro was an excellent tour guide providing us with lots of information. He was a careful driving on the mountain roads. Thank you Pedro. We highly recommend visiting these Schist villages.

The entire experience was incredible not just one thing! And to have a private tour guide who knows the area and can drive the very narrow mountains was priceless!! Xavier was so kind and knowledgeable, id book a tour with him any day of the week!

Pedro was informative and very nice. It was an interesting afternoon. He showed us around the villages and answered our questions. It was not what I had expected but an interesting afternoon.

Great overview of the Schist Villages. It was prudent that the tour owner drove to the villages given the narrow roads with hairpin turns and switchbacks.

This was a wonderful tour and great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable. The villages were very beautiful.

I thought this tour was fascinating. Xavier is the best tour guide I have ever had. He was so knowledgable and informative. He was punctual in collecting us from an easy to find meet up point. Very comfortable car. The three villages we visited were quite different to each other and all very interesting. Loved this half day tour!

Beautiful trip. Our driver and driver in training were very knowledgeable, engaged with us, and made our trip enjoyable. They had great senses of humor. They were patient in answering our many questions. A great experience!

Our guide was wonderful and made our trip to Schist Villages so informative and enjoyable. The pickup spot and in Coimbra was easy to locate. Our guide told us the history of the villages as well as showed us many other interesting things on the way to and from the villages. It was our favorite Portugal tour and we loved it. The settings for the villages is in the mountains so we saw mountain streams and hiking trails among the houses. We learned about the red and yellow hiking signs which explain the routes through the mountains. The construction of the houses is fascinating. We definitely recommend this tour.

Great day. Excellent tour guide who knew a great deal about the villages. Beautiful scenery. Unlike any other experience in Portugal.

We loved our half day tour of the schist villages with Xavier. He was knowledgeable and interesting, providing lots of information.

We were in Coimbra for 2 days and spent one of them with Xavier touring the Schist Villages. Xavier was extremely knowledgeable and was a fantastic tour guide. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in getting out of the city for a day and exploring a bit of history!

Xavier was very knowledgable, taking all the time we needed as we asked questions about the schist villages and their origins. It was a bit of a highlight to climb down into Talasnal, find a delightful shop and a Taberna, and to have a good glass of regional wine, just opened, for 1.5 Euro.

Saw three of the shale rock (schist) villages in mountains near Coimbra. 4 hour trip with our wonderful guide Xavier who was so friendly and informative. Glad he was driving very steep and narrow mountain roads. The villages were so interesting unbelievable architectural style and beautiful surroundings. Definitely will seek out this company and Xavier on our next Portugal trip

Fantastic trip to these 3 schiste rock villages in the mountains near Coimbra. Xavier was an excellent guide, friendly and informative . Architecture was amazing in beautiful forest surroundings

Charming villages, Aldeas de Xisto, that we visited. Xavier was a great company and provided lots of interesting information.

Xavier was a really fantastic and fun guide! The villages were such a unique experience. Highly recommended!!

Xavier was wonderful. We are so glad we booked the trip and chose not to drive these hills on our own. Xavier knows the roads well. He knows about the villages and made the trip more interesting than just looking at them.

The tour did not dissapoint! We went to beautiful locations in a comfortable car. Xavier was a great guide, very friendly and speaks good english.

Xavier was a wonderful guide. He spoke very good English and provided a lot of insight into the villages and surrounding area. This is an area where having someone drive while you look at the incredible views is a major advantage ! We covered a lot of ground in 4 hours and felt the experience was well worth it!

Xavier was a great guide! He took us to 3 villages (4 hours tour from Coimbra), we got a good feel for the villages and the current developments happening, it's a beautiful place and it'd make for a really great stay as well (we didn't know, but you can stay at the villages). Highly recommended!

Xavier was an awesome tour guide. Very personable and did his best to make this trip memorable. He took us to see the Schist Villages in the Serra de Lousa, about an hour from Coimbra Portugal. Fascinating and very informative tour. We will remember, draw upon, and cherish this experience for many years to com. Thank you Xavier.

Visiting the Aldeias do Xisto has been on our travel list for the past couple of years, so we decided to make it happen this year when visiting Coimbra. Rather than renting a car and driving to the area ourselves, we opted for this guided tour with Xavier instead. And we were not disappointed. Xavier speaks excellent English, is very knowledgeable and personable. His vehicle is very comfortable and clean. What we appreciated the most was being able to sit back and take in the sites and leave the stress of the driving on these unfamiliar roads to Xavier. We will look to hire him again when we return to the area for a cycling tour. Thanks again Xavier!

Everything well organized and working 100% s hr nice and interesting tour with lots of local knowledge Very good tour planning

Tour with amazing views, and Pedro, our guide, enriched our tour with his experience and for being a very nice person. I recommend!

ロウザン地方という個人ではなかなか行くことのできない場所に行けたこと、そしてガイドのシャビエルさんの素晴らしい案内のおかげで、忘れることのできない素晴らしい経験ができました。このツアーは皆さんにお勧めできます。

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Xavier for the excellent service provided during our visit to the three Villages of Shisto (Cerdeira, Candal and Talasnal) in Lousã. His deep understanding of local history and culture, combined with his professionalism, sympathy and great sense of humor, made our experience truly unforgettable! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for guiding us through these charming places! We strongly recommend your services to all those who wish to explore the region in an authentic and enriching way...

Lousã mountain range is beautiful, with its oak, chestnut, native flowers, and natural trails. The Villages are a separate spectacle. For lovers of structures, even if simple, more full of architectural and aesthetic concepts. I loved. The special rating also for our guide, Mr. Xavier, note 10!