The essential qualities of the founder have been retained in the romantic gardens, architecture and interior décor. Casa da Ínsua offers guests a wonderful opportunity to explore the most characteristic elements of tropical landscapes from the past three centuries, with a wide variety of plant and animal species.
Guests can visit the old smithy, which features restored machinery and tools used in the blacksmith's trade. The hotel boasts 35 stately guest rooms (including nine suites and five apartments). It also offers guests a library, game room, two outdoor swimming pools, gym, chapel, wine cellar for wine tasting and a place to sample regional products prepared using age-old recipes.
Casa da Ínsua is located in Penalva do Castelo, in the Portuguese region known as Dão, 25 km from Viseu. It is 220 km from Salamanca and 134 km from Ciudad Rodrigo.
From the A25, take exit 22, Mangualde/Penalva, at kilometer 105. Continue on the N329-1 to Penalva do Castelo. When you reach the center of Penalva, turn left towards Ínsua.
We would like to remind you that a lot of the Portuguese motorways work with an electronic toll system (indicated with “Electronic Toll Only”). In order to avoid fines, we recommend that you visit the website www.tollcard.pt so that you understand how this system works.
If you are entering Portugal from Salamanca, the entry toll point to the Parador can be found on the A-25, at the Algo Leomil services in Vilar de Formoso, 8 km from the border. If you have any problems, you can directly contact the Parador.
The current Casa da Ínsua—built in the 18th century by Luís de Albuquerque de Melo Pereira e Cáceres, governor and captain general of Mato Grosso and Guiabá, Brazil—sits on the site of the previous Casa da Ínsua—constructed by João de Albuquerque e Castro, fortress governor of Sabugal. It has retained some of the original elements, including the chapel and terrace. Today, visitors can still find references to the previous owners, especially on the west-facing façade, with an escutcheon bearing the coat of arms of the Albuquerque family and the flowered cross of the Pereira family, as well as the ceiling paintings in the entrance with the family coat of arms. It is also possible to find traces of Luís de Albuquerque's time in Brazil in various objects, primarily handmade hunting and fishing tools used by the Brazilian Indians and primitive indigenous weapons, as well as military devices of the Castilian army.