It was
1484, when the queen D. Leonor (wife of John II of Portugal), during a trip
from Óbidos to the Batalha, sees several people immersed in water with an intense
odor. Since the act of taking a bath at that time was not common, the queen
interrogates her court on why those people do it and, in addition, choose water
so smelly for that purpose!
The answer
was simple and short:
-
They
are sick, your majesty, and these waters have healing powers.
The queen
who also had some diseases (some say she had an ulcer, others say she had skin
problems), decided to try the water and ... healed. And that is how the Thermal
Hospital of Caldas da Rainha
appeared in 1485.
 |
| Source: https://imagens.publicocdn.com/imagens.aspx/907003?tp=UH&db=IMAGENS |
Next to the
Rainha D. Leonor Thermal Hospital you will find the Church of Our Lady of Pópulo, designed by Master Mateus
Fernandes (architect of the Monastery of Batalha for more than 25 years!). And
has a style that belongs to the pre-Manueline period with typical decorative
options Gothic. Its main elements (nave and main chapel) were completed in
1500, when the temple was elevated to the Mother Church in 1510, its bell tower
was finished.
 |
| Caldas da Rainha - Church of Our Lady of Pópulo |
Nearby is
also the Park D. Carlos I
(named after the last king of Portugal), where today you can walk through
centuries old trees and a romantic garden, enjoy a restaurant-bar with
terrace, a picnic area, a tennis court and a lake for a beautiful boat ride.
 |
| Caldas da Rainha - D. Carlos I Park |
The
Pavilions built in brick, stone, iron beams and ceramics (quite innovative for
the 19th century!) was a project of the visionary engineer and architect
Rodrigo Berquó. This complex should host a spa with infirmaries, a gallery with
55 m in length, sanitary facilities and even, imagine ... a meteorological
observatory! However, Berquó had a sudden heart attack and ended up dying. The
works stopped, the seventh pavilion and the meteorological observatory were
still to be built, but space do not remained unused, held the Boere School
(between 1901 and 1902), Infantry Regiment No. 5 (between 1918 and 1926 and
again between 1927 until the beginning of the 50's), the Tourist Office, the
newspaper "Gazeta das Caldas", several associations, a library, West Business
School and since 2005 ... it is the house of doves and their relatives with
feathers, because it is abandoned.
 |
| Caldas da Rainha - D. Carlos I Park |
In the park
you can also find the José Malhoa Museum with several works by its
patron, a collection of paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th
centuries, a section dedicated to the ceramics of Caldas and the unique set of
60 terracotta sculptures from the "Passion of Christ". You can visit
the museum from October to March (10am-12:30pm | 2pm-5:30pm) and April to
September (10am- 7pm). Closed on Mondays, on 1 January and 25 December.
Admission is free on the 1st Sunday of each month and on the remaining days the
price (normal rate) is 3 €.
 |
| Caldas da Rainha - D. Carlos I Park, José Malhoa Museum |
If you
visit the city in the morning, in Praça
da República (Republic Square), popularly known as the "Fruit
Square", you will find an open-air market, the country's only daily
horticultural market, practically unchanged since the end of the 19th century.
Good shopping!
 |
| Caldas da Rainha - Republic Square |
What’s on in Caldas da Rainha?
Museum of Hospital and Caldas (Museu do Hospital)
Located in
the "Caza Real" (Royal House), where Queen D. Leonor stayed during
her visits to Caldas, the museum has paintings, sculptures, carvings, jewel,
furniture, ceramics, graphic documents and medical and scientific instruments
from the 20th century. Visits from Tuesday to Friday (10am-12:30pm | 1h30pm-5pmh),
Saturday (10am-12:30pm | 2pm-5:30pm), Sundays and holidays (9am-12pm). Closed
on Mondays and on the holidays of 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25
December. The (normal) ticket costs € 3.
Cycling Museum (Museu do Ciclismo)
Gathers
pieces related to the history of cycling in Portugal. It can be visited from
Tuesday to Friday (10am-12:30pm | 2pm-5:30pm), Saturday and Sunday (10am-12:30pm
| 2:30pm-5pm). Admission is free.
Museum of Ceramics (Museu da Cerâmica)
Created
officially in 1983, it is installed in Quinta Visconde de Sacavém (a romantic
mansion, surrounded by gardens and lakes). It has a collection of ceramics
organized in a thematic form covering the period of the 16th century
to the 20th century. It can be visited from 15 October to 31 March
(10am - 6pm) and 1 April to 15 October (10am - 7pm). Closed on Mondays, on 1
January and 25 December. Admission is free on Sundays and holidays until 2pm,
on the remaining days the ticket costs € 2.
 |
| Caldas da Rainha map |
The sweets that you must taste:
- The
Cavacas
- The
Beijinhos (Kisses)
- The
Pilinhas (Little dicks) … see HERE
what it is!
Where is Caldas da Rainha?
There are 3
alternatives: car, bus and train.
Caldas da
Rainha is about 90km from Portela International Airport (Lisbon) and if you use
the A8 motorway, in less than 70 minutes you reach the city. If you come from
the north, the A8 is connected to the A1 (in Leiria) and the A17.
The Rede
Expressos (bus) is also a viable alternative, with direct connections throughout
the country. Check the website: http://www.rede-expressos.pt/
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