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Penhas da Saúde () is a village in the municipality of
Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion an ...
, Portugal. This mountain village sits right in the heart of
Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela () is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portugal's ...
, nestled within the scenic mountain range, at an altitude of 1,500 metres. It is primarily a winter resort.


Winter resort

The tourism facilities in Penhas da Saúde consists of the Serra da Estrela Hotel, a
youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...
and the Mountain Chalets, 10 minutes away from the
Vodafone Ski Resort Serra da Estrela Ski Resort ( pt, Estância de Esqui da Serra da Estrela) is a ski resort located in a mountain range named Serra da Estrela, in the municipality of Seia, parish (''freguesia'') of Loriga, Portugal. Description This small ski reso ...
. Slightly below the village, overlooking Cova da Beira, sits the typical Estalagem Varanda dos Carqueijais. The Vodafone Ski Resort is located at Torre (highest point in
mainland Portugal Continental Portugal ( pt, Portugal continental, ) or mainland Portugal comprises the bulk of the Portuguese Republic, namely that part on the Iberian Peninsula and so in Continental Europe, having approximately 95% of the total population and 9 ...
), in
Seia Seia () is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 21,755, in an area of . Its urban population is about 7,000. Seia was elevated to city status on July 3, 1986. The municipality is situated on the northwestern slo ...
, right in the centre of the nature reserve, at an altitude of 2,000 metres. Covered in snow from December to April, thanks to an artificial snow-producing process, the ski resort houses the support infrastructures for the practice of winter sports and provides facilities such as mechanical lifts and a pass identification system for the lifts. That ski resort is a destination in Portugal for winter sports and entertainment. Activities include mushing (dog sledding), sleigh rides and snow motorcycles. A range of equipment, such as alpine skis and snowboards can be rented locally.


Geography


Climate

Penhas da Saúde (meaning ''Cliffs of the Health'' in English) has a cool-summer Mediterranean climate (''Csb'', according to the Köppen climate classification), with
oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
(''Cfb'') and
continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...
(''Dsb/Dfb'') influences. There is a short dry season in summer, and high precipitation in the remaining of the year. Summers are pleasant and winters are chilly to cold, with snowfalls, sometimes with very significant accumulation. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature of . In January, the coldest month, the average temperature is . The average yearly temperature in Penhas da Saúde is and the average annual precipitation is close to .


References


Sources

*
Câmara Municipal da Covilhã (''Covilhã City Hall'')
Resorts in Portugal Villages in Portugal Populated places in Castelo Branco District Serra da Estrela {{CasteloBranco-geo-stub