The Buçaco forest (or Bussaco) covers about 105 hectares on a hill of the Serra do Buçaco, in the municipality of Mealhada, about thirty kilometres from Coimbra. It is one of Portugal's most unusual places: an ancient walled forest full of giant trees, chapels, fountains and paths, with a fairy-tale palace at its centre.
The Carmelites' forest
In 1628 the Discalced Carmelites founded a hermitage here and enclosed the forest with a wall, protecting and enriching it for two centuries with species from all over the world, including the famous Buçaco cedars, actually Mexican cypresses. An old papal bull threatened excommunication for anyone who harmed the trees. After the abolition of religious orders in 1834, the forest became state property. Today hundreds of species of trees and shrubs grow here; the loveliest spots include Fonte Fria, a water staircase among ferns flowing into a pond, the Valley of Ferns and the Via Sacra, with chapels marking the Stations of the Cross, up to the Cruz Alta viewpoint.
The Palace Hotel and the convent
At the heart of the forest stands the Palace Hotel do Buçaco, built between 1888 and 1907 as a royal hunting lodge to a design by the Italian stage designer Luigi Manini: it is a triumph of neo-Manueline style, with towers, pierced arches and azulejos depicting the discoveries and The Lusiads. The monarchy fell before it could be used, and it became a luxury hotel. Beside it is the small convent of Santa Cruz, with monks' cells lined with cork.
The battle of Buçaco
On 27 September 1810, on the heights of Buçaco, Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army repelled Masséna's French troops before withdrawing behind the Lines of Torres Vedras. An obelisk and a small military museum recall the battle, re-enacted every year at the end of September.
Luso and the Bairrada
At the foot of the forest is the spa town of Luso, with a thermal establishment and the São João spring, source of Luso water, one of Portugal's best-known mineral waters. The area belongs to the Bairrada wine region, famous for sparkling wines and leitão, roast suckling pig, the speciality of the restaurants along the Mealhada road. Buçaco is about 40 minutes by car from Coimbra or Aveiro.