Rio Maior Salt Pans

The Rio Maior Salt Pans are located around 3 km from the city centre, set in a valley at the foothills of the Serra dos Candeeiros, within the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park.

Classified as a Property of Public Interest since December 1997, these are the only inland salt pans in Portugal and the only ones still fully operational in Europe.

The earliest reference to their existence dates back to 1177, although it is believed that rock salt was already being exploited here in prehistoric times.