Jon-Bxl

Hi

In mid October my wife and I plan to visit the Alentejo region, driving up from Ayamonte just across the Algarve border in Spain.

We'll stay about 3 nights.

We enjoy good food, walks and some fresh air, nice historic towns or places to visit, have a long lunch etc.

Can anyone recommend any places, things to do please. We are not 'serious tourists' that have a book and want to see every site.... Just some great towns villages, walks etc +watch the world go by.....

Thanks
Jon

Fredbargate

Hi Jon

I would recommend Serpa although it is really a daytrip from CE.

I came close to buying a Quinta there in 2006.

The town is small but with some lovely old architectural remains.

Accommodation I can not recommend, we used to stay at The Pousada de Sao Gens, but it appears to have closed which is a shame. It is/was on a small hill to the east of town offering brilliant views across the plains, a G&T on the terrace of an evening was a real pleasure.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitor10...7594112382898/

http://www.cm-serpa.pt/

From Serpa head north to Moura, then Europes largest dam at Alqueva and on to Evora and Elvas

steve01

Hi jon
On the main route from Badajoz to Lisbon you pass through Elvas , interesting hill town, with lots of nice architecture, Borba, grotty little dump, but worth a visit to taste some of the best wines in Portugal and part of the wine route that runs east west from here.
http://www.vinhosdoalentejo.pt/index.php
Estremoz, one of my favourite towns and the one with the best choice of restaurants good food at great prices huddled around and just off the main squares
Evoramonte - small town of no real interest, with an old castle at the top of a very steep hill, surrounded by a tiny village and some of the best views in Portugal, also the most helpful tourist office and a small but excellent restaurant.
Then on the Evora, lovely place to walk around, organised walks and horse drawn carriage - but touristic and some of the restaurants are very poor value for money.
Not far to Arraiolas, quaint little town, (home of the Portuguese hand made carpets) and worth a visit if you like that sort of thing.

For something completely different you have the West coast.
Setubal is a nice city pop 100k, with a beautiful little port, some great restaurants along the river estuary including the Rio sado esturay reserve, home to many dolphins.
http://www.rotasdosal.pt/index.php/rio-sado
Heading South you can take the ferry to Troica, lovely seaside resort, roman ruins - one of the most expensive bits of real estate in Portugal.
Then follow the coast route to Sines
Worth stopping at any Praia sign on route to see the beautiful deserted beaches
Especially worth a vist is the Lagoon at Villa Nova de Santo Andre, miles and miles of stunning beaches and the Lagoon, last time we went we were the only people there. nice little cafe on the beach.
This is the point when the coast changes from miles of flat sandy coast to the rough and rocky dramatic West Atlantic coast
Theres now an official walk that runs all the way through the Coastal Alentejo , joins the route de costa vincentina around sines and goes all the way to the algarve
http://rotavicentina.com/?lang=en
Sines town is worth a visit, but you'll be stunned by the awful industrailised Port area.
Nearby Porto Covo is one of the most typical and lovely seaside towns in Portugal, and you can follow the route on through Milfontes / Zambujeira all the way down to Alijezur ending in the Algarve.
Have a great time

Jon-Bxl

THANK YOU Fred and Steve.... this is really useful info. Much better than a tourist book! Have noted it all down....



Jon

EMR

What about Evora, with some of best Roman remains ins Portugal.

steve01

think i mentioned that EMR
Then on to Evora, lovely place to walk around, organised walks and horse drawn carriage - but touristic and some of the restaurants are very poor value for money.

We go to Evora regularly - hospital visits - but it amused me last week - coachloads of Japanese/Chinese and Canadians all behaving like they do in the old movies, taking pictures of everything that moved, including one poor soul
who must of taken 50 pictures of a pair of wellies in a shop window

Could mention a lot more - but its for a 3 day trip

Mike

When we went to Evora we stayed in the Ibis. Only just outside city walls, free parking and cheap. Saved loads compared to being in the walled city and walked off dinner!
We had a lovely meal in Restaurante Fialho. Not cheap though!
Nice City to walk around and take in the history.

Stopped in Beja on the way back. Bit of an anticlimax.


On another trip; Zumbejeira reminded me of a Cornish village. Lovely little place. We didn't stay long as we were going to Milfontes, which I didn't enjoy at all but then it was a peak summer season weekend. It seemed as though everyone in Lisbon has driven there!

Fluffyhead

I live in north Alentejo and really recommend Marvão - the village and, in my opinion, the best castle in Portugal along with fabulous views. Nearby Castelo de Vide is totally different but also nice although its castle isn't a patch on Marvão's. As I live in the area I don't know what the hotels are like but there is a poussada in Marvão.
Personally I don't like Evorá but the Capela dos Ossos is amazing. The aquaduct in Elvas is stunning and the old olive trees in Serpã are wonderful. There's a lot to see up the Spanish border - I hope you enjoy your trip.

Jon-Bxl

Great thanks for all this fantastic info and in advance as well.

We will put together a good trip for sure, now!

Jon

Mike

This is on my list....
A friend did say that staying in the town is better than the Pousada as there is more going on. What do you think?
Thanks.

Fluffyhead

Mike, I'd hardly call Marvão a town, more a gorgeous village as it doesn't have any proper shops, just a few tourist shops and restaurants, correios, bank and farmácia open a few hours a week. It is where our local finanças is though and I just love going there!
The pousada is right in the village so I'm not sure what your friend means, maybe they mean staying at the bottom of the mountain in Portagem?

Mike

At the bottom rings a bell....

s5tuart

That is a great drive! I did that in April last year on the way back to Luz from Lisbon.

A & M

Beja is definitely worth a look, in our view. Hilltop town with fantastic views from the castle, a nice square at the top of the town (site of the old Roman forum). Even if you're not planning to do the tourist bit, it's worth visiting the Museu da Rainha Leonor just for the exquisite azulejos (blue tiles). Lots of history all round. We can also recommend staying (and eating) at the Pousada, which is a beautifully-restored Franciscan monastery. The menu is based on tradition Alentejan specialities. (No doubt everyone will say that you can get much more authentic food for a quarter of the price, but we enjoyed it anyway).

There is also a wine route based round Beja (not that you and Catherine touch the stuff, of course). We can recommend Herdade da Malhadinha. Small-ish family run wine estate with a very good, though not cheap, restaurant attached to the winery. Wine labels all designed by the children! It also has a pricey though very comfortable small boutique-style hotel; serves one of the best breakfasts we've ever had (staggering variety of fruit, cheese, cold meat)

Herdade dos Grous also worth a visit though a bit more commercialised than Malhadinha.

steve01

If you want some driving fun on that route Stuart , take the turn off for Monchique just before alijezur, lovely mountain route , part of it is still a gravel track, then do the round and roundy bit down to Portimao

I did it courtesy of my GPS - it had a real sense of humour before i threw it out of a moving car one day