Parque D. Carlos I

Parque D. Carlos I is a romantic-style public park in the centre of Caldas da Rainha, in Portugal's Oeste region. It covers 11 hectares and has a large lake, gardens and plenty of quiet corners to explore. Entry is free. The park sits next to the Hospital Termal Rainha D. Leonor, the thermal hospital around which the town grew, and is also known as the Thermal Park (Parque das Termas).

Why is it named after Carlos I?

The park opened in June 1892 and was named in honour of King Carlos I (D. Carlos I), who reigned in Portugal at the time. The name has stuck, although locals often just call it the park by the spa.

What is the history of the park?

The site dates back to 1799 and the former lands of the Quinta do Hospital, the hospital estate. Earlier still, under King John V, a convalescence house (Casa da Convalescença) was built beside the hospital. Next to it stretched a wooded area, part of the Mata Rainha D. Leonor, where patients walked and recovered.

In 1888 the architect Rodrigo Berquó took over the administration of the thermal hospital. He planned to modernise the spa town and to create better leisure spaces for people who came for treatment. The old Passeio da Copa took on a new character, with trees, avenues, a large lake and various recreation facilities. The park was remodelled in 1889, and again in 1948.

What is there to see?

The lake is the heart of the park. In 1888 Berquó turned a former vineyard field into a wooded park with a large body of water meant for the amusement of spa visitors, who could paddle small canoes rented on site. Avenues of mature trees run around the lake, and the park is divided into gardens and corners best discovered without a fixed itinerary.

Because this is a romantic-style park, the paths are not rigidly laid out. A walk leads from open spaces by the water to shaded lanes where a bench is never far away. The neighbouring thermal hospital is a reminder that the park was made with health in mind: it gave people taking the waters somewhere to walk outdoors.

How to plan a visit

The park is in central Caldas da Rainha, so most of the town is within walking distance. Entry is free, with no tickets and no booking. An hour is enough for an easy loop around the lake, and two hours allows for sitting down and exploring the gardens. The park combines well with a visit to the area around the thermal hospital and the town centre.

Frequently asked questions

Is Parque D. Carlos I free to enter? Yes, entry to the park is free.

How big is the park? About 11 hectares, with a lake, gardens and separate corners.

When was the park created? Its roots go back to 1799. It took its current form in a late nineteenth-century remodelling and officially opened in June 1892. Further changes came in 1948.

Who drove the redesign? Rodrigo Berquó, the architect who administered the thermal hospital from 1888, launched the project.

Can you boat on the lake? In Berquó's time visitors paddled small rented canoes on the lake, one of the ideas for making a stay at the spa more enjoyable.

Why is it named after Carlos I? It honours the king who reigned when the park opened in 1892.