Pinhel is a small hill town in Portugal's Beira Interior, close to the Coa valley and the Spanish borderlands. It calls itself Cidade Falcao, the Falcon City, and the name fits: the castle towers over the historic centre, and the town has leaned into its falcon symbol with a new falconry centre beside the walls.
The old core is compact and best explored on foot. The Castle of Pinhel and its interpretive centre give the town its medieval shape, the Municipal Museum fills in the local archaeology and heritage, and the Falcoaria Real de Pinhel makes the town's identity feel less like a slogan. It is not a major city, but it has enough texture for a rewarding half day or quiet overnight if you are travelling through Guarda, the Douro edge, or the fortified towns of the Beira.