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Salinas de Rio Maior

Landmarks ·Rio Maior ·Open now
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About

Salinas de Rio Maior is an inland saltworks fed by a brine spring, about 3 km north of Rio Maior, Portugal, in the Tifónico valley at the foot of the Serra dos Candeeiros.

More photos 11

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Salinas de Rio Maior — Panoramic salt pans with patterned beds and white salt mounds Jaimepereira48 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Salinas de Rio Maior — Panoramic salt pans with patterned beds and white salt moundsSalinas de Rio Maior — Salt pans and wooden channels viewed across the working landscapeSalinas de Rio Maior — Expansive view of the geometric salt beds at Fonte da BicaSalinas de Rio Maior — Salt evaporation beds and shallow pools beneath a clear skySalinas de Rio Maior — Wooden walkways crossing shallow pools among the salt pansSalinas de Rio Maior — Raised wooden platforms beside the evaporation poolsSalinas de Rio Maior — Salt pans bordered by a long stone wall and wooden shedsSalinas de Rio Maior — Salt pools and traditional wooden sheds along the stone wallSalinas de Rio Maior — Shallow evaporation basins beneath the long stone wallSalinas de Rio Maior — Stone courtyard with a tree and traditional wooden salt shedsSalinas de Rio Maior — White pyramid of salt beneath a wooden shelter

Why go

  • One of the few inland saltworks in the world.
  • About 22,000 square metres of evaporation ponds form part of a protected complex with a brine well and saltworkers’ village.
  • Flor de Sal de Rio Maior and Sal de Rio Maior have held protected origin designations since 2025.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 22:30Show all
Monday10:00 – 22:30
Tuesday10:00 – 22:30
Wednesday10:00 – 22:30
Thursday10:00 – 22:30
Friday10:00 – 22:30
Saturday10:00 – 22:30
Sunday10:00 – 22:30

Don't miss

  • Brine wellSpring water passes through limestone and a Jurassic salt deposit before reaching the surface.Among the evaporation pans
  • Salt pyramidsWorkers rake salt and dry and whiten it on raised wooden platforms; the pyramids also appear on Rio Maior’s coat of arms.Beside the evaporation pansMay–September
  • Wooden salt storesWooden homes and rectangular warehouses form the saltworkers’ village.Northwest and west of the pans

Know before you go

  • Open daily from 10:00 to 22:30. Salt production runs from May through September.

Tips for your visit

  • The saltworkers’ village has craft shops, cafés and restaurants; many wooden houses sell local salt products.

Interesting facts5

1/5
  1. 220 grams

    The brine contains about 220 grams of salt per litre, roughly seven times seawater’s salinity.

    Salinas da Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia
  2. 470 pans

    About 470 pans surround the well: 70 larger reservoirs hold brine before it reaches roughly 400 smaller pans.

    Salinas da Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia
  3. 3.75 metres

    The current well is about 3.75 metres wide and 9 metres deep.

    Salines de Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia
  4. 5 metres

    The pans average 7 by 5 metres and are built from stone or cement.

    Salinas da Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia

  5. Wooden door locks help protect village buildings from salt corrosion.

    Salines de Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

During the salt harvest, some wooden buildings became seasonal taverns. Taverners tracked customers’ tabs on wooden boards, and customers paid in salt.

  1. 1177Pêro d’Aragão and Sancha Soares sold the Templars a fifth share of the well and salt pans. The deed is the oldest known document concerning Rio Maior and is kept at Torre do Tombo in Lisbon.
  2. 1312–1319The Templars’ share passed to the Crown in 1312 and to the Order of Christ in 1319 by order of King Dinis.
  3. 15th c.A document names Afonso V of Portugal as owner of five salt pans.
  4. 17th c.Salt pans once held by the Crown were sold to the Conde de Vimioso.
  5. 1979Salt-pan owners formed a cooperative to support salt production and sales.
Show all
  1. 1980sA motor pump replaced the devices workers had used to lift brine by hand.
  2. 1986A renewed storage system began distributing brine to the pans through PVC pipes.

How to get there

  • CarThe salt pans are about 3 km north of Rio Maior. Address: Estr. das Salinas 47, Rio Maior.

Sources: Salinas da Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia · Restaurante SALARIUM | Salinas de Rio Maior · Salinas da Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia · Salines de Fonte da Bica - Wikipedia · checked 10 Oct 2026

Where
Estr. das Salinas 47, Rio Maior

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

How was the brine spring at Salinas de Rio Maior discovered?

Local legend says a girl tending livestock tasted salty water in a marshy pool. Her father and neighbours dug there and found the spring.

How did workers lift brine at Salinas de Rio Maior before the motor pump?

They used a sweep device with two buckets to draw the water.

Why is Salinas de Rio Maior also called Salinas da Fonte da Bica?

The name refers to nearby Fonte da Bica, whose owners held the salt pans.

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