Exploring Portugal: Leiria

There were two places I knew I wanted to see before I left Portugal, and they were Mosteiro da Batalha and Mosteiro de Alcobaça. And with a five-day holiday for Carnaval coming up, there was no better time. I had been going to get a bus, but since my colleague had invited herself to join me (!), we figured we might as well rent a car. But first, we needed a base, and that was to be Leiria.

We finished teaching on the Saturday afternoon, caught a train to Porto and another to Coimbra, and then a bus to Leiria. On arrival, we quickly located our hotel (which turned out to be a relic of the 1970s, but hey, we were on holiday!) and went for a walkabout and some food.

Quite by chance we came across a sandwich board advertising Cardomomo – a restaurant serving Portuguese and Goan cuisine – and decided to go there. The staff were amazingly friendly and helpful, the service was tip-worthy and the food was delicious, so delicious in fact that after an ill-advised foray into a Japanese restaurant, we returned there for our Last Supper (in Leiria).


The beautiful Praça Rodrigues Lobo



Cat mosaic on the pavement

Ornate door

The next day, we got up early to catch a bus to the nearby coastal town of Nazaré. Too early as it happened, so we had a little wander around Leiria in the daylight. Sitting below the watchful eye of the hilltop castle Leiria is a pretty town with squares, cafés and narrow cobbled streets. The blue skies were the icing on the cake. That is until I had some actual cake!

View of Castelo de Leiria from Jardim Luís de Camões

Roman arches on Largo Cónego Maia

We spent three nights in Leiria but, thanks to taking day-trips to nearby places, we never even made it to the castle. It was only ever intended to a base, but I still wish I'd made more of an effort to see what the town had to offer.

Delicious bitter cherry, biscuity, lemony-creamy-cherry, chocolate mousse thing