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…
Must-see attractions in Alto Alentejo
Alto Alentejo
You can walk around the battlements at the castle for dramatic views across the baking plains. The original castle was built by the Moors on a Roman site…
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…
Alto Alentejo
It took an unsurprising 100 years or so to complete this breathtakingly ambitious aqueduct. Finished in 1622, the huge cylindrical buttresses and several…
Alto Alentejo
The Fernandina Tower was the result of alterations undertaken in the 14th century to the second Muslim wall. It served as a jail from the end of the 15th…
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…
Monsaraz
The weather-beaten castle at the southwestern end of the village was one in the chain of Dom Dinis’ defensive fortresses along the Spanish border. It’s…
Alto Alentejo
The local museum exhibits religious art of the 17th and 18th centuries, including paintings and furniture from the Convento de Santa Clara (now a public…
Alto Alentejo
In 1550 Portalegre became the seat of a new diocese and soon got its own cathedral. The pyramid-pointed, twin-towered 18th-century facade sombrely…
Évora
Part of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, this pint-sized museum houses an intriguing collection of old carriages. It’s hidden away behind the Sé and is…
Alto Alentejo
Dating from the 1640s, this miniature, zigzag-walled fort lies just 1.4km south of the main praça (town square). Today it houses a military museum with…
Alto Alentejo
Under construction at research, this museum will delve into the dark era of the Inquisition. It's set inside a restored 17th-century mansion.
Monsaraz
Situated 6km north of Monsaraz is the granite, 5.6m-tall Menhir do Outeiro, one of the tallest megalithic monuments ever discovered.
Alto Alentejo
This plain church hides a thrilling interior. There are painted marble columns under a cupola, gilded chapels and fantastic 17th-century azulejos covering…
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…
Alto Alentejo
Yet another of Portalegre’s hidden treasures, this former convent is now part of the municipal library, meaning you can freely wander around at will. It…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Alto Alentejo
Francisco de Arruda designed this sturdy fortified church in the early 16th century, and it served as the town’s cathedral until Elvas lost its episcopal…
Alto Alentejo
It's worth making the ascent up to the Arraiolos castle for fine views over the countryside. The original structure dates from the 14th century, and it's…
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…
Alto Alentejo
Dating from the 16th century, this striking monastery has some exquisite azulejos and a serene cloister. It’s set inside a GNR (Portugal’s military police…
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…
Museu Fotográfico João Carpinteiro
Alto Alentejo
Housed in the old-town cinema is this tiny museum that contains a collection of vintage cameras, the oldest a pocket-vest number dating from 1912. Unless…
Alto Alentejo
In a pretty square just below and east of the judiaria (Jewish quarter) is the worn-smooth 16th-century marble Fonte da Vila, with a washing area. This,…
Alto Alentejo
This small museum in poet José Régio’s former house shows his magpie-like collection of popular religious art, with around 400 Christ figures. There are…
Monsaraz
Near the castle, this small two-storey museum touches on the Jewish presence in Monsaraz during the Middle Ages and the persecutions that unfolded after…
Évora
Among several elegant mansions around the Largo da Porta de Moura square (and contemporary with the strange-looking, globular 16th-century Renaissance…
Alto Alentejo
In a restored building, this cultural centre hosts changing exhibitions. You can also check out the rustic upstairs courtroom, dating from 1809, and there…
Évora
This is one of two watch museums that houses one family’s extraordinary private collection (the other is in Serpa). You name it – if it ticks, chimes,…
Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre
Alto Alentejo
Strikingly vibrant tapestries are still made at this factory (its walls are also adorned with fabulous examples). Photography is prohibited and advance…
Alto Alentejo
Just north of the square Rossio Marquês de Pombal, you’ll find a few monastic buildings that were converted into cavalry barracks and today house a modest…
Alto Alentejo
This church was once part of a 13th-century Dominican monastery, though much of its construction dates from the 18th century. It opens only on rare…
Évora
The extraordinary knotted Manueline stone doorway of the Igreja do Carmo lies south of Largo da Porta de Moura.
Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Alegria
Alto Alentejo
This 17th-century church was built in a simple style, and seems largely forgotten by the village surrounding it.
Alto Alentejo
Near the centre of town stretches this marble-edged water tank, called the Lago do Gadanha after its scythe-wielding statue of Neptune.
Alto Alentejo
Portalegre’s castle, off Rua do Carmo, dates from the time of Dom Dinis. There is a temporary exhibition gallery on the 1st floor. Unfortunately, the…
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…
Alto Alentejo
This photogenic cafe – built in art-nouveau style between 1908 and 1909 – is worth seeing for both the exterior and interior (don’t overlook the upstairs…
Alto Alentejo
Originally this 16th-century pelourinho (stone pillory) stood in the nearby Praça da República. It was dismantled and partially destroyed in 1872. The one…
Alto Alentejo
The 16,000-sq-metre palace square is ringed by the Paço Ducal, an enormous palace, the heavy-fronted Agostinhos Convent and graceful Chagas Nunnery. In…
Alto Alentejo
Though this church was originally built in the 12th century, only the Romanesque-Gothic portal remains from that time. The interior was altered over the…
