# Évora The capital of the Alentejo: a walled World Heritage centre, with a Roman temple, a cathedral with a terrace and the Chapel of Bones. It can be seen on foot in a day. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/evora · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## What can you see in a day on foot? The historic centre fits inside the wall and can be explored on foot. Start at Praça do Giraldo, the main square, with its arcades and marble fountain, and head up Rua 5 de Outubro towards the cathedral. At the top of the hill, a few steps away, is the Roman temple: the Corinthian columns can be seen from the street, with no ticket or opening hours, and they are lit up at night. Next to it, the Diana garden offers shade and views over the plain. The cathedral (the Sé) is a Gothic fortress of granite. The full visit, with the cloister, the museum and the climb to the terrace, costs €5 and children under 12 with their parents do not pay. It is open from 9:00 to 17:00 every day except the afternoon of 24 December, 25 December and 1 January. The terrace is the highest point in the city and is reached by narrow stairs. Then go down towards the church of São Francisco. The church can be visited for free; the Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos), from the 17th century, has walls and pillars covered in thousands of bones and skulls from the convent's old burials. The single ticket, which includes the chapel, the sacred art museum, the terrace and the nativity scene collection, costs €7 per adult, €5 for young people up to 25 and over-65s, and €15 for a family. It is open from 9:00 to 18:30 in summer hours and until 17:00 in winter. Finish the afternoon by following the Água de Prata aqueduct towards the north of the centre, where houses are wedged between its arches, and return through the white streets of the old Jewish quarter. ## What is there nearby? About 16 km to the west, about 25 minutes by car, is the Almendres Cromlech, an enclosure of almost a hundred granite monoliths in a cork oak grove, beside the hamlet of Guadalupe. It is one of the largest megalithic sites on the peninsula, it is open air and there is no ticket office. The last stretch is a dirt track: you can get through slowly in an ordinary car, except after heavy rain. Bring water and go first thing or at dusk, when the low light falls on the stones. For a night outside the city, Monsaraz is a good hour towards the border, and Marvão further north. ## How do you get there from Spain? By car, Évora is about 100 km from Badajoz, around an hour and a quarter on the A6 motorway. From Seville it is about 350 km and from Madrid about 500 km. Some Portuguese motorways have electronic-only tolls: register your plate before crossing. Park outside the wall: inside, the streets are narrow and many are for residents only. Without a car, fly to Lisbon and continue by train: CP's Intercidades leaves from Lisboa Oriente and Entrecampos and takes around an hour and a half. A single ticket in second class costs €13.90. ## What should you know before you go? Since August 2025, Évora has charged a tourist tax of €1.50 per person per night for visitors over 16, with a maximum of three nights. In 2027, Évora and the Alentejo are European Capital of Culture: expect more events and more demand for accommodation that year. At the table, the Alentejo is cooking built on bread and pork: migas, açorda, carne de porco à alentejana, and local wines on almost every menu. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Monsaraz (a 47.2 km), Setúbal and the Tróia Peninsula (a 86.1 km), Palmela and Azeitão (a 92.2 km), Serra da Arrábida (a 95.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **Évora Cathedral, cloister and terrace** (1 h · Everyone; the climb to the terrace is by narrow stairs · Desde 5 € per adult): The Sé is a Gothic granite fortress at the top of the centre. The full ticket includes the cloister, the sacred art museum and the terrace above the rooftops, the highest point in the city. Open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, except the afternoon of 24 December, 25 December and 1 January; under-12s with their parents do not pay. - **Chapel of Bones at São Francisco** (45 min · Adults and teenagers; may upset small children · Desde 7 € per adult): The Capela dos Ossos, beside the church of São Francisco, has walls and pillars covered with bones and skulls from the convent's old burials. The single ticket (€7; €5 for under-25s and over-65s; €15 for a family) includes the sacred art museum, the terrace and the nativity-scene collection. The