Caldas da Rainha · PT

Caldas da Rainha

Caldas da Rainha is a compact city in Portugal's Oeste region, in the district of Leiria, about an hour north of Lisbon. Founded in 1484 by Queen Leonor around her curative sulphurous springs, it has spent five centuries healing visitors and, more recently, charming them with ceramics, art and one of the country's most lively market squares. The name translates as the "Queen's Hot Springs" or "Queen's Baths," and the story is still visible everywhere: the Thermal Hospital she founded is the oldest purpose-built institution of its kind in the world, while the city has grown into a UNESCO Creative City celebrated for pottery and painting. It is an easy, satisfying day trip from Lisbon, and a comfortable base for exploring the Silver Coast, the Óbidos Lagoon and the walled town of Óbidos.