Welcome to Monsaraz
Perched high over the surrounding countryside, tiny Monsaraz is a charming village with a looming castle at its edge, great views over the Alqueva Dam and olive groves sprinkling the landscape. Its narrow streets are lined with uneven-walled, whitewashed cottages. Today, the village prospers on tourism, with a handful of restaurants, guesthouses and artisan shops. It’s worth coming to taste a slice of traditional Portugal, wander the slumbering streets and sample Alentejan cuisine. It’s at its best as it wakes up in the morning, in the quiet of the evening or during a wintry dusk.
Top experiences in Monsaraz
Amazing hotels and hostels
We've pre-picked the best hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
Travel guides
Starting at €27.95
Monsaraz activities
Private tour to Évora from Lisbon
Start the day by getting picked up from your hotel and heading straight to Évora through Alentejo’s country roads. After arriving in Évora, take a tour of the beautiful St Francis Church and the famous chapel of the bones. Then head to the temple of Diana, located at the top of Évora. The structure is a roman temple from the 1st century that has been incredibly well-preserved and is the city’s most famous landmark. Next, enjoy a tasting session of exciting local wines, followed by a delicious lunch featuring the best of Alentejo cuisine. After lunch, head towards Monsaraz and the biggest man made lake in Europe. Monsaraz is one of the most beautiful medieval villages in the Alentejo region and overlooks one of the biggest man-made lakes in Europe. Spend some time walking around and taking in the magnificent view from the castle. On the journey back to Lisbon, pay a visit the Cromeleque dos Almendres, a Megalithic circle that is still a mystery for the science community. The driver will return you to your hotel at the end of the day.
Évora and Monsaraz Private Tour from Lisbon
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Templo Romano de Evora (Templo de Diana), Evora, Evora District, AlentejoDiana's Temple, the proof that romans where in this area!Duration: 1 hourStop At: Igreja de Sao Francisco, Evora, Evora District, AlentejoSt Francisco ChurchDuration: 1 hourStop At: Cathedral of Evora (Se Catedral de Evora), Evora, Evora District, AlentejoÉvora's CathedralDuration: 1 hourStop At: Centro Historico de Evora, Evora, Evora District, AlentejoVisit the village inside the castle!Duration: 2 hours
Évora and Monsaraz
Enjoy a complimentary Hotel pick up from your guide at 8:30 and a 1:30 ride to Évora through beautiful country side while your guide will talk about the cork fields, local biodiversity and the Alentejo region unique identity.Once we arrive in Évora our first stop will be at the Bone chapel. A very intriguing 17th century chapel covered with human bonés to remind us the transience of life.From here will walk through the labyrinthic streets of Évora towards one of the most important Cathedrals and example of the Romanic/gothic architecture in Portugal.Right next to it we will admire the well preserved 2000-year-old Roman temple of Diana and learn about the importance of this city for the empire.After tasting the amazing gastronomy of this region, we leave Évora for another 40-minute scenic drive through vast olive oil plantations and famous Portuguese vineyards towards the town of Monsaraz. A tiny medieval hilltop town on the Potugal/Spain border overlooking the countryside and the biggest artificial lake in Europe. From its Castle we can admire the picturesque villages, the bullfighting arena built within its walls and the enourmous lake bordering Portugal and Spain.From Monsaraz we will drive you directly back to dropp you off at your Hotel/AirBnB or another place of your choice.
PRIVATE TOUR ÉVORA E MONSARAZ
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Evora Cultural Experience, Evora, Evora District, AlentejoLocalizado no Alentejo, Évora é um lugar importante desde os tempos megalíticos, mas é mais conhecido devido ao seu centro histórico bem preservado, ainda parcialmente fechado por muros medievais e um grande número de monumentos que datam de vários períodos históricos, incluindo o Templo de Diana, um templo romano.Duration: 4 hoursStop At: Monsaraz Castle and Walls, Monsaraz, Evora District, AlentejoA cidade murada e o castelo surpreenderam aqueles que visitaram, e mais recentemente, podemos visitar o maior reservatório artificial de água da Europa Ocidental, a Barragem do Alqueva. Um extraordinário feito pelo homem!Duration: 4 hours
Singular Alentejo Évora & Monsaraz
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Centro Historico de Evora, Evora, Evora District, AlentejoÉvora is an inland city with a glorious historical past. It’s inevitably associated with the image of the Temple of Diana; a Roman construction kept almost intact located right in the heart of the city. The temple’s magnitude is impressive. No less than other of the city’s various treasures which rightfully stand for of its political importance throughout the centuries. A World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Évora is a condensed live history class.Duration: 3 hoursStop At: Monsaraz Castle and Walls, Monsaraz, Evora District, AlentejoOn the Alentejo plains, a cute little village rises up ready to take you on a journey to Medieval times. Inside the Castle walls, the village’s winding streets and small impeccable white houses invite you to get lost wandering. From up there you can enjoy a delightful view over the golden plains, the blueish Alqueva’s dam lake, and the infinite horizon. Take in a deep breath and appreciate the unusual quietness.Duration: 1 hour
Motorcycle off-road tour in Portugal - LISBOA TOUR
DAY 1. Arrival in Lisbon. We will welcome you at Lisbon airport and we will make the group transfer from the airport to our base located 20 minutes from the airport. Briefing. Dinner and overnight in the hotel*** with swimming pool. DAY 2. Lisbon - Monsaraz (230 km) After control of the motorcycles, our first stage crosses Portugal from west to east. This long stage is largely on rolling tracks in the plains and in the cork oak forests. We will have a lunch break towards Evora. We will ride the afternoon on more winding tracks in the Serra d'Ossa which will offer us superb panoramas. We will finish the first stage in a very nice **** hotel with swimming pool close to the medieval city of Monsaraz. DAY 3. Monsaraz - Alcoutim (240 km) The second day we will run along the Spanish-Portuguese border. We will drive between olive and eucalyptus trees, in the Andalusian sierras almost desert of the east of the country. We will cross the beautiful Natural Park of Guadiana which offer very pleasant and tortuous technical roads. Lunch break in Mertola. We will enter the Algarve in the afternoon. Nice hotel *** with swimming pool for the evening and the night. DAY 4. Alcoutim - Alte (220 km) We leave Acoutim by beautiful tracks before reaching the banks of Rio Guadania through the village of Azinhal, along the Odeleite dam. We will then arrive in the mountainous Algarve. Lunch at Barranco Do Vehlo. In the afternoon we will ride exclusively in this paradise of off-road. We will spend the evening and the night in hotel *** with swimming pool in Alte. DAY 5. Alte - Vila Nova de Milfontes (220 km) A 90% Algarve stage with a lot of trails. We will have lunch in Santana. After we will go to the beautiful dam of Santa Clara before going back on mountain tracks. We will end this splendid day at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Vila Nova de Milfontes. Hotel *** with heated pool.DAY 6. Vila Nova de Milfontes - Lisbonne (210 km) Our last stage will begin with the ascent along the Atlantic coast on sandy slopes of the Alentejana coast and beautiful views at the top of the cliffs. We will leave the seaside to cross a small serra above Santiago de Cacèm with more winding paths. Lunch at Alcacer do Sal. We will close this beautiful tracks in pine forests to our base near Lisbon. Free evening, night at the hotel ***. DAY 7. Group transfer. After breakfast we organize your transfer to Lisbon airport in the early morning.