Map - Seia

Seia is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 21,755, in an area of 453.69 km2. Its urban population is about 7,000. Seia was elevated to city status on July 3, 1986. The municipality is situated on the northwestern slope of Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal, with a top height of 1993 meters. The present Mayor is António Luciano Silva Ribeiro, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is July 3. Seia has an annual cinema festival called CineEco that focuses on films with ecological and natural themes.

The municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities of Nelas and Mangualde, to the northeast by Gouveia, to the east by Manteigas, to the southeast by Covilhã, to the southwest by Arganil and to the west by Oliveira do Hospital. In this municipality is located the highest point in mainland Portugal, Torre, in Serra da Estrela, with 1,993 meters of altitude. The municipality of Seia covers a large part of Serra da Estrela and is also the only one in Portugal where there is a natural ski resort, Vodafone Ski Resort, located within the limits of the parish of Loriga.

Located on the western slope of Serra da Estrela, the city of Seia is at an altitude of 550 m. The climate of the municipality is temperate, with moderate temperatures in summer and cold in winter, with very low temperatures and occurrences of snow, sometimes abundant, in the highest parts of Serra da Estrela. As for the rainfall regime, there is a short dry season, which comprises the summer months of July and August.

It is 98 km from Coimbra, 67 km from Guarda, 45 km from Viseu, 298 km from Lisbon and 163 km from Porto. It is mainly served by the Nacional 17 and Nacional 231, which allow a connection to the A25, A24 and IP3.

The Lagoa Comprida dam, built from a natural lagoon, is the main water reservoir in Serra da Estrela. It is the largest of the lakes in the upper massif and its high hydroelectric potential led to the construction of the dam in 1911, being one of the first engineering works of this nature carried out in Portugal.