Located in Travancinha, 12 km from the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, Chão do Rio – village tourism offers a unique and magical experience in a sustainable lodging! On its 8 hectare farm, Nature is cherished and enjoyed by its guests.
Chão do Rio is an authentic sustainable family village, located near Serra da Estrela. The respect for Nature and the joy of living with it every day is visible in all the space! Come and enjoy a magnificent stay full of knowledge, flavours and natural landscapes!
Sustainability
In this cosy village you can say that almost everything is sustainable! It is not by chance that Chão do Rio is the first Rural Tourism unit in Portugal to obtain the Biosphere Responsible Tourism certification and the first unit in the Central Region) of the country.
A stay at Chão do Rio includes accommodation in stone houses with thatched roofs and breakfast with regional specialities served in baskets.
Here guests are encouraged to explore the nearby trails on foot or on bikes available free of charge and enjoy their biological pool. In turn, children can have fun with handcarts, pick up eggs from the removable hen house or just play freely and safely.
The work of Chão do Rio in favor of the preservation of biodiversity is also quite remarkable. At the moment a 4 hectare forest recovery plan is under execution that includes the sowing of the two endogenous oak species on the property, the introduction of local shrub species to enrich the undergrowth and the control of the acacias through debarking techniques. A pond with a capacity of about 5 thousand litres was also installed where, next spring, local aquatic species will be planted, with which it is intended to maintain the quality of the water that will support birds, rabbits, wild boar, dragonflies, frogs, newts and other amphibians. Large wooden roots have also been scattered in an area of the forest to provide shelter for rabbits and hares, inviting them to become residents.
The Chão do Rio team is cleaning up their forest spaces, as well as the woods of neighbouring lands, thus contributing to reducing the risk of fire.
It should also be noted that the heating of all accommodation units is done from wood-burning stoves, which are fed with material from the cleaning of the woods. Here, in fact, one breathes sustainability!
Facilities
The Chão do Rio Guest House has a wide range of facilities at your disposal! In addition to the room facilities, guests have access to equipped kitchenettes, television, sound system, toys and books and wi-fi.
Outside, you can enjoy the biological pool, free bikes, picnic tables, barbecues, firewood oven, marked trail, playground, outdoor benches in viewpoints, traditional tank for washing clothes, hen house with fresh eggs at your disposal and also a small shop of regional products!
At the reception of Chão do Rio you can get information about the surrounding region and available activities, namely tourist animation activities and the best restaurants in the vicinity with which this accommodation has partnerships.
What to do
A Chão do Rio procura propiciar aos seus hóspedes uma experiência memorável, onde é possível ocupar o tempo em qualquer estação do ano. Na quinta e na aldeia de Travancinha é possível passear a pé ou de bicicleta, começando nos trilhos da propriedade e pa
Chão do Rio seeks to provide its guests with a memorable experience, where it is possible to occupy time in any season of the year. On the farm and in the village of Travancinha it is possible to walk or cycle, starting on the trails of the property and discovering the village and its friendly inhabitants.
The wheelbarrows are one of the attractions in family games, almost as popular as picking fresh eggs from the original mobile henhouse. The chickens, which are often loose, as well as the flock, which visit the property, are other attractions that delight the children.
In summer, the baths in the biological pool, where you have the opportunity to swim in the company of water lilies, dragonflies and swallows, are another unforgettable experience. At this time of year you can’t miss also the picnics in the shadow of the Oaks.
There is no lack of unique experiences in other seasons either: either mushroom picking (spring and autumn) or fruit picking (e.g. hazelnuts in September or olives in December). The barbecues and the wood oven also provide gastronomic tertúlias with family or friends, where Nature is the stage for happy and loose conversations.
rtindo à descoberta da aldeia e dos seus simpáticos habitantes.
Os carros de mão são um dos atractivos nas brincadeiras em família, quase tão populares como a apanha dos ovos frescos, no original galinheiro móvel. As galinhas, que frequentemente andam soltas, bem como o rebanho, que visita a propriedade, são outros dos atractivos que fazem as delícias das crianças.
No verão, os banhos na piscina biológica, onde tem a oportunidade de nadar na companhia de nenúfares, libelinhas e andorinhas, são outra experiência inesquecível. Nesta altura do ano não pode deixar de aproveitar também os piqueniques à sombra dos Carvalhos.
Relativamente às outras estações também não faltam experiências únicas: quer seja a apanha de cogumelos (primavera e outono), quer seja a apanha da fruta (ex: avelãs em setembro ou as azeitonas em dezembro). As churrasqueiras e o forno de lenha propiciam ainda tertúlias gastronómicas em família ou entre amigos, onde a Natureza é o palco de alegres e soltas conversas.
How to get there
Train – Whether you come from Porto or Lisbon, you can take the train to Coimbra-B and then take a new train to Nelas, which is 20 km from Chão do Rio. Check train schedules and prices here. The rest of the journey will have to be made in another type of vehicle: Why not try cycling?
Car – Chão do Rio is about 160km from Porto. If you come from this city, take the A1 towards the South and take exit 16 to converge with the A25 towards Viseu. Then take exit 18 to the N231 towards Viseu/Nelas/Seia. At the roundabout take the 1st exit to the N231. After 11km, you will find another roundabout. Take the 2nd exit, continuing on the N231. At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit, continuing on the N231. After passing 2 more roundabouts, take the 1st exit towards Avenida António Monteiro. Continue until Avenida El Rei Dom Dinis. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit to the N231-2, and at the next roundabout take the 1st exit, continuing on the N231-2. Turn left towards the EM507-1 and then curve sharply left towards the EM507. Continue until Rua do Pôr-do-Sol and then continue until Rua do Corgo. Continue to Rua de São Gião and then to Rua da Carvalha. Turn right towards Rua da Igreja. After 270m you will find your destination!
If you come from Lisbon, take the A1 and exit at exit 13 to converge with the E801/IP3 towards Viseu/Coimbra. After 1km keep left to continue on the IP3. Take exit IC12 towards Guarda/Mangualde. Continue until A35/IC12 and after 15km take the N337 exit towards Trânsito Local. Keep left at the junction to continue towards Estr. Cabanas/N230. At the roundabout take the 1st exit to Estr. Cabanas/N230. At the next roundabout, take the 2nd exit to Av. Estação. Turn right towards R. Dr. Carlos Olavo/N230. After 1.7km make a slight left turn. Continue to R. Pontinha and then to the N230. After about 10km, at the roundabout, take the 1st exit and continue on the N230. Make a sharp left turn towards EM507. Follow the other indications described above.
