Evora

A medieval Portuguese city

City Overview

Evora has a well-preserved old town centre, still partially enclosed by medieval walls, and many monuments dating from various historical periods, including a Roman Temple. Evora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The typical Portuguese sidewalk (“Calçada Portuguesa”) fills the streets of this time-traveling city. On each side of its narrow streets, you will find houses that tell history in each of their stones.

Once the residence of kings, this museum-city will take you on a journey through space and time, with its historic scenery and its monuments that inspired Brazilian architecture.

Due to its inland position, Evora is one of Portugal's hottest cities in the summer, frequently subject to heatwaves.

Evora with an altitude of 300 metres in Alentejo, a large region of wide plains in the south of Portugal, bordered to the North by the Tagus River and to the South by the region of Algarve. The city is 140 km from the capital city Lisbon, and 80 km from Badajoz at the Spanish border.

Nearest Airport

Lisbon to Evora is approximately 140 kilometres which is around 1 hour 30 minutes.

You can also get there by bus, with Rede Expressos via daily buses to Evora from Sete Rios in Lisbon.

The are trains from Lisbon to Evora four times a day out of Oriente, Sete Rios, and Entrecampos railway stations in Lisbon to Evora station which is 1 kilometre from the city centre.

Porto to Evora is a long drive of around 410 kilometres which will take with good traffic around 4 hours.

The best way to get from Porto to Evora without a car is by train which takes approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes depending on connections.

Getting Around

Evora is tiny, and the best way to enjoy the city is by walking. If you have a car, this is the easiest way to visit the aqueduct and other places like Elvas. It’s also handy to see the surrounding countryside of Alentejo.

Places to stay

Due to its extensive historical and cultural importance, Évora, as well as the surrounding area, saw in the 2010s a great increase in its international tourism sector, which fomented the creation of many hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and various other styles of accommodation.

Staying in Evora you can explore the surroundings areas. Explore this beautiful city and the rest of Alentejo. Head on to the Great Lake of Alqueva, the wonderful Beja, founded by Emperor Julius Caeser himself, to Elvas, the largest walled city in the world, or to Evoramonte, where you will find an amazing castle with a peculiar architectural feature!

You can also visit Vila Viçosa or Viana do Alentejo, two beautiful Alentejan towns, or even go to the Spanish city of Badajoz or Mérida.

Sightseeing

Praça do Giraldo is a square in the heart of the city. Under the hot Alentejan sun, you will see the locals resting on a bench there or next to the water fountain. Wonderful archways and the typical Alentjean white walls (to reflect the sunlight and not absorb it) surround this central square, giving it the authentic and traditional look of the region.

You can find a very bustling market there on the weekends, and on the other days, you can shop in the several stores under the archways. In the summertime, the restaurants in the square will have some tables outside and you will see the square filled with life.

Rua Cinco de Outubro is a street named after the day of the Implementation of the Republic in Portugal. This street is filled with handicraft shops. It is very tourist focused, with lots of souvenir shops, but nonetheless is a pleasant place to visit. You will find the famous Queijadas de Evora that are worth eating.

Se Catedral de Evora is one of the most majestic Cathedrals that make up the Portuguese religious patrimony and the largest medieval Cathedral in Portugal. The building is of Romanesque origin, as it was built in this style in 1204, but through the ages, it faced several changes. Now, it has traces of various other architectural styles, such as Plateresque, Gothic, or Baroque. On the main door, you can see a wonderful 14th-century sculpture of the Apostles.

Mercado Municipal de Evora, is the Municipal Market is where life starts, with the local population rushing to the spot to get the freshest local products. If you want to get a taste of the normal life in Evora and get traditional local products, like Alentejan cheeses or regional cakes, this is the place to visit. You can also have a relaxed coffee, breakfast or lunch in its cafes while talking to the locals as it is open daily except Mondays from 7.00 am to 18.00 pm.

Bars, Clubs & Parties

You will find some cafés and bars open at night, where you can have a coffee or a drink. If you feel like it, you can even find some nightclubs as a student city.

Besides all of this, you can have a quiet walk around the Historic Centre, watching the lights illuminating the historic houses, churches, and the Temple. Alentejo is the hottest part of Portugal, and even though it gets colder at night in the colder months, you can have a comfortable walk if you take a good jacket.

Cafes & Restaurants

At Praça do Giraldo you will find lots of restaurants to choose from with regional traditional cuisine! The main dishes you can find in the city are tomato soup, purslane (‘beldroegas’), ‘toucinho’ (a type of bacon), dogfish, ‘açorda’ (a traditional bread soup), and the well-known convent sweets.

In many bakeries, you can also find the famous ‘Queijada de Évora’ or the ‘grala bread’, try it out!

If you are looking for more modern and different food from the traditional, then head on to Alcárcova de Baixo Street, one of the ‘trendiest’ streets in the city.

Other

Currency - Euro (EUR)

Language - Portuguese

Visas - Not needed for travellers from the US, Canada and Europe

Best Time To Visit - March – October

Timezone - Western European Standard Time (GMT)

Homosexual Activity - Legal