Moinhos do Dão is the poetic name of a terrace-shaped quinta (estate) that houses a Miller's house with guest quarters, cabina and campsites. The quinta is located in a beautiful and quaint valley on south bank of the Dão River in the Beira Alta region near the history city of Viseu.

For centuries 'Mills on the river Dão' was the place where farmers of the surrounding villages came to grind their crop. The water from the river Dão provided the power for the millstones to do their work. Generations of millers ground wheat and rye into flour in this remote valley. The local shepherds and his sheep were the only regular visitors.

Competition from industrial mills formed a serious threat to the manual labor of the miller in the valley, resulting in the closing of the mill in 1983. In 1989 Maria van Dien, a Dutch entrepreneur and current owner, bought the terrain and decided to make it accessible for guests. The miller has left, but the river, the sheep, the shepherd and the beauty have stayed.

When the terrain was bought in 1989 there was no electricity, no phone connection and no plumbing. The first thing that was built in 1992 was a solar heated bathhouse and a plumbing system in order to start receiving guests. Candles and oil lamps solely provided light while natural refrigeration was provided by 'the cold space', a room built into the mountain below the house. Things have changed only a little since then: we now have gas fridges, lamps that run on water- or sun power and small solar powered night lamps that mark the paths on the terrain. Like in the old days, Moinhos do Dão uses the drinking water from the well and river water for washing and watering. Also fresh water bottles are available (for free). We have a charging station for (only) cell phones.

The restoration and modernization of the estate of Moinhos do Dão is done with respect for nature and history. The once overgrown terraces are turned into grass and flower fields with log cabins, caravans and tents between the grapevines and the olive trees. The miller's house and the barns next to it currently accommodate six guest quarters, a workshop, a kitchen, a restaurant and a storage room. A special restoration to the estate occurred when in 2004 a Dutch carpenter, with a great knowledge of mills, restored one of the mills back to working condition.

Guests of Moinhos do Dão will experience a rural and rustic way of living that is nowadays defined as romantic and relaxing.