Torre is in Serra da Estrela, Portugal, in Southern Europe.

What is there to see near Torre?

Other notable places nearby include Biblioteca Joanina and Livraria Lello.

How do you get to Torre?

Torre lies in Serra da Estrela, Portugal. Most visitors travel to Serra da Estrela first and reach the site from there.

Portugal Built a Tower to Hit 2,000 Metres and Missed by Seven

Torre

The highest point in mainland Portugal reaches 1,993 metres at the summit of the granite massif; the landscape is a raw expanse of glacial valleys and boulder-strewn plateaus formed 20,000 years ago; stand by the 19th-century stone tower during the winter thaw; the sound of rushing meltwater is constant while the smell of cold pine and damp granite fills the thin; biting air.

Plan your visit

Best time to visit

Summer for hiking; winter for snow and the small ski area. Spring wildflowers on the lower slopes are remarkable.

Getting there

In Serra da Estrela, Portugal; reach Serra da Estrela first, then continue to the site.

What's nearby

Biblioteca Joanina and Livraria Lello are also in the area.

Portugal built a tower on its highest peak to reach 2,000 metres but fell seven metres short, and the tower is still there.

About Torre

The Serra da Estrela has been used for grazing and transhumance for centuries. The 19th-century tower at the summit was a civic project. The range was designated a Natural Park in 1976. The glacial landscape dates to the Pleistocene, about 20,000 years ago.

What Torre (Serra da Estrela) actually is

Torre is the highest point in mainland Portugal, reaching 1,993 metres at the summit of the Serra da Estrela, a granite massif in the central interior. The landscape is a raw expanse of glacial valleys, boulder-strewn plateaus and high-altitude grasslands shaped by ice sheets 20,000 years ago. A 19th-century stone tower at the summit was built to push the official height to a symbolic 2,000 metres, which did not work but remains standing.

Portugal's Highest Point (Almost 2,000 Metres)

The Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal, and the summit of Torre has held a kind of national significance disproportionate to its modest altitude. In the 19th century, a stone tower was erected at the top with the stated intention of making the mountain an even 2,000 metres, a goal it fell short of. The tower remains, and so does the 1,993-metre summit. The landscape around Torre is shaped by Pleistocene glaciation: the Zezere Valley is a textbook glacial U-shaped valley, and the plateaus are scattered with glacial erratics, boulders dropped by retreating ice. In winter, Torre receives snow, and a small ski area operates on the upper slopes. The Serra da Estrela is also the home of the Serra da Estrela sheepdog, a guardian breed that has worked these mountains for centuries, and the queijo da Serra, a soft mountain cheese made from the raw milk of Bordaleira sheep.

The Experience

You drive or hike to the summit and find the stone tower sitting on bare granite with views across the plateau. The interior is notably colder and cleaner than the lowlands. The Zezere glacial valley is visible from the road below the summit and is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Portugal. In the villages around the range, you can find queijo da Serra cheese and see the large Estrela sheepdogs that have guarded flocks here for generations.

Why It Matters

Torre and the Serra da Estrela are the highest points in mainland Portugal and the finest example of glacial landscape in the country. The range holds cultural significance through its shepherd traditions, mountain cheese and the Estrela sheepdog breed.