Tour a leafy Portuguese Quinta with grand gardens and a stunning private library

This Portuguese estate offers brains and beauty, courtesy of its remarkable private library and postcard-worthy gardens.

Dubbed The Club House and listed for sale via WGP Advisors for €6,5m, the Quinta is on the outskirts of Cantanhede, in the central Coimbra District of Portugal, near the Atlantic coast. The region is characterised by a mix of rural and urban pockets, with rolling vineyards and farmland interspersed by small cities and towns. But the main selling point of this ivy-covered property is its spectacular 3.3-hectare grounds.

Landscaped areas feature fountains, pools, and trees that line walkways shaded by vine and jasmine-covered trellises. There are pollinator flower beds at the bottom of the garden, next to a century-old olive grove. Pomegranate, lemon, fragrant orange trees, mimosas, and Japanese maples offer fruit and a burst of seasonal colour. There’s also a separate rose garden that provides fresh flowers for the house.

A leafy courtyard with a trickling fountain leads into the main house, where there’s a spectacular 6-metre-high library furnished with floor-to-ceiling maple shelves filled with books. This 100 sq m space accommodates a lifetime of reading, with room for 12,000 tomes and a cosy fireplace and armchairs for study.

The main dining room and reception room are through the doors, overlooking the pool and orchards beyond. Like the library, they have soaring ceilings, working fireplaces, and a set of French doors that open onto the terrace beyond.

There’s a wealth of rooms and cosy nooks to be discovered across the vast multi-building Portuguese property, which has 31 rooms in total. Away from the main house are three other houses of 750 sq m, 250 sq m and 130 sq m, respectively, reached via vine-covered ‘tunnels’. These serve as guest accommodation, with the largest of the trio set around an interior patio. Both have working fireplaces and dining areas with outdoor terraces and private gardens.

The cities of Coimbra, Aveiro, and Figueira da Foz are 30 minutes away, while Porto airport is an hour away.