Sangalhos: Cycling, Bicycle History and Cultural Heritage

Sangalhos offers cycling enthusiasts specific points of interest alongside other aspects of the town’s history. The Velódromo Nacional has an indoor cycling track with a circumference of 250 metres. There are also the Museu das Duas Rodas and the Pista Olímpica BMX; both are located in Sangalhos, with the museum at the Centro de Alto Rendimento de Anadia – Velódromo Nacional. If cycling is one of the reasons for your trip, the town offers more than a single sports-related attraction. If you are looking for a hotel, these different themes can help you choose a place to stay in Sangalhos that suits your travel interests.

Cycling culture between the velodrome and the museum

The Museu das Duas Rodas is dedicated to the local, national and global history of bicycles and motorcycles. It displays rare bicycle and motorcycle parts, including a 19th-century bicycle. The museum is located at the Centro de Alto Rendimento de Anadia – Velódromo Nacional in Sangalhos. Its collection therefore goes beyond the history of a single place or a single type of vehicle.

At the Centro de Alto Rendimento / Velódromo Nacional site in Sangalhos, B-AND offers free bicycle collection. Check the current information about bicycle collection before making plans. The Pista Olímpica BMX in Sangalhos is the permanent training track of Portugal’s national BMX team. As this training information may change, it is worth checking the operator’s latest information if you would like to plan your trip around it.

The GR58 – Grande Rota da Ria de Aveiro: Percurso Dourado is also specifically named for route planning. The section runs from Sangalhos in Anadia to Palhaça in Oliveira do Bairro. The names of the two places make it easy to identify this section when planning your own route.

Church architecture and historic buildings

The Igreja Paroquial de Sangalhos was completely rebuilt in the first half of the 18th century under the authority of the Convento de Santa Clara de Coimbra. It preserves a stone sculpture of its patron saint, S. Vicente, from the 16th century, as well as two candle-bearing angels from the second half of the 18th century. These works reflect different periods in the church’s furnishings.

The church also contains a main altarpiece and an altarpiece on the Epistle side, both from the 18th century and classified as Joanine Baroque. The baptismal font is in the Manueline style. These different style classifications provide another way to explore the church’s surviving details, alongside its building history and dated sculptures.

The Casa de António Seabra is another architectural landmark: architect Cipriano Rodrigues Maia designed it in 1922, it was completed in 1925, and it was conceived in the aesthetic style of the Casa Portuguesa. The Cruzeiro de Sangalhos dates from the 17th century, with the exception of the modern central cross beneath a Corinthian column. Together, these details offer different points of architectural and historical interest, without suggesting that the buildings represent the same style or period.

A wine and food experience requiring a reservation

The “II Visita ao Aliança Underground Museum” experience is available to book in Sangalhos. It includes a guided tour of the Aliança Underground Museum with a flute of Aliança sparkling wine, accompanied by small rolls filled with suckling pig. Participation is available by advance reservation. As booking information may change, check the current terms of the experience before making plans.

Discover more destinations: Arcos.

Return to the main travel overview: Anadia.