Evora Trip Overview
Do you want to discover the center of Évora at your own pace? Then this tour is for you.
Go back more than 5000 years in history and contemplate this city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are 4 hours of tour that starts in the city center and allows you to know the monuments, customs and habits of the locals.
In this city tour you will pass alongside the Chapel of Bones, near the Roman Temple or underneath the Aqueduct Águas de Prata (Silver Waters). Find out the hidden ancient treasures of the city.
AUTONOMY – You can customize your tour route
PRIVACY – Just your group. No more people
SAFETY (Covid-19) – We comply with all the safety measures of Portuguese Gov and EU
TECHNOLOGY – Free Wi-Fi; GPS Guide; Live streaming & Tour recording
SUSTAINABILITY – Our cars are 100% electric and we’ve a green policy in all that concerns our activity
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Additional Info
* Duration: 4 hours
* Starts: Evora, Portugal
* Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Evora, Évora District, Portugal
Do you want to discover the center of Évora at your own pace? Then this tour is for you.
Go back more than 5000 years in history and contemplate this city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are 4 hours of tour that starts in the city center and allows you to know the monuments, customs and habits of the locals.
In this city tour you will pass alongside the Chapel of Bones, near the Roman Temple or underneath the Aqueduct Águas de Prata (Silver Waters). Find out the hidden ancient treasures of the city.
AUTONOMY – You can customize your tour route
PRIVACY – Just your group. No more people
SAFETY (Covid-19) – We comply with all the safety measures of Portuguese Gov and EU
TECHNOLOGY – Free Wi-Fi; GPS Guide; Live streaming & Tour recording
SUSTAINABILITY – Our cars are 100% electric and we’ve a green policy in all that concerns our activity
Share Your Experience
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Evora, Evora, Evora District, Alentejo
Nestling with dignified repose in the heart of Portugal’s sun-baked Alentejo province, Évora is one of the country’s oldest and most enchanting cities. Rising to prominence under the Romans, the town was also occupied for some 500 years by the Moors. Medieval Évora thrived as a center of learning and the arts, and was patronized by a succession of Portuguese kings. Its numerous churches and monasteries stand as testament to a devout and pious legacy.
The melding of such diverse cultures and religions coupled with an abundance of different architectural styles prompted UNESCO to declare Évora’s old town a World Heritage Site. Conveniently, this precious hoard of monuments and museums is clustered together within the city walls, and can be easily explored on foot. Similarly, Évora’s lively market town atmosphere is best appreciated by following the narrow cobblestone lanes that snake away from the brooding cathedral to pass gurgling fountains and flower-flecked squares.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Chapel of Bones (Évora), Praça 1º de Maio 4, 7000-650 Évora, Portugal
This chapel attached to the Church of São Francisco isn’t one for the squeamish.
It’s an ossuary, with walls, arches and supporting pillars lined with bones and skulls in cheerful arrangements.
These are the remains of several thousand monks, recovered from several crypts and cemeteries in the 16th century.
The idea behind this Franciscan chapel, built when counter-Reformation spirit was running high, was to remind worshippers of the transitory nature of life.
In case there’s any doubt about this message, there’s an inscription at the entrance in Latin, reading ” We bones, that are here, for yours await”.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Giraldo Square Fountain, Praça do Giraldo 7, 7000-508 Évora, Portugal
Évora’s handsome central square is the city’s bustling hub, a favorite meeting place where locals mingle with tourists. Probably named after Geraldo Sem-Pavor (the Fearless), the outlaw who ousted the Moors in 1165, the square hosts a lively weekend market, but is a shopping destination in its own right, with several boutiques situated under the graceful arcades that line Giraldo’s eastern flank; nearby Rua 5 de Outubro is lined with shops that sell handicrafts and curios, from copperware to carved cork. In summer, restaurants set tables across the esplanade, and the colorful scene is café society at its most ebullient. It’s a far cry from the beheadings and Inquisition burnings witnessed in darker, medieval times. Fortunately, today’s entertainment is likely to be animated street theater or a live music concert staged under the shadow of the 16th-century Igreja de Santo Antão.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Cathedral of Evora (Se Catedral de Evora), Largo do Marques de Marialva Centro Histórico, Evora 7000-809 Portugal
Don’t be put off by Évora cathedral’s rather austere complexion. Its weathered granite façade has after all endured the elements since 1204, and the heavy-set structure can’t help but resemble a fortress, a look accentuated by a pair of imposing asymmetrical bell towers. Those with an eye for architecture will notice the melding of the Romanesque with the Gothic, but everyone will gush at the stunning 14th-century sculpted Apostles that wrap themselves around the building’s main portal. Inside, even whispering sounds too loud, but the mood of secluded gravity is lifted somewhat by the 18th-century high altar and polished marble chancel. A more dazzling backdrop is the treasury, which doubles up as a museum of sacred art brimming with rare and priceless artifacts fashioned out of gold, silver, and other precious metals. The top draw, though, is the roof from where a memorable Alentejo panorama can be admired.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Templo Romano Évora, Largo do Conde de Vila Flor, 7000-863 Évora, Portugal
At the highest point of the city where Évora’s ancient forum once stood is what could be Portugal’s greatest Roman monument.
