Évora
One of Évora’s most popular sights is also one of its most chilling. The walls and columns of this mesmerising memento mori (reminder of death) are lined…
Must-see attractions in The Alentejo
Évora
Once part of the Roman Forum, the remains of this temple, dating from the 2nd or early 3rd century AD, are a heady slice of drama right in town. It's…
Cais Palafítico da Carrasqueira
The Alentejo
Built in the 1950s and 1960s, this ramshackle, zigzagging, interlocking pier on wooden stilts is one of Europe's last surviving of its kind. At sunset, it…
Mértola
The enchanting Casa Romana is located in the cellar of the câmara municipal (town hall). The clever display allows visitors to walk ‘through’ the…
Évora
Set within a beautiful landscape of olive and cork trees stands this huge, spectacular oval of standing stones, 15km west of Évora. It is the Iberian…
Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana
Mértola
Created in 1995, this zone of hills, plains and deep valleys around Serpa and Mértola shelters the Rio Guadiana, one of Portugal’s largest and most…
Évora
The Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro, 13km southwest of Évora, is Europe’s largest dolmen. Under a huge sheet-metal protective shelter in a field of wildflowers…
Évora
Guarded by a pair of rose granite towers, Évora’s fortress-like medieval cathedral has fabulous cloisters and a museum jam-packed with ecclesiastical…
Évora
The former Convento dos Lóios, to the right of Igreja de São João, has elegant Gothic cloisters topped by a Renaissance gallery. A national monument, the…
Évora
The small, fabulous Igreja de São João, which faces the Templo Romano, was founded in 1485 by one Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, count of Olivença and the first…
Mértola
Mértola’s striking parish church – square, flat-faced and topped with whimsical little conical decorations – is known because in a former incarnation it…
Évora
Jutting into the town from the northwest is the beguilingly named Aqueduto da Água de Prata, designed by Francisco de Arruda (better known for Lisbon’s…
Mértola
Above the parish church looms Mértola’s fortified castle, most of which dates from the 13th century. It was built upon Moorish foundations next to an…
Mértola
This site contains the ruins of what was once a thriving Islamic neighbourhood. Some 20 dwellings were here, each with a classic Mediterranean layout – a…
Évora
The city’s main square has seen some potent moments in Portuguese history, including the 1483 execution of Fernando, Duke of Bragança; the public burning…
Évora
Adjacent to the cathedral, in what used to be the archbishop’s palace (built in the 16th century), is this elegant museum. The cloistered courtyard…
Mértola
Next to the alcáçova (citadel), this interpretation centre is an accurately sized replica of an Islamic residence dating from the 12th century. Key…
Évora
For a lovely tranquil stroll, head to the light-dappled public gardens (with a small outdoor cafe) south of the Igreja de São Francisco. Inside the walls…
Évora
Just northwest of the Igreja de São João is the 17th-century facade of a much older palace and castle, as revealed by the two powerful square towers that…
Monsaraz
Offers two-hour open-air sessions taking in the marvellous star-filled skies of the Alentejo. You'll get an overview of constellations visible with the…
Monsaraz
Housed inside a fine Gothic building beside the parish church, this museum includes a rare example of a 14th-century secular fresco. The striking work…
Évora
The artist Tiago Cabeça has created this wondrous miniature world of Portugal moulded in clay and peopled with humorous and irreverent characters. You'll…
Évora
The Moura Gate Sq stands just southeast of the cathedral. Near here was the original entrance to town. In the middle of the square is a strange-looking,…
Évora
If you're headed out to Cromeleque dos Almendres, it's worth stopping en route at the Menir dos Almendres, a single stone nearly 4m high, with some faint…
Évora
Just outside the walls to the northeast is the university’s main building (Colégio do Espírito Santo), a descendent (reopened in 1973) of the original…
Évora
Inside the entrance hall of the câmara municipal (town hall) are more Roman vestiges, only discovered in 1987. These impressive Roman baths, which include…
Monsaraz
When you need a break from the heat, head down to this beach on the edge of Alqueva Lake. You can go for a swim (there are lifeguards in summer), hire…
Évora
Évora’s best-known church is a tall and huge Manueline-Gothic structure, completed around 1510 and dedicated to St Francis. Legend has it that the…
Évora
The crenellated, pointy-topped Arabian Gothic Ermida de São Brás dates from about 1480. It’s possibly an early project of Diogo de Boitaca, considered the…
Évora
Painted on the garden walls of an open-vaulted gallery are a series of unusual 16th-century murals that were once part of a noble’s residence. Recently…
Évora
Around 27km west of Èvora, the Escoural Caves contain several cave paintings and rock carvings that date back more than 13,000 years. One-hour guided…
Vila Nova De Milfontes
If you have your own transport, head 7km north of town to the fantastic Praia do Malhão, backed by rocky dunes and covered in fragrant scrub. The sea can…
Mértola
This museum, north of the old town, features a partly reconstructed line of 6th-century Roman columns and poignant funerary stones, some of which are…
Vila Nova De Milfontes
On the left bank of the Rio Mira, Praia das Furnas is a long stretch of fine sand backed by small rocky cliffs. The sandbars in the area make for some…
Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Graça
Évora
Down an alley off Rua da República is the curious baroque facade of this church, topped by four ungainly stone giants – as if they’ve strayed from a…
Évora
Inside the walls of the 16th-century Palácio de Dom Manuel is the Galeria das Damas, an indecisive hybrid of Gothic, Manueline, neo-Moorish and…
Évora
In a building that once housed the Holy Office of Inquisition, this centre of arts and culture hosts some of Évora’s most thought-provoking art…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Lagoa
Monsaraz
The parish church, near the turismo, was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake and again a century later. Inside is an impressive nave and a 14th-century…
Cine Teatro da Mina de São Domingos
Mértola
In São Domingos, on the main road leading into town, this place provides a suitable introduction to life during the peak of the mining industry days…
Mértola
Inside the castle walls, this prominent tower has exhibitions related to the history of Mértola, with several worthwhile (if dramatically scored) videos…
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