Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Beneath downtown Minneapolis, Schieks Cave has surprisingly warm groundwater, evidence of a subterranean heat island.
Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage
about 16 hours ago
Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.
The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties
1 day ago
No thanks.
AO Mailbag: Which Places Just Aren’t Worth Visiting?
3 days ago
Benshi would introduce and provide commentary for films like A Page of Madness.
Remembering the Heyday of Japan’s Silent Film Narrators
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Portugal Covilha Miradouro do Sanatório (Sanatorium Viewpoint)
AO Edited

Miradouro do Sanatório (Sanatorium Viewpoint)

Panoramic views from the mountains over a facility built to provide tuberculosis patients with fresh mountain air.

Covilha, Portugal

Added By
Hanna V.
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
  Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At an altitude of 1,300 meters, this overlook offers a wide panoramic view over the southern half of the district of Guarda, the northernmost sectors of the district of Castelo Branco, and the western parts of the provinces of Salamanca and Cáceres in Spain.

A small tower is visible from the road—walk up to it and you might hear some goat bells clanging and see the shepherd on the tower with binoculars. He's either birdwatching or on fire watch. The goats and sheep are rummaging around and you have a great view over the town of Covilha and the former Sanatório da Covilhã (Sanatorium of Covilha) just below. The sanatorium was built in the 1930s by the by the Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (Portuguese Railways Company) as a treatment facility for tuberculosis patients. It was thought that the fresh mountain air of the Serra da Estrela would help them recover.

The facility was designed by the actor, director, and architect José Ângelo Cottinelli Telmo. He is famous for designing the Monument of Discoveries in Lisbon. Telmo planned the sanatorium as a great hotel in the mountains, a romantic idea that aimed to overcome the stigma associated with tuberculosis. It was built in a V-shape and designed to look like a train, according to the architect.

As medical advancements helped lessen the impact of tuberculosis, the need for sanatoriums fell off. Operation of the Sanatório da Covilhã was handed over to the government in the 1950s. By the end of the 1960s, the last remaining patients were gone, and the sanatorium was closed in 1970. For a time it was used as a refugee center for people returning from former Portuguese colonies.  By the 1980s it was largely abandoned, and had fallen into disrepair. In the late 1990s it was turned into a pousada with spa facilities.

Related Tags

Mountains Hospitals Health Hotels

Know Before You Go

The exact location is on a side road of the N339  (40.28882073343334, -7.539457063225405.) Drive along the road until there's space to park on your right. From there you walk to the tower.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon

Explore Portugal through food, from the cities to the seaside.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Vrielinkie

Published

May 25, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://visiteserradaestrela.com/pt/pois/miradouro-do-sanatorio
  • https://www.allaboutportugal.pt/en/covilha/monuments/antigo-sanatorio-dos-ferroviarios
  • https://www.pousadas.pt/en/hotel/pousada-serra-estrela?utm_source=google-my-business&utm_medium=organicsearch&utm_campaign=pousada-serra-estrela
  • https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanat%C3%B3rio_das_Penhas_da_Sa%C3%BAde
  • https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanat%C3%B3rio_das_Penhas_da_Sa%C3%BAde
Miradouro do Sanatório (Sanatorium Viewpoint)
Unnamed Road
Covilha
Portugal
40.288572, -7.539381
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Covão da Ametade

Loriga, Portugal

miles away

Nossa Senhora da Boa Estrela (Our Lady of the Good Star)

Unhais da Serra, Portugal

miles away

Torre da Estrela

Loriga, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portugal

Portugal

Europe

Places 166
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Covão da Ametade

Loriga, Portugal

miles away

Nossa Senhora da Boa Estrela (Our Lady of the Good Star)

Unhais da Serra, Portugal

miles away

Torre da Estrela

Loriga, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portugal

Portugal

Europe

Places 166
Stories 11

Related Places

  • Azrou, Morocco

    Ben Smime Tuberculosis Sanatorium

    This abandoned hospital facility is associated with regicidal conspiracies and paranormal activities.

  • Sign and chimney.

    Huntsville, Alabama

    Hotel Monte Sano

    This 19th-century hotel and spa hosted famous guests like like the Vanderbilt family, William Waldorf Astor, Helen Keller, and Jay Gould.

  • Sanatorium Lake

    Mount Macedon, Australia

    Sanatorium Lake

    This artificial lake was built to provide water for a planned facility that would treat tuberculosis patients.

  • Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel

    Gwynedd, Wales

    Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel

    This Welsh hotel is the spiritual home of the British 1953 Everest expedition, the first successful ascent of Mount Everest.

  • Burke Ghost Town.

    Wallace, Idaho

    Burke Ghost Town

    A mining town, now abandoned, was built in a canyon so narrow that the railroad ran right through the hotel lobby.

  • Athens, Greece

    Wax Museum of Andreas Syggros

    A grotesque collection of wax limbs depicting the symptoms of venereal disease.

  • A piece by French artist JR. This was a photograph of immigrants who had been marked for deportation, awaiting their appeal hearing.

    Jersey City, New Jersey

    Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital

    Now abandoned, the first public health hospital in the U.S. saw more than one million immigrants from around the world.

  • King Henry VIII at Barts Hospital in London.

    London, England

    Henry VIII Gatehouse Statue

    London's only public statue of the much-married monarch adorns the gate to St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.