Serra da Estrela

Serra da Estrela, Star Mountain Range, is the highest range in continental Portugal and, with the Serra da Lousã, the westernmost part of the Sistema Central. It holds the mainland’s highest point at 1,993 metres, though Mount Pico in the Azores is higher still. Glacial valleys, high plateau and granite tors make up the top of it, and the range carries the only ski area in the country. Snow is a real feature here in a way it is nowhere else on the mainland, and the walking season is correspondingly shorter.