church can be visited free. - **Almendres Cromlech and Anta Grande do Zambujeiro** (1 h 30 · Everyone; the last stretch is a dirt track · Open access): About 16 km west of Évora, beside the village of Guadalupe, almost a hundred granite monoliths form one of the largest megalithic complexes in the Iberian Peninsula. There is no ticket office and the last stretch is a dirt track that a normal car can drive slowly. If you want to understand it, Ebora Megalithica runs a three-hour visit with an archaeologist that adds the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, a nearby giant dolmen. - **Roman Temple and the Diana garden** (20 min · Everyone; accessible from the street · Free): The Corinthian columns of the Roman temple rise in an open square at the top of the centre, with no ticket office or hours. Beside it, the Diana garden gives shade and views over the plain. Come back at night, when it is lit. - **Walk along the Água de Prata Aqueduct** (1 h · Everyone; flat streets · Free): Follow the Água de Prata aqueduct north of the centre: on Rua do Cano the arches drop to street level and there are houses, doorways and shops wedged between them. It is a flat walk for the end of the afternoon, returning through the white streets of the old Jewish quarter. - **Praça do Giraldo and the walled centre on foot** (2 h 30 · Everyone; cobbles with gentle slopes · Free): Évora's historic centre fits inside the wall and is covered on foot. Start at Praça do Giraldo, with its arcades and the marble fountain, and climb Rua 5 de Outubro towards the cathedral and the Roman temple. Park outside the wall: inside, many streets are for residents only. ## Dónde comer - **Loios Restaurant, at the Pousada Convento Évora** (Restaurant, Évora, €€€). Qué pedir: the Alentejo menu and a wine from the region; book a table in the cloister. - **Adega do Alentejano restaurant** (Restaurant, Évora, €€). Qué pedir: the Alentejo dish of the day and a house wine; go for lunch, which is quieter at midday. - **Café Alentejo Restaurante** (Restaurant, Évora, €€). Qué pedir: the Alentejo cooking on the menu; book for dinner. - **O Antão Restaurant** (Restaurant, Évora, €€). Qué pedir: the Alentejo dish of the day; if the weather is good, ask for a table in the courtyard by the well. ## By car: Évora by car from the border Évora is a little over an hour from Badajoz on the A6, and a car opens up the megaliths around it and Monsaraz. Inside the wall, leave it parked. Presupuesto orientativo: 90–170 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Pousada Convento Évora** (Hotel, desde 83 € / night): Sleeping in a convent beside the temple The Pousada Convento Évora, also called Pousada dos Lóios, occupies the former Lóios convent, at Largo Conde Vila-Flor, opposite the Roman temple and a few steps from the cathedral. It keeps the cloister and much of the original architecture, and the rooms are the monks' old cells, almost all different from one another. Rooms, pool and restaurant There are seven room types: from the Cozy, the smallest, from €83 a night according to its website, to suites for three or four people; the Superior Family takes two adults and a child. The pool is in the inner courtyard, between the cloisters, with sun loungers. The Loios restaurant occupies the former refectory: it serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:00; at midday there are light meals at the bar, from 12:30 to 15:00. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Getting there and parking It is at the top of the historic centre, inside the wall. From Badajoz you arrive by the A6 in a little over an hour; follow the signs to the Roman temple and ask at reservations about parking, because inside the wall many streets are restricted. On foot you have the whole centre: Praça do Giraldo five minutes away and the Chapel of Bones ten. - **M'AR De AR Aqueduto** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel beside the aqueduct The M'AR De AR Aqueduto is the M'AR De AR group's five-star hotel in Évora, beside the Água de Prata aqueduct, in the north of the walled centre. Its garden and pool face the arches of the aqueduct. It is the choice for anyone who wants a pool and spa without leaving the centre. Pools, spa and restaurant It has an outdoor pool for adults and another for children, plus an indoor pool in the spa. It has a restaurant, the Degust'AR, and a bar. It has a garage, something unusual inside Évora's wall. Rates and room types are on its website; direct booking is by phone, email or online. Getting there and what is nearby From Badajoz you come by the A6 in