# A Sunday in Monsaraz: a town over Alqueva, menhirs and potters A town of two white streets with a castle overlooking Lake Alqueva, a medieval fresco of the good and the bad judge, a menhir enclosure and Portugal's largest pottery village. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/monsaraz/itineraries/menhirs-potters-and-alqueva-views · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:00 · Salida: 1 h 30 by car (Spanish time · you arrive around 9:30 Portuguese time) - 09:45 · The walled town and castle of Monsaraz (Portuguese time · from the gate to the castle · 2 h) - 2 min on foot - 11:00 · Fresco Museum, the good and the bad judge (on the main street · 20 min) - 13 min on foot - 12:15 · Xerez Cromlech beside the Orada convent (at the foot of the hill, next to the Orada convent · 30 min) - 11 min on foot - 13:30 · Sabores de Monsaraz (Sabores de Monsaraz · inside the walls · home-style Alentejo cooking · €€ · book; at midday it opens Wednesday to Sunday) · Sabores de Monsaraz, €€ - 9 min by car, 7,1 km - 15:30 · Pottery workshops of São Pedro do Corval (workshops open depending on the day · 1 h) - 17:00 · Vuelta (Portuguese time · you reach Badajoz around 19:30 Spanish time) Monsaraz is an hour and a half from Badajoz, on the other side of Lake Alqueva, and from its walls you see Spain across the water. It is a single walled hill with two cobbled streets of white houses running from the gate to the castle. It is covered in a couple of hours, so Sunday has room for more: a medieval fresco on the main street, a menhir enclosure saved from the reservoir at the foot of the hill and São Pedro do Corval, Portugal's largest pottery centre, a few minutes away. From Mérida it is about two hours. ## The day, hour by hour Stop times are Portuguese time, one hour behind Spain. 9:00 (Spanish time) · Leave. About 90 km from Badajoz. When you cross the border the clock goes back an hour: you arrive around 9:30 Portuguese time. Park outside the town gate: inside the wall only residents may enter. 9:45 · The town and the castle. Walk up the two streets to the castle, at the end of the hill. From its walls you see the lake, the plain and Spain. The town changed hands several times in the 12th century and became Portuguese in 1232, under Sancho II and the Templars. First thing on Sunday it is almost empty. Free. 11:00 · Fresco Museum. In the former Paços de Audiência, on the main street, a medieval fresco pits the just judge against the corrupt one. A short stop, next to the parish church and the pelourinho. 12:15 · Xerez cromlech. At the foot of the hill, next to the Orada convent: 55 granite monoliths in an almost square layout around a 3.6 m menhir. They stood at Herdade do Xerez, on land Alqueva was going to flood, and in 1998 they were excavated again and moved here. Open air and free. 13:30 · Lunch at Sabores de Monsaraz. Go back up to the town: this small eatery, on Largo de São Bartolomeu, inside the wall, cooks home-style Alentejo dishes with views of the lake. The house roast lamb, migas gatas with cod or grilled Iberian pork plumas. On Sunday it opens for lunch from 12:30 to 15:30 and the dining room is small: book by phone and ask for a table with a view. 15:30 · The potters of São Pedro do Corval. More than twenty workshops in operation. Go in to see the potter at the wheel and buy hand-painted plates and jugs from the person who makes them. Each workshop has its own hours: on Sunday afternoon not all are open, so go knowing you may find some closed. 17:00 · Return. You reach Badajoz around half past seven in the evening, Spanish time. ## In summer From June to September, the river beach at the Nautical Centre, at the former Moinho do Gato, at the foot of the hill, changes the day: the first beach on Lake Alqueva, with a Blue Flag, lifeguards, adapted access, showers, a children's area and a picnic area. Do the town first thing, go down to the water at midday and climb back up to the wall an hour before sunset. ## With children and with a dog The town is short, car-free and has walls: children like it. The Xerez menhirs and the potters at the wheel work very well with them. With a dog, the town, the castle and the cromlech, yes; at the museum, ask at the door. ## Cómo llegar ### By car Essential: there is no train nearby and the menhirs and the pottery are outside the town. Some Portuguese motorways have electronic-only tolls; if your route passes through one, register your number plate before crossing. ## Consejos ### Go up to the town early First thing on Sunday you have the streets to yourself; by mid-morning the excursions arrive. ### Bring a bag for the pottery The jugs and plates are bought at the workshop; wrap them well for the car. ### Stay for sunset if you can The light falls head-on over the lake. If you stay the night on a Saturday, there is a stargazing session at Cumeada. ## Cuándo no ir A Sunday in July at midday in the town: white stone, no shade and 40 degrees. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Badajoz to Monsaraz? An hour and a half by car, about 90 km. From Mérida, about two hours. In Portugal it is an hour earlier. ### Can I drive into the town? No. Inside the wall only residents enter: you park by the gate and walk up. ### How much does it cost? The town, the castle and the cromlech are free. The pottery workshops can be visited freely. ### Is there stargazing on Sunday? No. The Cumeada sessions are Tuesday to Saturday: for that, stay the night on a Saturday.