Welcome to another edition of Porto Weekend Breaks! In this series we highlight popular tourist destinations in Portugal that you may want to consider visiting if you have an extended amount of time. This time we’re looking at the Alentejo Coast.
Sunset in Evora. Photo via Pedrosimoes7
The Alentejo Coast stretches for over 150km, from Setúbal bay to the western Algarve and is one of the most beautiful, untouched regions of Portugal. The coast is around 400 kilometres away from Porto so it’s a bit of a trek to get there. Fortunately, there’s easy bus and train access, with the latter passing through Lisbon, and you can always drive there too.
The main attraction on the Alentejo Coast is the beautiful scenery. This is one of the few areas in Portugal that has yet to be overrun with tourists so make the most of the peace and quiet! There are rugged coastlines tracing all the way through the region, interspersed with green, rolling hills and lots of farming. It has the warmest weather in all of Portugal, which makes it a definite must-visit in our opinion!
Our favourite area is the UNESCO world heritage city, and regional capital, of Evora. It’s a Moorish city from over 2000 years ago and has beautiful walls surrounding the Old Town. There’s plenty to do here – Capela dos Ossos, the chapel of bones, is one of Evora’s main attractions and is definitely worth a visit. The chapel was built by several monks and they used over 5000 bones to build it! A unique attraction, for sure! As well as Evora, we recommend taking the time to visit Marvao, a castle town built into the side of a mountain; the historica city of Elvas; The lagoon beach of Lagoa de Santo André and Zambujeira do Mar, which is a fishing village and the location of the famous music festival, Sudoeste.
Once you’ve chose a location to visit, the next thing to do is find somewhere to stay. Fortunately, there is a whole host of guesthouses, B&Bs and hotels spotted along the coast so there’s something for every type of person and every price range.
While you’re in the region be sure to check out some Portuguese wine too. The Alentejo region is known as having the best wine in Porto so make sure you have a taste while you’re in the region.
If you’ll be travelling with your family then we recommend the following website if you’re looking for family adventures in Portugal (this link takes you specifically to their Alentejo Coast tour). Otherwise we recommend travelling the area independently if you don’t have kids. It’s perfectly easy to do so and one of the most underrated regions of Portugal.
