Quadrazais: Traditions, Côa Landscape and Special Trails

Quadrazais combines a distinctive local history with impressive traditions, regional cuisine and a landscape along the Côa River.

Local History and Living Traditions

A distinctive cultural trace is the gíria quadrazenha. This language was used by smugglers until the 1960s; the first known record dates from the reign of D. Pedro IV. The history of the village goes back further as well: in 1651, the Spanish suffered a major defeat in Quadrazais.

The notable buildings include the Igreja Matriz de Quadrazais. It is considered the village’s most important monument and dates from the 17th century. The Capela de Santo Cristo is dated to the 19th or 20th century. The Junta de Freguesia also displays traditional women’s clothing from Quadrazais that is more than a hundred years old.

Quadrazais’s main festival takes place on 16 September in honour of Santa Eufémia. In August, the Junta de Freguesia and a local association organise activities such as the Capeia Arraiana. This is a communal form of bullfighting that uses a forcão. In Quadrazais, the traditional bull run was also held with a forcão, garrochas and garrochões. These terms and customs give the village a distinctive cultural identity.

River Landscapes, Trails and Excursions

The Praia Fluvial de Quadrazais, also known as Zona de Lazer da Lameira, is located on the Côa River beside the village of Quadrazais and on the edge of the Serra da Malcata Nature Reserve. In 2023, it received the “Qualidade de Ouro” award from Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza. There are hiking trails in the surrounding area. The area forms part of the Grande Rota do Vale do Côa and offers routes into the landscape of the Serra da Malcata Nature Reserve.

Precise information is also important when planning routes. One stage of the Grande Rota do Côa reaches Quadrazais via a 1.2-kilometre-long, unmarked detour outside the GRVC through agricultural fields. The stage between Vale de Espinho and Quadrazais follows the right bank of the Côa River as far as the Moinho do Rato. A cycling tour described by the Município do Sabugal starts in Sabugal, follows the course of the Côa River, passes through the parishes of Quadrazais and Vale de Espinho, and climbs to the Serra das Mesas, the source of the Côa.

Regional Cuisine and Finding the Right Accommodation

Quadrazais cuisine includes roast kid, cured meats and wild rabbit. Côa trout and Serra da Malcata cheese are also mentioned. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Quadrazais can therefore first consider whether the focus of the trip should be the local history and regional cuisine, the river landscape, or planning a specific hiking or cycling route.

This combination can be particularly interesting for families and other travel groups: one day can be devoted to culture, with visits to the buildings, the clothing collection or local traditions, while another day can focus on trails along the Côa or in the landscape of the Serra da Malcata. When planning, you should take the respective route and its precise course into account, especially the unmarked detour on the Grande Rota do Côa.

For your further search, you can also visit these places: Rapoula do Côa, Sabugal, Vale das Éguas, Sortelha, Soito and Fóios.

To the main travel overview: Sabugal.