When I think Portugal can’t surprise me anymore, I find out I’m wrong 😅. If a visit to Fragas de São Simão and all the surrounding area isn’t already in your plans, I don’t know how it’s possible. A day in Fragas de São Simão is probably one of the best plans in the Central region of Portugal.

Throughout this guide, you will find all the necessary information to visit Fragas de São Simão as well as the village of Casal de São Simão and the Fragas de São Simão walkway. You will also find tips about restaurants and accommodation in the region.

Fragas de São Simão is located in Figueiró dos Vinhos, which belongs to the district of Leiria. For those travelling from Porto, the trip is relatively simple and it takes about 1h35 (162 km). The journey from Lisbon is similar, taking 1h50 (178 km).

Without a doubt, the easiest way to get to Fragas de São Simão is by car. It will be difficult to visit Fragas de São Simão without a car.

Although Fragas de São Simão is more popular during the summer due to its river beach, any time of the year is a good time to visit Fragas de São Simão. However, I warn that in summer it can be more difficult to walk along the Fragas de São Simão Walkway due to the higher temperatures.

I would just avoid visiting on rainy days or after it has rained, as the walkway can get muddy, making it very difficult to visit.

In fact, visiting Fragas de São Simão implies visiting several places. We are talking about the Fragas de São Simão walkway, the village of Casal de São Simão, the river beach of Fragas de São Simão and the Fragas de São Simão viewpoint.

Although it is possible to visit each of these points separately, I suggest visiting them altogether. To do so, I suggest the following route: Casal de São Simão Village – Fragas de São Simão River Beach – Fragas de São Simão Walkway – Viewpoint.

If you prefer, you can start the trail at the viewing point and walk it in reverse order. The whole trail covers a distance of about 4 km (round trip). Thus, and assuming you don’t go bathing at the river beach, I suggest you set aside 1 hour to 1h30 to visit everything.

💡 EXTRA TIP: There is parking both in the village, at the river beach and at the viewpoint. However, both in the village and at the viewpoint, there are limited parking spaces available. Thus, at peak times, it may make more sense to park at the river beach and start the trail there.

The village of Casal de São Simão is one of the 27 Schist Villages in Portugal! Despite not having much to visit, the village is quite photogenic 🥰.

Walking from the village for about 15 minutes (about 1 km), we reach the river beach of Fragas de São Simão. The path to get here is quite pleasant and through the vegetation, having plenty of shade available.

The river beach delights many locals who take the opportunity to cool off in the summer months. But those who think that this water is hot are wrong! Anyway, even if you choose not to bathe, this is the ex-libris of the whole route and certainly worth a visit.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: As it is a very popular area, during the summer months there are some support infrastructures at the river beach (e.g. barbecue area, toilets).

Although the whole route from the village is considered the walkway, in reality, it is only from the river beach that we see the longest stretch of the walkway (a wooden staircase). Up to this point, although there are some parts with a wooden walkway, most of the areas are dirt tracks.

Whoever starts the staircase at the River Beach of Fragas de São Simão, will inevitably have to climb the staircase. Despite being almost 1 km always uphill, the views are very pleasant and, with a few stops in between, this stretch is not that hard to hike.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you are going to do the round trip, you will certainly have to go up and down the staircase. Furthermore, the staircase is totally exposed to the sun, which you should take into consideration on hotter days.

And as if the views along the way weren’t fantastic enough, at the top of the stairs we are treated to a panoramic view from Fragas de São Simão Viewpoint.

After the viewpoint, it’s time to take the trail back to the starting point. In my opinion, the trail is quite accessible, being the stairs the worst part of it.

Given the size of the place where Fragas de São Simão are located, there are not many accommodations nearby. However, I’ll share some suggestions for accommodation not far from Fragas de São Simão.

There is only one restaurant in the village of Casal de São Simão – Varandas do Casal. The concept of the restaurant is sharing. For this reason, the ideal is to order a platter of regional starters and one of the dishes of the day to share. I chose the codfish “tiborna”, which was divine.

And the best part was the “almost panoramic” view from the restaurant! However, the restaurant is very small, so I recommend booking in advance.

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