Things to Do in Evora, Portugal: The Most Beautiful Town in Alentejo

Vineyards and cork trees and whitewashed villages dot the landscape of Alentejo as the bus heads farther into Portugal. But this journey had actually started a few months before.

This seed was planted at the fantastic Wines of Portugal event, which we attended in Macau earlier in the year. After sampling barrels full of a few red wines from the Alentejo region, we were convinced that Evora HAD TO BE on our Iberian itinerary.

Many consider Alentejo to produce the best red wines in Portugal, and who are we to disagree? Besides drinking wine, Evora has many things to see and do, making a great city break to this unique part of Portugal.

Medieval Evora is beautiful with great food and fantastic things to see and do. While it is quite possible to visit Evora on a day trip from Lisbon, we urge you to stay at least one night. Evora deserves more than a day trip; you won’t regret spending more time here.

We stayed for three nights and enjoyed Evora as much as it enjoyed us.

With excellent connections to Lisbon, Evora could be a fantastic Portuguese city break or weekend getaway.

Alentejo in south-central Portugal is often touted as the New Tuscany due to its good wines, picturesque rural small towns and good food. While we don’t like to compare one place with another since each place is unique, we guess there are similarities between these two regions. But still, Alentejo is Alentejo and Tuscany is Tuscany.

Still not sure? Keep on reading to find out why you should not miss Evora.

Evora should be your obvious choice when exploring this exceptional part of Portugal. Whitewashed and cobblestoned, the maze of alleys inside Evora’s city wall is perfect for exploring on foot. Here is our list of favourite things to do in Evora.

We stayed at Casa dos Castelos, great little apartment and just loved it. It’s a 10-minute walk to the bus station from where you can catch a bus to Lisbon or Faro on the Algarve. This apartment has everything you might need for your stay and is very comfortable. Our friendly hosts gave us tons of recommendations for restaurants and things to see.

BEST THINGS TO DO IN EVORA

Evora has sights to see, alleys to explore, wine to drink, and food to eat to keep you busy for a few days. Most places of interest are inside the old town’s walls, best explored on foot. For us, the food and wine of Alentejo were the highlights of visiting Evora, so make sure to wear stretchy pants.

Here are our recommendations of attractions and things to do in Evora to help you enjoy this little firecracker of a town.

Wander Around in Evora Old Town

All the places described below are inside the city wall of the Old Town. Evora Old Town is very picturesque, with winding alleys flanked by low whitewashed houses, all painted in mustard yellow borders.

Due to the labyrinth of small streets, the most enjoyable way to see Evora is by simply wandering around and making your own discoveries.

Walking the cobblestone streets will take you to sunny squares, cosy cafes with excellent pastries, wine shops, churches, fountains, gardens, shops selling cork products and much more.

Capela dos Ossos (The Bone Chapel)

The macabre Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) is probably the most famous attraction in Evora. Human bones cover every square inch of this chapel, from floor to ceiling. Skulls and bones were not a hot interior design trend in medieval times but came out of necessity rather than religious reasons.

During the 16th century, the graveyards in Evora were so overcrowded that there was no space for new bodies to be buried. So to free space, the city exhumed about 5 000 bodies. After that, apparently, a monk started working on the Chapel of Bones.

The bones of these exhumed bodies were carefully arranged and displayed inside the Chapel of Bones. Skulls and bones became walls, columns, arches and the altar.

The inscription above the entrance way reads: “Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos”. Translated it means “These bones that lay here wait to welcome yours“. 

A visit to the Chapel of Bones is a vivid reminder of how temporary life is.

Igreja de São Francisco

The Bone Chapel is inside the Igreja de São Francisco church, which is also worth visiting and free to enter. It has some fine azulejo tiles and religious art. 

Take the stairs to the top for a fantastic view over the whitewashed houses of Evora. After taking in the scenery, visit the museum on the second floor with nativity sets from all around the world. They are pretty cool. We really liked the ones from the former colonies, such as Angola and Mozambique. 

Entrance to the Capela dos Ossos is 5€, which includes entrance to Igreja de São Francisco. Entry to Igreja de São Francisco is free of charge if you are not visiting the Bone Chapel.

See the Roman Temple of Diana

Built around the 1st century AD, this temple, dedicated to the Roman goddess of hunting, is regarded as the best-preserved Roman structure on the Iberian peninsula. Today, twelve Corinthian columns remain intact and are free for everyone to view.

You’ll find the Roman Temple in the Largo Conde de Vila Flor square, near the Evora cathedral. Since it’s in a city square, you can view it at any time and walk around it for free.

The temple is beautifully lit up at night. The temple sits on the highest point in town; therefore, the temple is also a great place to watch the sunset over Evora.

Evora Cathedral

You’ll find the Sé (Cathedral) right next to the Roman Temple. The Sé, built in 1208, is the ancient religious seat of Portugal and looks more like a fortress than a church.