a little over an hour; head for the aqueduct and the hotel's garage. From the door, follow the walk along the aqueduct towards Rua do Cano and in ten minutes you are at Praça do Giraldo. The Almendres cromlech is about 25 minutes away by car. ## Luxury: Évora at an easy pace, convent or spa Two ways to sleep well in Évora: in the cells of a convent beside the Roman temple or in a spa hotel beside the aqueduct. Presupuesto orientativo: From €220 por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in style - **Pousada Convento Évora** (Hotel, desde 83 € / night): Sleeping in a convent beside the temple The Pousada Convento Évora, also called Pousada dos Lóios, occupies the former Lóios convent, at Largo Conde Vila-Flor, opposite the Roman temple and a few steps from the cathedral. It keeps the cloister and much of the original architecture, and the rooms are the monks' old cells, almost all different from one another. Rooms, pool and restaurant There are seven room types: from the Cozy, the smallest, from €83 a night according to its website, to suites for three or four people; the Superior Family takes two adults and a child. The pool is in the inner courtyard, between the cloisters, with sun loungers. The Loios restaurant occupies the former refectory: it serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:00; at midday there are light meals at the bar, from 12:30 to 15:00. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Getting there and parking It is at the top of the historic centre, inside the wall. From Badajoz you arrive by the A6 in a little over an hour; follow the signs to the Roman temple and ask at reservations about parking, because inside the wall many streets are restricted. On foot you have the whole centre: Praça do Giraldo five minutes away and the Chapel of Bones ten. - **M'AR De AR Aqueduto** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel beside the aqueduct The M'AR De AR Aqueduto is the M'AR De AR group's five-star hotel in Évora, beside the Água de Prata aqueduct, in the north of the walled centre. Its garden and pool face the arches of the aqueduct. It is the choice for anyone who wants a pool and spa without leaving the centre. Pools, spa and restaurant It has an outdoor pool for adults and another for children, plus an indoor pool in the spa. It has a restaurant, the Degust'AR, and a bar. It has a garage, something unusual inside Évora's wall. Rates and room types are on its website; direct booking is by phone, email or online. Getting there and what is nearby From Badajoz you come by the A6 in a little over an hour; head for the aqueduct and the hotel's garage. From the door, follow the walk along the aqueduct towards Rua do Cano and in ten minutes you are at Praça do Giraldo. The Almendres cromlech is about 25 minutes away by car. ## By plane: Fly to Lisbon and take the train or a car to Évora With no direct flights to Évora, the gateway is Lisbon, with flights from almost every Spanish city. From Oriente station, the Intercidades reaches Évora in about an hour and a half; by car it is a little over 130 km on the A6. If you live near the border, driving from Badajoz is faster than any plane. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Pousada Convento Évora** (Hotel, desde 83 € / night): Sleeping in a convent beside the temple The Pousada Convento Évora, also called Pousada dos Lóios, occupies the former Lóios convent, at Largo Conde Vila-Flor, opposite the Roman temple and a few steps from the cathedral. It keeps the cloister and much of the original architecture, and the rooms are the monks' old cells, almost all different from one another. Rooms, pool and restaurant There are seven room types: from the Cozy, the smallest, from €83 a night according to its website, to suites for three or four people; the Superior Family takes two adults and a child. The pool is in the inner courtyard, between the cloisters, with sun loungers. The Loios restaurant occupies the former refectory: it serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:00; at midday there are light meals at the bar, from 12:30 to 15:00. