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…
Must-see attractions in Mértola
Mértola
Mértola’s striking parish church – square, flat-faced and topped with whimsical little conical decorations – is known because in a former incarnation it…
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…
Mértola
Next to the alcáçova (citadel), this interpretation centre is an accurately sized replica of an Islamic residence dating from the 12th century. Key…
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…
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…
Mértola
Inside the castle walls, this prominent tower has exhibitions related to the history of Mértola, with several worthwhile (if dramatically scored) videos…
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
This is the administrative heart of the old town, a picturesque square lined with orange trees, with the câmara municipal (town hall) at its western end…
Mértola
This little clock tower, topped with a stork’s nest and overlooking the Rio Guadiana, is northeast of Largo Luís de Camões. Alongside it is a municipal…
Mértola
At the southern end of the old town, the Islamic Museum is a small but dramatic display of inscribed funerary stones, jewellery, pots and jugs from the…
Mértola
At the river’s edge, near its confluence with the Ribeira de Oeiras, is the ruined, Roman-era Torre do Rio, which once guarded the vital port.
Mértola
Housed in the former Misericórdia church, the Museu de Arte Sacra exhibits religious statuettes from the 16th to 18th centuries and several impressive…
Mértola
Next to the turismo, this small two-room house shows what living conditions were like for Mértolans up until fairly recent times (the 1970s).
Mértola
Tucked away on one of the narrow streets of São Domingos village, this small museum set among still-inhabited houses re-creates a typical miner’s cottage.