Évora Full Day Tour

Vale Maria do Meio cromlech is located nearby Évora and was identified in 1993, composed of 34 standing stones. Most of the menhir components are well preserved, although some are fractured. After the excavation and possible redeployment of all menhirs in their original positions. To put them back in place were used techniques like the ones used by the ancestors, using ropes, wood trunks and the good effort of a lot of people of the region.

The Almendres Cromlech is a reflection of gigantic proportions of the era of pagan enchantment, known as New Stone Age. Built towards the sunrise and sunset, this megalithic enclosure is located on a gentle slope on Almendres Estate. A place that could very well represent Alentejo. Formed by two distinct enclosures, built between the end of the 6th and the 3rd millennium BC, this cromlech is one of the biggest and most important megalithic monuments in the world. It is much older than the famous Stonehenge.

It’s the biggest dolmen known in the Iberian Peninsula. The area has 50 mts of diameter and it’s composed by the chamber (6 meters high) and a long passage to the exterior. The passage grave is classified as a monument of national interest.

You can see its silhouette from very far away, drawn up on the urban landscape. The magnificence of the Cathedral of Evora can also be seen on the three great naves in the interior. On the highest, the central nave, we find the altar of Our Lady of the Angel. It is completely made of woodcarving of the Baroque era, with Gothic images of the Virgin Mary and the Angel Gabriel in marble. Also, you can admire the pulpit and the most beautiful pipe organ from the Renaissance period.

The chapel was built in the 17th century with a goal: to convey the message of temporariness and fragility of human life. This message clearly comes across to visitors of Bones Chapel right at its entrance through the sign “We bones that are here, for yours we wait”. In fact, it shows Baroque’s men macabre taste for necrophilia. Bones and human skulls carefully spread and connected with cement cover the walls in Bones Chapel and its eight pillars.

This Roman Temple in Evora is one of the greatest and best-preserved roman temples in the Iberian Peninsula. That is why it was considered World Heritage by UNESCO in 1986. This is the ex-libris of the city, a sort of visiting card. And, of course, the most important representative of the Roman remains in Evora.

The earliest vestiges of human occupation date back to 50,000 years B.C. associated with the interior of the cave. The first occupants of the cave came from groups of Neanderthal hunter-gatherers, who used the cave as a temporary shelter in order to hunt. Based on bone evidence within the cave, these groups hunted nearby.

Montemor-o-Novo Castle was built in the 13th century and underwent several changes until the 16th century. It has protected the city for centuries. Its triangular defense line, reinforced by battlements, stretches around a hill with a round crest in each vertex. It divided the former urban area, destroyed nowadays, in order to house the new part of the city.

This town has two main attractions: its castle and its carpets produced by the local craftsmen and women since the sixteenth century. Some art historians have devoted themselves to studying this art and divide it in three eras: the first period based on compositions that brought the decorative influences of Persian carpets; the second brought popularly inspired designs such as figures or animals; and the third period with much more stylized patterns.

You can see and understand all the process of the cork products since withdrawn from the trees until they get to the stores. All with the explanations of the factory owner.

We can book a wine tasting in some of the most interesting and historical winemakers in this area. In here you can try out the Portuguese wine and understand its history and cultural importance. For wine lovers it’s a must-do.

You can visit an Olive Oil Farm and see all the process while talking and sharing knowledge with the owners. You can also try out some biological products from the area to enjoy the olive oil. And if you like to live truly amazing experiences book a lunch in there with the owner’s family and share the real food and histories of these people.

If you’re a History Lover you can book a walking tour with a professional guide for you on an area that you decide or for the full tour. Ask us for details.