Castelo Branco (meaning "white castle") spreads over the eastern slope of a small hill rising from a vast plateau. In 1851, the town was thus described by Alexandre Herculano:
«The Beira Baixa, when one looks round, looks like a plain, and on its middle rises the hill of Castelo Branco, whose eastern slope the town brightens.» The situation endowed Castelo Branco with all the features of a fortress town and, for centuries, determined its purposes and duties. Its defensive function is witnessed by the Castle, erected in a good strategic position, from where, in a clear day, can be seen all of the upper course of the River Tagus, right up to the border.

We suggest you begin by visiting the Castle, which has, through the ages, undergone several works. The Church of Stª. Maria do Castelo has got a Romanic origin, and its bare interior houses the memorial stone of the poet João Roiz de Castelo Branco, whose poems are part of the master songbook of the early 16th century, Cancioneiro Geral. Go down towards the Praça Velha, the borough's core until the 19th century. In this square there used to be the old Town Hall, the Celeiro da Ordem de Cristo, the Pelourinho (the pillory, in the meanwhile destroyed) and the first Paço do Bispo da Guarda (the palace of the bishop of Guarda), whose existence was kept in the local toponymy - Rua do Arco do Bispo ("Bishop's Arch's Street").

Carry on towards the Sé (the cathedral), through Rua de S. Sebastião, admiring its 19th century palatial houses, products of the time's eclecticism. The church of S. Miguel - now the Sé Concatedral - started as a Gothic structure, but was greatly modified in the 17th century. With the promotion of Castelo Branco to town, in 1771, and the creation of the corresponding bishopric, this church became one of the most representative buildings of the community's beliefs and ways of life. Its interior exhibits all kinds of art form since the end of the 16th century till the 19th, from graven images to painting, including woodcarving, furniture, ornaments and vestments. There is an interesting sacral art museum. You may take notice of the remarkable ashlar masonry work above the door to the vestry, representing the episcopal coat of arms of the second bishop of Castelo Branco.

Follow now to Jardim do Paço (the palace gardens), passing the beautiful Cruzeiro de S. João (a large cross from the 16th century). The early edifice of the palace was erected by order of D. Nuno de Noronha to be the winter residence of the bishop of Guarda. D. João de Mendonça has the nearby gardens built by summons of S. João Baptista (St. John Baptist), in 1725. D. Vicente Ferrer da Rocha, the second bishop of Castelo Branco, enlarged and embellished the gardens in 1782. Among boxwood lanes, there are several granite statues (probably products of local masonry). Varied imagery blend in the atmosphere, reminding visitors of the transitoriness of life and the contemplative nature of the garden: the four parts of the World then known (Europe, Asia, Africa and the West Indies), the signs of the Zodiac, the cyclical character of the seasons and the months of the year, the two pillars of the universe according to the Ancient Greeks -Air and Fire, the Four Last Things (Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell), the Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity), the Moral Virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude). The big lake, surmounted by a waterfall, by which stand the statues of Moses, Saint Ann and the Samaritan, stands for one more element of the Universe - Water. From this platform can be reached one other, on a lower level, surrounded by the Stairs of the Apostles - which contain all the symbolism of life and death - and the Stairs of the Kings, from D. Afonso Henriques to D. José.