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Getting there and parking It is at the top of the historic centre, inside the wall. From Badajoz you arrive by the A6 in a little over an hour; follow the signs to the Roman temple and ask at reservations about parking, because inside the wall many streets are restricted. On foot you have the whole centre: Praça do Giraldo five minutes away and the Chapel of Bones ten. - **M'AR De AR Aqueduto** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel beside the aqueduct The M'AR De AR Aqueduto is the M'AR De AR group's five-star hotel in Évora, beside the Água de Prata aqueduct, in the north of the walled centre. Its garden and pool face the arches of the aqueduct. It is the choice for anyone who wants a pool and spa without leaving the centre. Pools, spa and restaurant It has an outdoor pool for adults and another for children, plus an indoor pool in the spa. It has a restaurant, the Degust'AR, and a bar. It has a garage, something unusual inside Évora's wall. Rates and room types are on its website; direct booking is by phone, email or online. Getting there and what is nearby From Badajoz you come by the A6 in a little over an hour; head for the aqueduct and the hotel's garage. From the door, follow the walk along the aqueduct towards Rua do Cano and in ten minutes you are at Praça do Giraldo. The Almendres cromlech is about 25 minutes away by car. ### Servicios - **Évora railway station**: CP Intercidades to Lisboa Oriente and Entrecampos, about an hour and a half · Single from €13.90 ## As a family: Évora with children, on foot and among the menhirs Évora's centre is small, can be covered on foot and has things that catch a child's attention: Roman columns in the middle of a square, a terrace at the top of the cathedral and, half an hour away, a forest of giant stones. ### What works best The cathedral terrace; under-12s with their parents do not pay The Roman temple and the Diana garden, with shade The Almendres cromlech, for running among the menhirs at sunset The aqueduct, with houses tucked between the arches ### Where to stay Pousada Convento Évora, with a family room and a pool in the courtyard M'AR De AR Aqueduto, with a children's pool ### Where to eat Loios Restaurant, open every evening On Sundays many restaurants close: book ### Worth knowing The Chapel of Bones may upset small children In July and August, visit in the morning and at dusk The cobbles in the centre are awkward for pushchairs ### Qué hacer as a family - Évora Cathedral, cloister and terrace - Almendres Cromlech and Anta Grande do Zambujeiro - Roman Temple and the Diana garden - Walk along the Água de Prata Aqueduct - Praça do Giraldo and the walled centre on foot ## With teenagers: Évora for teenagers, bones and 7,000-year-old stones From the age of twelve, Évora grabs them with the strange: a chapel lined with skulls, a temple two thousand years old and menhirs older than Stonehenge in the middle of a cork-oak grove. ### What works best The Chapel of Bones, with a youth rate up to age 25 Climbing to the cathedral terrace by the narrow staircase The visit with an archaeologist to Almendres and Zambujeiro, in Spanish Getting lost on foot in the walled centre ### Where to stay Pousada Convento Évora, at the top of the centre M'AR De AR Aqueduto, with pools and spa ### Where to eat Loios Restaurant, in the convent cloister ### Worth knowing The megalith visit lasts three hours: better with curious teenagers In summer, Almendres at dusk, not at midday ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Évora Cathedral, cloister and terrace - Chapel of Bones at São Francisco - Almendres Cromlech and Anta Grande do Zambujeiro - Praça do Giraldo and the walled centre on foot ## Consejos ### Start with the cathedral It opens at 9:00 and at that hour the terrace is almost empty. Then walk down towards São Francisco. ### Keep a siesta in summer From 14:00 to 17:00 in July and August it is very hot. Visit in the morning and go out again at dusk. ### Go to the Almendres in low light At sunrise or sunset the shadows of the menhirs lengthen and there are fewer people. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can you see Évora in a day from Lisbon? Yes, by train or car. In a day you see the centre and the Chapel of Bones; for the Almendres you need a car and another half day. ### How much is the Chapel of Bones? The single ticket costs €7 per adult, €5 for young people up to 25 and over-65s, and €15 for a family. The church can be visited for free. ### Do you pay to see the Roman temple? No. It is in an open square, at the top of the centre, and can be seen at any hour. ### Can you go with children? Yes. The city is easy on foot, children under 12 do not pay at the cathedral and they usually enjoy the Almendres menhirs. The Chapel of Bones may unsettle the little ones. ### Is there a tourist tax? Yes: €1.50 per person over 16 per night, for up to three nights. ### How do I get to the Almendres without a car? There is no public transport to the site. You need a car, a bike or an organised excursion from Évora.