15 Best Sights in Évora and the Alentejo, Portugal

The former royal palace, an impressive hilltop fortress towering over the city, is the highlight of any visit to Estremoz (it now functions as a luxury pousada). The palace was built in the 13th century by Portugal's King Dom Dinis. It's named after his wife, Queen Isabel of Aragon, who died here in 1336. An explosion in 1698 destroyed much of the medieval structure except the Torre das Três Coroas (Tower of the Three Crowns), which you can still climb today for fantastic views of Estremoz and the surrounding countryside. The palace was restored after the ammunition blast and fire. The interior houses an impressive collection of 17th- and 18th-century artifacts and furniture.

One of the most beautiful in the region, this huge castle towers over the city. It includes an ancient porta da vila (city gate) that could be closed during attacks, a casa da guarda (guard station), and a dramatic torre do relógio (clock tower). You can climb onto the outer fortifications and walk around the complex for a 360-degree view of the town and the sweeping plains beyond. It's also a pleasant walk up to the castle through the winding, steep side streets lined with 17th-century manor houses and ornate doorways.

Serpa's 11th-century aqueduct forms an integral part of the walls of the 13th-century castle, from which there's a stunning view of town. The huge ruined sections of wall tottering precariously above the entrance are the result of explosions ordered by the Duke of Osuna during the 18th-century War of the Spanish Succession.

This stunning underground fortress displays archaeological relics from 2,600 years of settlement here. In the mid-1990s, archaeologists discovered traces of an Iron Age settlement from the 6th century BC underneath the town's castle. Structures are believed to have existed here from Roman times, with later castles being built one on top of another through Moorish and medieval times. The current castle and adjacent church are from the 13th century.

This opulent palace draws a great many visitors—and for good reason. Built of locally quarried marble, the palace's main wing extends for some 360 feet and overlooks an expansive square and the bronze equestrian statue of Dom João IV. At the north end of the square note the Porta do Nó (Knot Gate) with its massive stone shaped like ropes—an intriguing example of the Manueline style.

The palace's interior was extensively restored in the 1950s and contains all you'd expect to find: intricate rugs, frescoed ceilings, priceless collections of silver and gold objects, Chinese vases, Gobelin tapestries, and a long dining hall adorned with antlers and other hunting trophies. The enormous kitchen's spits are large enough to accommodate several oxen, and there's enough gleaming copper to keep a small army of servants busy polishing. Dom Carlos, the nation's penultimate king, spent his last night here before being assassinated in 1908; his rooms have been maintained as they were. Carlos was quite an accomplished painter, and many of his works (along with private photos of Portugal's last royal family) line the walls of the apartments.

The ground floor of the castle has displays of objects ranging from Paleolithic to 18th century and mainly Roman artifacts discovered during excavations. These include pieces from ancient Mediterranean civilizations—Egypt, Rome, Carthage, and also pre-Columbian. Also on view are coaches from the 17th to the 20th century. Hunting, rather than war, is the dominant theme of the armory that holds more than 2,000 objects. The treasury displays crucifixes from Vila Viçosa and those belonging to Dona Catarina de Bragança as well as more than 200 pieces of jewelry, paintings, crystal, and ceramics. The porcelain collection is made up of blue-and-white china from the 15th to 18th centuries.

You can venture into the tower in Castelo de Vide's castle and inside the well-preserved keep to the large Gothic hall, which has a picture window looking down on the town square and the church.

Beja's castle is an extensive system of fortifications whose crenellated walls and towers chronicle the history of the town from its Roman occupation through its 19th-century battles with the French. Once inside the central courtyard, climb up the castle's ramparts to the impressive 140-foot Torre de Menagem, a stone tower with gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside. The tourist office is also located inside the castle grounds.

This castle's battlements offer a sweeping view of Elvas and its fortifications. There's been a fortress here since Roman times, though this structure's oldest elements were built by the Moors and expanded by a handful of Portuguese monarchs. Touching the border with Spain, it was always on the front line of battles between the two countries. In 1807 it was taken by Napoléon's troops, but the English and the Portuguese quickly fought them off. Despite all the battles it faced, the castle remains in remarkably good condition, thanks to its solid stone walls. There's a small bar inside serving light meals and drinks that's open until late. It gets especially busy in the summer when they set up tables outside.

You can climb the tower of Marvão's castle and trace the course of the massive Vauban-style stone walls (characterized by concentric lines of trenches and walls, a hallmark of the 17th-century French military engineer Vauban), adorned at intervals with bartizans, to enjoy breathtaking vistas from different angles. Given its strategic position, it's no surprise that Marvão has been a fortified settlement since Roman times or earlier. The present castle was built under Dom Dinis in the late 13th century and modified some four centuries later, during the reign of Dom João IV.

Built in 1292, this castle contains carved stone from the Roman, Moorish, and Christian periods. The courtyard has a very deep cistern in the center. From the castle's Torre de Menagem, you can look down on archaeological digs along the sides of the fortress, and out over the river and rolling hills toward Spain.

The castle and its imposing towers are one of the first things you see when you approach Monsaraz. Dating back to the 14th century, it's among the many fortifications built to protect the border between Portugal and Spain. During the Portuguese Restoration War, the castle was used by the military, but it was abandoned soon after that. It was only around 1830 that locals decided to turn it into a bullfighting ring, a tradition that continues in September during the Festas de Nosso Senhor Jesus dos Passos. For the rest of the year, you can roam around the castle and enjoy the views of the Alqueva Dam.

At the base of Portalegre's sloping cobblestone streets stands the town's castle, which dates to the early 14th century. Sadly, the castle's walls were disassembled in the 1930s to open streets around it to traffic. Now a wooden structure, somewhat controversial in its design, links the castle's body with an adjacent tower, where you can climb up for splendid views of the cathedral and city.

The palace is readily identified by two massive stone towers with pointed battlements. These towers, once part of a medieval castle that protected the town, were later incorporated into this former residence of kings João I and João IV. Today it belongs to the Duke of Cadaval family. Many rooms are open to the public and welcome regular temporary exhibits. Since 2022, the ground floor is also home to a contemporary Portuguese restaurant called Cavalariça, an offshoot of a popular dining spot in Comporta.