It costs €1.50 to enter the cathedral or €3.50 for the cathedral with access to the roof. We believe the roof must have sweeping views over Evora and the countryside, but we just looked at it from the outside.

Praça do Giraldo

All roads in Evora will lead to Praça do Giraldo, the city’s main square. This beautiful square in the middle of the Old Town is the perfect place to grab a chair for a coffee and pastry and watch the world go by.

With a church, fountain, cafes and waving cobbles, what more could you ask for? Well, a glass of wine to start with! That’s what you could ask for! Nothing beats sitting outside in a pretty European plaza, sipping wine and being European. 

You must try Queijadas de Évora, a sweet orange cheese tart for a delicious snack unique to Evora. The charming Cafe Arcada (location), which sits on the side of the square, is an excellent choice to sample these beauties in their natural habitat. These golden cheese tarts are best friends with a Bica (Portuguese espresso).

See the Evora Aqueduct

Just outside of the city wall is another of Evora’s main attractions, the Aqua de Prata or Evora aqueduct.

Francisco de Arruda, the designer of the Belem tower, was responsible for its construction, and it was completed in 1530. The aqueduct is 9 km long and initially continued all the way to Praça do Giraldo.

It’s a nice walk along the city wall to where the aqueduct crosses the main road and city wall into the old town. You can then follow the aqueduct into town until it disappears somewhere before reaching Praça do Giraldo. It’s interesting to see how they built houses under the aqueduct’s arches.

Wine tasting in Evora

Finally, getting to the good stuff – the real reason we came here! We didn’t have a car, so visiting the wineries outside of town was not really an option. But not to worry. There are a few places in town where you can get to indulge in your wine fantasies.

You can try some of the region’s superb wines at Rota dos Vinhos do Alentejo in the centre of Evora (location). For a bargain price of €3, you get to try six different wines from different wineries – 3 red and 3 white. 

The friendly staff explains each wine’s origin and grape cultivars as you try it. We had a great time chatting with our tasting guide as we were getting a little tipsy. The wines on offer for tasting change every week.

Cartuxa, one of Alentejo’s oldest wineries, has a cellar shop next to the Roman temple. Here, you can either try their wine at the bar or enjoy a food and wine pairing in the restaurant.

Our Favourite Restaurants in Evora

As always, we have breakfast at home. We have this weird supermarket fetish, and the supermarket is often our first stop in any town we arrive in to buy supplies for breakfast. Pingo Doce supermarket is the Portuguese version of Tesco/Safeway and will have everything you’ll need for a DIY breakfast at home.

We stocked up on fresh fruit, ham, cheese, bread, and wine here. (The wine was not for breakfast, we promise.) Pingo Doce is an excellent supermarket with a great selection of products. We went in search of Pingo Doce throughout our trip to Portugal, and we never returned disappointed.

Taberna Tipica Quarta Feira

Repeat after me: I will not leave Evora without having dinner at Taberna Tipica Quarta Feira. I will make a reservation otherwise I will not get a table.

Well, to start with, it’s a whole dining experience. There is no menu. That’s the first thing João, owner and chef, told me when I called to make a reservation. You cannot order what you want. The only thing you get to choose is the wine list.

João greets guests as they come in, and immediately, he makes you feel at home with his warm personality and will look after you for the rest of the evening. It’s like you are having dinner at your best friend’s house. Except the food is much, much better.

After making an excellent wine recommendation, João and his team started the four-course dinner service. They started us off with a spread of bread, black pork ham and baked sheep cheese. The starter alone was worth coming here. 

He treated us to a slow-cooked pork neck and various side dishes, typical of Alentejo, for mains. 

Our waiter, like ourselves, beamed with joy when he announced that the next course would be the first of two desserts! Following the sorbet, we ended the night with cake and fruit.

Before leaving, João gave Jin a handwritten postcard in Korean as a souvenir. Your dinner at Taberna Tipica Quarta Feira will likely be the best meal in Portugal. (location)

Fabrica dos Pasteis

Tucked away down a side alley just off the main square, Fabrica dos Pasteis is the perfect place for lunch or a coffee break. The bakery is built around the ancient Roman wall, which comprises much of the interior. Other than their outstanding sweet pastries, you’ll also find chorizo, veal, toasted sandwiches, Bifanas, savoury meat pies and fries on the menu.

We came here for coffee and pastries but couldn’t decide which to choose…so we went all out and tried one of each.

Where Will You Go Next?

Regular trains and buses connect Evora with Lisbon. We got the bus since the bus station is a little closer to our accommodation and also a little cheaper.

A bus will take you to Lisbon’s Sete Rios station in under 2 hours, costing €12. Book your tickets online. Read more about our 4 day Lisbon itinerary.

If heading down south towards the Algarve, buses to Albufeira and Faro take about 4-5 hours. You could also reach Seville in Spain by changing buses in Faro. Read here how to travel by bus between Seville and Evora.

Your turn: Hope you enjoy Evora as much as we did. Let us know in the comments below if you think this could be the new Tuscany.