This Corinthian temple was built in the 1st century and would likely have been devoted to Diana.
Up close you’ll notice the difference in materials; the fluted columns are made from granite while the bases and capitals are marble that was brought here from Estremoz, 40 or so kilometres to the northeast.
This monument has survived so well because its walls were filled in during medieval times when it was turned into a small fortress, before being restored in the 1870s.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Aqueduto da Água de Prata, R. do Muro 8, 7000-592 Évora, Portugal
The whimsically named Aqueduct of Silver Water caught the imagination of Portugal’s greatest poet, Luís de Camões, who described the majestic 16th-century watercourse in his epic Os Lusìadas, published in 1572. The structure is still regarded with awe, the tallest arches of the surviving nine-kilometer stretch reaching a height of 26 meters and visible throughout the city and beyond. Over the years, shops, warehouses, and other commercial premises have been constructed within its arches. There are even some houses snuggled between its walls. The most interesting examples can be admired in and around Rua do Cano. But for some truly imposing views of the aqueduct, visitors should follow the well-signposted trail that begins just outside the city walls.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: University of Evora, Largo dos Colegiais 2 Centro Histórico, Evora 7004-516 Portugal
Portugal’s second-oldest university is in Évora, and was founded in the 1500s by both Pope Paul IV and the future King Henry I, who was a cardinal at the time.
For its first 200 years it was a Jesuit college, before this order was expelled from Portugal in the 1750s.
There’s a lot to get through here, but you have to survey the elegant arcades and galleries in the main courtyard.
And don’t miss the chance to see some of the classrooms, as these are decorated with azulejos that vary according to the fields taught.
You might notice Aristotle teaching Alexander the Great or Plato instructing his followers.
Duration: 25 minutes
Stop At: Museum Frei Manuel do Cenáculo, Largo do Conde de Vila Flor, 7000-804 Évora, Portugal
Modern and kid-friendly, Évora Museum does away with the stuffy and cramped. Instead, this delightfully engaging cultural and educative draw is spacious, light and airy, and superbly designed to showcase a collection of regional treasures housed in what was once the residence of bishops and noblemen. Yes, this is a former palace building dating way back to the 16th century, and the city’s history is all here under one roof. It’s worth spending time mulling over the exhibits. For instance, the art gallery features an extraordinary 16th-century Flemish polyptych, a fantastically detailed painting of 13 panels executed in vivid Technicolor, and this kind of brushwork requires serious study. The main core of the museum is its collection of archaeology, and its Roman sculpture pinches all the glory – a giant 2nd century AD column rises up like a rocket as if to emphasize the period.
Duration: 25 minutes
Stop At: Loios Convent, Largo do Conde de Vila Flor 4, Evora 7000-804 Portugal
This convent is from the 1400s and was built over the ruins of a medieval castle.
A few of the monastic buildings, including the refectory and monks’ cells have been turned into a pousada (heritage hotel). You can go in to explore the church, which is far richer than its facade makes it seem.
That is because the exterior had to be remodelled after the devastating 1755 earthquake.
The ceiling of the nave has masterful Gothic rubbed vaults, and walls festooned with blue and white azulejos.
The church also has the tombs of the Counts of Olivença, most notably Rodrigo Afonso de Melo who was chief guard to King Afonso V.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Muralhas de Evora, Largo das Alteracoes de Evora 4 Centro Histórico, Evora 7000-502 Portugal
As soon as you arrive in Évora, stop by the tourist office, which will give you a handy map of the best spots to take in the city’s fortifications.
As they appear now, these walls, towers and gates are from the reign of King Afonso IV in the 1300s, but their origins and course go back to 3rd century, and you can also spot Moorish traces from the early middle ages.
The area contained is more than 10 hectares and the walls are about two kilometres in length, so there’s plenty to see.
A good starting point is the Jardim Público a few paces from the Capela dos Ossos, where a length of the ramparts creates a picturesque barrier in the park.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Viewpoint of Alto de Sao Bento, Rua de Arraiolos Km 2, Evora 7000-862 Portugal
Viewpoint with privileged sights over the city of Evora
Duration: 30 minutes
