As mass tourism continues to strain iconic destinations and dilute local identity, Portugal launches Palmilhar, a 6,000-kilometre circular walking route that redefines hiking as a cultural, ecological, and territorial practice. Set to begin its phased rollout in October 2025, the route aims to connect all regions of the country—from the northern mountains to the Alentejo plains—crafting an alternative geography prioritising non-motorised accessibility, social inclusion, and the valorisation of overlooked landscapes. Spearheaded by designer Ricardo Bernardes, this initiative is not merely a physical trail but a symbolic infrastructure that redistributes tourism more equitably, challenges extractive leisure models, and strengthens local economies through micro cultural events, traditional gastronomy, and embedded community experiences. Key features include an interactive app, a physical and digital passport for route stamps, and educational modules that frame each stage within its historical and ecological context, activating territorial memory as part of the experience. The medieval town of Óbidos, a gem of central Portugal, hosted the inaugural stretch, where walking becomes a form of landscape reading, and movement itself a strategy for territorial cohesion and regeneration. More than a physical act, Palmilhar promotes slow mobility as a means of reimagining one’s relationship with place, positioning the trail as a monumental work of dispersed urbanism, where each step does not merely traverse Portugal, but collectively rethinks it.
