Ninho d'Águias Restaurant
What to order: the pickled partridge to start and the sericaia with Elvas plums for dessert.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 39.39° N · 7.38° W
From Castelo de Vide to Marvão, on foot among chestnut trees.
Almost ten waymarked kilometres between two border towns, with a final climb on a medieval cobbled path among chestnut trees. You eat in Marvão and walk the walls at sunset.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Badajoz fromMadrid 1 hBarcelona 1 h 45Gran Canaria 2 h 30
Part of Marvão
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car1 h 30 each way
Walking9.6 km · 3 h 30 · linear
DifficultyMedium
AscentAbout 600 m cumulative
Best timeMarch – June · October – November
With a dogYes
TimeOne hour behind Spain
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Badajoz 1 h 30 by car
Spanish time · to Castelo de Vide; you arrive around 9:00 Portuguese time
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1
PR3 trail from Castelo de Vide to Marvão
Portuguese time · 9.6 km · 3 h 30 · the last 3 km uphill
- 15 min by car6,5 km
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2
Ninho d'Águias Restaurant
Ninho d'Águias · the pousada's restaurant · Alentejo cooking · open daily at midday
Rua 24 de Janeiro, 7, 7330-122 Marvão · +351 245 993 201
Restaurant €€€Book - 2 min on foot
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3
The town and the walk along the walls
the wall-walk and whitewashed streets · 1 h 30
- 5 min on foot
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4
Marvão Castle and its cistern
if you have the legs · 1 h
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Back home
taxi or a second car to Castelo de Vide · you reach Badajoz around 21:00 Spanish time
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
PR3 trail from Castelo de Vide to Marvão
Between Castelo de Vide and Marvão, the two walled towns of the Serra de São Mamede, there is a waymarked 9.6 km trail that crosses the countryside and ends by climbing to Marvão on a medieval cobbled path among chestnut trees. It is the PR3, a linear route that the official listing gives as medium difficulty, with three and a half hours of walking. The last three kilometres are uphill, and they are the ones that count: you reach the gate of the wall with the town above you and the Alentejo plain behind. This plan starts early in Castelo de Vide, lunches in Marvão and walks the walls in the afternoon. From Badajoz it is an hour and a half by car; from Cáceres, two.
The day, hour by hour
Stop times are Portuguese time, one hour behind Spain.
8:30 (Spanish time) · Leave for Castelo de Vide. You arrive around 9:00 Portuguese time. Leave the car in Castelo de Vide, where the trail begins. If you are two cars, leave one first in Marvão, by the wall: it is the most convenient way to close the day.
9:30 · The PR3, from Castelo de Vide to Marvão. 9.6 waymarked km, about three and a half hours at an easy pace. The first part is open sierra countryside; the last, the steep climb, along a cobbled path among chestnut trees up to Marvão. Bring water and something to eat: there are no springs you can count on. Ask for the map at the Marvão tourist office or carry the route downloaded.
13:30 · Lunch at Ninho d'Águias. The restaurant of the Pousada Marvão, on Rua 24 de Janeiro, with picture windows over the plain you have just crossed on foot. Alentejo cooking daily from 13:00 to 15:00: pickled partridge to start and sericaia with Elvas plums for dessert. Book by phone, on +351 245 993 201. If you arrive earlier, fago, on Travessa da Praça, serves lunch on Sunday from 12:30.
15:30 · The walls. The adarve, the wall walk, circles the town with open views over the plain, the sierra and Extremadura. Free.
17:00 · The castle and the cistern. At the top of the ridge, with one of the largest cisterns in Portugal. If your legs cannot manage any more, sit on the wall and watch the afternoon fall.
18:00 · Back to Castelo de Vide and home. Eleven kilometres to the car: a second car or a taxi; ask at the tourist office, which is open from 10:00 to 17:00, how to order one. You reach Badajoz around nine in the evening, Spanish time.
Is it for me?
If you walk often and three and a half hours with about six hundred metres of cumulative ascent do not scare you, yes. If not, do the plan the other way round and shorter: Marvão in the morning and the afternoon in Castelo de Vide, by car. With children, only if they are used to walking; the final climb is long.
With a dog
The trail can be done with a dog, better on a lead near livestock. In the taxi, mention it when you order.
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
fago
What to order: the wood-oven bread with the mushroom pâté and one of the three mains: meat, fish or vegetable.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Marvão
In spring, with the countryside green, and in autumn, with golden chestnut trees. Not in July and August: the route is almost all in the sun. In winter, watch for fog over Marvão and bring a coat for the ridge.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Set off early
That way you do the final climb before noon and reach Marvão at lunchtime.
- 2Wear mountain footwear
The medieval cobbles are slippery when damp and the countryside turns to mud after rain.
- 3Organise the return before setting out
Leave a car in Marvão or be sure how to order a taxi: do not count on public transport between the two towns on a Sunday.
We'd skip it
July and August: the trail is almost entirely in the sun and the final climb falls at midday.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometres is the PR3?
9.6 km, linear, from Castelo de Vide to Marvão. The official listing estimates 3 h 30 and gives it medium difficulty.
Is it hard?
The last three kilometres are a steep climb on cobbles. The rest is countryside without big gradients.
How do I get back to the car?
With a second car left in Marvão or by taxi: it is 11 km by road.
Can it be done the other way round?
Yes, from Marvão to Castelo de Vide, with the descent at the start. You lose the arrival at the wall from below, which is the best part of the route.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/marvao/itineraries/pr3-trail-from-castelo-de-vide
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.