Mata do Bussaco is an extraordinary ensemble of monuments and an amalgamation of rich architectural and natural heritage of immeasurable value.

The 105-hectare site is located in the municipality of Mealhada, in the district of Aveiro, and has a boundary wall with 11 gateways that is almost six kilometres long. Most of the area is taken up by a dense forest which is one of the largest reserves of biodiversity in Portugal and home to over 400 species of endemic plants and 300 exotic plants. The latter were introduced to the area from as early as the 17th century.

Santa Cruz convent is at the heart of the site. It was occupied by the Order of the Discalced Carmelites until a law enforcing dissolution of monastic orders was introduced in 1834. A lavish, Neo-Manueline style palace hotel, inspired by Belém Tower and the cloister in the Monastery of the Hiermonytes in Lisbon, was annexed to the convent buildings in the early 20th century and rounded off with a magnificent ensemble of gardens.

The architectural quality of the buildings and the singular nature of the forest and gardens make for an invaluable cultural landscape and the site was listed as a National Monument and Property of Public Interest in 1943. It has been on the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites since 2016. Fundacão Mata do Buçaco is the foundation in charge of site management.