Marvão, a stone eyrie at 860 metres.

What can you see inside the wall?

Marvão sits on top of the Serra do Sapoio, at 860 m, on the edge of the Serra de São Mamede, and can be explored on foot in two or three hours. You enter by the gate in the wall and climb through streets of whitewashed houses to the castle, at the highest end of the ridge. From its walls, built more than 850 m up on the rock, you see the Alentejo plain, the Serra de São Mamede and, to the east, Extremadura.

Inside the castle, go down to the cistern, one of the largest in Portugal: it is believed that, in a siege, it supplied the village with water for more than six months. The old church of Santa Maria, the village's oldest church, is now the municipal museum, with pieces donated by the locals themselves.

Why is it here?

The ridge was a refuge from before the Romans. In the 9th century it was used by Ibn Marwan, the muladí leader who refounded Badajoz, who took shelter here when the emir of Córdoba threatened him: Marvão takes its name from his. Afonso Henriques conquered it around 1160–1166, Sancho II granted it a charter in 1226 and Dinis took it from his brother in 1299. As a border town it withstood sieges in 1641 and 1648, during the Restoration War.

What is there around it?

At the foot of the mountain, at São Salvador da Aramenha, about 10 minutes by car, are the remains of Ammaia, a Roman city founded in the 1st century in the fertile plain, without walls, while the ridge served as a lookout.

Castelo de Vide, about 11 km away, is the neighbouring town: larger and lower, with a medieval Jewish quarter. They combine well in one day: Marvão in the morning, with clean light over the plain, and Castelo de Vide in the afternoon.

For walking, the council has waymarked several trails: the PR1, around Marvão; the PR2, of the Galegos; the PR3, linking Castelo de Vide with Marvão; and the PR4, the coffee smuggling trail, which recalls the contraband trade across the border with Spain.

When is the Chestnut Fair?

In mid-November: in 2026 it takes place on the 14th and 15th, with the 42nd Chestnut Festival, producers in the streets and roast chestnuts. From 14 to 29 November there is also a two-week chestnut food festival in the restaurants of the municipality. On those days the village car parks cannot cope and the council provides parking below and a shuttle to the gate.

How do you get there from Spain?

It is one of the Portuguese villages closest to Spain. From Valencia de Alcántara, in Cáceres, it is about 27 km, half an hour. From Badajoz it is about 90 km and a little under an hour and a half; from Cáceres, about 120 km; from Madrid, a little over 400 km. From Lisbon it is about 235 km, almost three hours, and from Évora about 120 km. Without a car it is very hard to get there: count on having one.

Cars stay outside or next to the wall: the streets inside are narrow and cobbled. The tourist office, on Rua de Baixo, is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00.