The Margaraça Forest has been documented since the second half of the 13th century. From it came wood for the altarpiece of the Church of Sé Nova (Coimbra) and for the construction of an old bridge over the Mondego in Coimbra. In the early 18th century it also supplied wood for the construction of the Convent of Saint Anthony in the AX Vila Cova do Alva. It is currently owned by ICNF.

This forest only corresponds to one of the most remarkable deciduous forests in Portugal. It develops on a slope oriented to N-NO and in altitudes between 600 and 850 meters. Oaks, chestnut trees, cherry trees, elm trees, holly, ash trees, holm-oaks, laurel trees and others, are some of the species that constitute its tree layer. The shrub stratum has the puff pastry, strawberry tree, hazel tree, aderno, gilbardeira. The Selo-de-Salomão, the Lírio-martagão, the Veronica micrantha, as well as some species of orchids, are rarities that shelter in this wood.

Margaraça wood can be visited all over the year but in springtime, we can observe the blooming of many herbaceous species and, namely, the rarest. And in autumn the shades of the leaves of the many tree species give the space an environment of change in serenity. Visits are free of charge.