Casa das Palmeiras teaching farm

Casa das Palmeiras is a family-run rural tourism farm in Gandufe, a village near Mangualde in the Viseu district. It started life as the great-grandfather’s working farm and now combines holiday houses with a quinta pedagógica, a teaching farm full of friendly animals. The owners describe it as a place built around families and sustainability.

You don’t have to stay the night. The teaching farm is open every day to day visitors, and you book ahead. Phone +351 967 841 781 to arrange your visit.

Two daily moments give the day its shape, and both are included in the entry price. At 12:00 the doors of the animal houses open, and in the late afternoon it’s feeding time. For toddlers and young children, being there for these is the best part of the visit: the animals come out, and children help feed them.

The animals live in the Aldeia da Bicharada (“critter village”). The farm’s page shows goats, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs and turkeys among them. Visitors write about the staff’s patience with children at feeding time, and about children being able to roam and play freely. The farm also lets you sponsor an animal if your child falls for one.

Around the animals, there’s plenty to explore: Ritinha’s vegetable garden, an organic vegetable plot, a herb and scent garden, a pond called the Charco com Vida (“pond full of life”), the Casa da Natrix, an Enchanted Wood (Bosque Encantado) and a grass football pitch that, as one visitor noted, the farm’s goats keep trimmed.

For horse-mad children, you can book a ride on the farm’s ponies, Oreo and Ícara. There’s also EquusKids, a family activity where you learn to read horses’ body language and see how trust and respect work in a herd, which the farm compares with how people get along in groups. It suits calm children who like animals and older children who are curious about how horses think.

The farm also runs equicoaching sessions with horses, but those are aimed at adults, educators and teams.

The Programa com o Pastor (programme with the shepherd) lets families spend time with the shepherd and learn about the job and everything it involves. A visitor review on the farm’s site mentions shepherd João, his son and the rest of the family. Book it along with your farm visit.

Casa das Palmeiras also runs a cheese activity, where children learn about cheese on the farm. It runs from April to October. The farm’s old cheese page no longer works, so phone to ask what it involves on the day and how to book.

For children who ask where cheese comes from, this makes Casa das Palmeiras a gentle introduction, especially for younger ones. For a full cheese-making session on a production line, see Parador Casa da Ínsua nearby, which runs from November to May, or milk sheep at Quinta da Estaca near Nelas.

The teaching farm is open every day. In spring and summer, visits run from 09:00 to 13:00 in the morning and 14:00 to 19:00 in the afternoon; in autumn and winter, the afternoon slot ends at 18:00.

When checked in September 2026, a half-day visit cost €10 for adults and children over 12, and €5 for children aged 3 to 12. A full day cost €14 and €8. The natural swimming pool cost €10 per person from age 3, subject to availability. School and nursery groups get a 10% discount, with children from age 2 at the children’s price. Prices include VAT.

You can book a picnic pack, which includes farm entry and a picnic basket to take home as a souvenir. For families staying in the houses, the farm offers meal delivery to your house. The farm’s pages don’t list a café or restaurant for day visitors, so bring snacks or book the picnic.

The farm has a piscina biológica, a natural swimming pool where the water is filtered and oxygenated by aquatic plants rather than chemicals. It costs €10 per person from age 3, and you need to ask about availability first. On a hot summer day it turns a farm visit into a full day out.

The houses open straight onto the farm, so children can wake up to the animals and join in the daily routines. Guests have private parking, bikes, free wi-fi and laundry, and the farm offers tours of the area by tuk-tuk or in a classic Citroën 2CV. The farm also has a programme for accessible and inclusive tourism; ask what it can arrange if anyone in your family has a disability.

This is an outdoor farm, so dress for mud, sun and animals. The paths and spaces are countryside, not tarmac, so a sturdy buggy or a sling will work better than a light stroller. Being there at 12:00 for the animal doors opening and staying until feeding time gets the most from the day, which is why the full-day ticket makes sense for younger children.

It suits children up to about ten best. Older children who love animals will still enjoy the pony rides and the shepherd, but teenagers looking for thrills won’t find them here.

Casa das Palmeiras is in cheese country. Parador Casa da Ínsua in Penalva do Castelo runs a cheese-making workshop in the colder months, and Quinta da Estaca near Nelas offers milking and shepherding. For a rainy day, the Museu do Caramulo has classic cars and art in the hills west of Viseu.

Can you visit Casa das Palmeiras without staying?

Yes. The teaching farm is open every day to day visitors. Book ahead by phone.

How much does it cost to visit the farm?

When checked in September 2026: half a day €10 for adults and €5 for ages 3 to 12, or a full day €14 and €8. Pony rides, the shepherd programme and the pool cost extra.

When can children feed the animals?

The animal doors open at 12:00 and feeding time is in the late afternoon. Both are included in the entry price.

When does the cheese activity run?

From April to October. Phone the farm to book and ask what it involves.

Is it good for toddlers?

Yes. The animals, gardens and open space suit toddlers well, and children’s prices only start at age 3.