Slow travel in central Portugal

Tomar was founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, Master of the Templars in Portugal, and it has never quite stopped being their town. The castle and convent crown a wooded hill above the Nabão river, with the whitewashed lower town laid out in a neat grid below.

The Convent of Christ, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, is the reason most people come. Its heart is the Charola, the round Templar church of the late twelfth century, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. After the Templar order was dissolved, its Portuguese knights and property passed to the new Order of Christ, which helped fund the voyages of discovery. That wealth shows in the Manueline nave and its famous Chapter House window, carved between 1510 and 1513 by Diogo de Arruda with ropes, coral and knots.

Give the convent a full morning. It unfolds cloister by cloister, and the best of it is found in corners, not headlines.

Hours change between summer and winter and the convent closes on a few public holidays, so check the official timetable before you travel. Back in town, look for the medieval synagogue, one of the oldest surviving in Portugal, and the Mata dos Sete Montes, the old convent woodland. Just outside town, the Pegões aqueduct, built to carry water to the convent, strides across a valley on stacked arches.

East of Tomar, the Zêzere river was dammed in the mid twentieth century to create the Castelo de Bode reservoir, a long, winding lake and one of the main sources of Lisbon's drinking water. Along its edges are river beaches, or praias fluviais, with jetties, lawns and simple cafés: Aldeia do Mato, Castanheira (sometimes called Lago Azul), Alqueidão and Dornes are good names to start with. Dornes, on a narrow peninsula with a pentagonal tower said to have Templar origins, is especially lovely. Facilities and summer supervision vary, so swim only where bathing is marked as allowed.

Almourol

Downstream, where the Zêzere meets the Tagus, a small castle stands on a rocky island in the middle of the river. Almourol was rebuilt by the Templars under Gualdim Pais in the twelfth century. You reach it by a short boat crossing from the pier on the riverbank. Crossings can be suspended when the river runs high, so it is worth checking on the day.

Constância

Close by, the white village of Constância climbs the hill at the confluence of the two rivers. Tradition holds that the poet Luís de Camões lived here for a time, and a garden of plants mentioned in his verse keeps the story alive.

North of Tomar the land lifts into the Serra da Lousã, a range of chestnut and oak woods, fast streams and steep slopes. Hidden in its folds are the Aldeias do Xisto, villages built from the dark local schist. Many were almost abandoned; several have since been carefully restored, some as places to stay.

Talasnal is the best known, with stone lanes and slate roofs stacked down the hillside. Casal Novo and Chiqueiro are close neighbours, and a marked footpath links Talasnal and Casal Novo in a short, steep loop that makes a perfect half day. Further along the range, Candal sits beside the mountain road, and another marked trail links it with Cerdeira. Wear proper shoes: the paths are rocky.

Tomar is one of the easiest inland towns to reach without a car. The station is at the end of a short branch line, a few minutes' walk from the centre.

Always check the current timetable with the national rail operator, Comboios de Portugal, before you travel. For the reservoir, the hills and the monasteries, hire a car for part of your stay: buses are infrequent.

Inland, summers are hotter and winters cooler than on the coast.

Tomar has its own convent sweets. The most unusual is Fatias de Tomar: nothing but egg yolks, beaten for a long time, cooked in a water bath in a special double pan, then sliced and soaked in syrup. Look out too for Beija-me Depressa, whose name means "kiss me quickly", a small egg and sugar sweet made by one of the town's long-established pastry shops.

Beyond sweets, this is a region of river fish, roast kid and hearty stews. In the hills around Lousã and Coimbra, try chanfana, goat slow-cooked in red wine in a clay pot. North of Coimbra, the roadside restaurants of Mealhada are famous for suckling pig. Pair it with a local red and plan nothing ambitious for the afternoon.

This route uses Tomar as a base for four nights and ends in Coimbra, with rail connections onward to Porto or back to Lisbon. A car is useful from day three.

1. Day1 Tomar

   Arrive by train and settle in

   Morning train from Lisbon. Walk the lower town and the Nabão, then climb the Mata dos Sete Montes at dusk.

2. Day2 Tomar

   The Convent of Christ

   Convent in the morning, synagogue and Pegões aqueduct after lunch, Fatias de Tomar to finish.

3. Day3 Almourol, Constância, Castelo de Bode

   A day on the water

   Cross to Almourol in the morning, lunch by the river in Constância, and spend the late afternoon at a Castelo de Bode river beach.

4. Day4 Fátima, Batalha, Alcobaça

   Three great buildings

   A brief stop at Fátima, then unhurried hours at Batalha and Alcobaça.

5. Day5 Serra da Lousã to Coimbra

   Schist villages and the university town

   Walk the Talasnal and Casal Novo loop in the cool of the morning, then drive down to Coimbra for an evening in the old town before moving on.