São Lourenço do Barrocal
Why we like it: A hotel on an Alentejo estate with a winery, at the foot of Monsaraz: rooms in the old farm houses, cottages, spa, pool and cooking with its own produce.
Duration1 night, Saturday to Sunday
From Badajoz1 h 30 by car
From Mérida2 h
TimeAn hour behind Spain
StarsSessions Tuesday to Saturday, by reservation
Best timeApr – Jun · Sep – Oct
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Badajoz on Saturday at 10:00, Spanish time. The times in the plan are Portuguese, an hour behind. The stargazing session only runs from Tuesday to Saturday: that is why the night is Saturday's. Book it before you leave and check the phase of the moon.
Saturday
- 111:00Pottery workshops of São Pedro do Corval
The largest pottery centre in Portugal, with more than twenty working workshops a few kilometres from Monsaraz. Go in and watch the potter at the wheel and buy hand-painted plates and jugs from the person who makes them. Each workshop has its own hours: Saturday morning is a better bet than Sunday.
- 213:00Lunch among the vines at Herdade do Esporão
The Esporão wine estate, in Reguengos de Monsaraz, serves tasting-menu lunches among vines and olive groves, with an optional pairing of the house wines. Open Tuesday to Saturday, at midday only, and you must book at least 72 hours ahead. If you prefer something simpler, Reguengos, the nearest large town, has Alentejo cooking based on bread and pork.
- 316:00Xerez Cromlech, next to the Orada convent
Fifty-five granite monoliths around a 3.6 m menhir, at the foot of the hill. They stood on land that the reservoir was going to flood and were moved here in 1998. Free, outdoors, half an hour.
- 4SunsetThe village and castle of Monsaraz
Walk up from the gate along the two cobbled streets to the castle, at the end of the hill, an hour before sunset: in November, around 16:15; in June, around 20:00. The light falls straight onto the lake.
- 5NightStars at the Cumeada observatory
Twenty minutes from the village. The Dark Sky Alqueva session starts roughly an hour after sunset, so in winter it is early and in summer it goes past ten, and it lasts an hour and a quarter: that night's sky explained and then telescopes. It costs €25 from October to April and €30 from May to September; ages 8 to 12, €10, and under-7s do not pay. There is one session in Portuguese and another in English. Bring a coat in summer too.
Sunday
- 110:00Fresco Museum and the village without crowds
In the morning the village is almost empty. In the former Paços de Audiência, the medieval fresco of the good and the bad judge; next to it, the parish church, the pelourinho and the cistern.
- 212:30Back to Badajoz
An hour and a half by car: you arrive at 15:00 Spanish time. If it is summer, swap the morning for the lake's river beach.
Monsaraz is a walled hill above Lake Alqueva, an hour and a half from Badajoz, with two white streets and a castle from which you can see Spain across the water. By day it is a two-hour stroll. What calls for staying overnight is the night: Monsaraz lies at the heart of Dark Sky Alqueva, the first destination in the world certified as a Starlight Tourism Destination, and twenty minutes away is the Cumeada observatory, with guided telescope sessions. This plan combines a Saturday of pottery, menhirs and sunset with that session, and leaves you home on Sunday at lunchtime or shortly after.
How do you get there from Badajoz?
By car, about 90 km and an hour and a half. When you cross the border the clock goes back an hour: if you leave Badajoz at 10:00, you arrive at 10:30 Portuguese time. There is no train nearby, and the observatory, the menhirs and the river beach are outside the village: a car is almost essential. Only residents are allowed inside the walls; you park below, by the gate. Some Portuguese motorways charge electronic-only tolls: if your route uses one, register your number plate before you cross.
Where to sleep?
At the foot of Monsaraz, São Lourenço do Barrocal is an Alentejo estate with a winery turned into a hotel: rooms in the old estate houses and cottages, spa, pool and cooking with its own produce, with the village on the hill opposite. For other options, see the Monsaraz page. Sleeping nearby matters: when you leave the observatory it is pitch dark and the roads in the area have no lighting.
What about the moon and the clouds?
With a full moon you can see the Moon and the planets, but not the Milky Way: for the full sky, choose a Saturday near the new moon. If the sky is overcast, the observatory cancels the session or offers you another date. In winter the sky is very clear and the cold on the plain is serious: hat and gloves.
In summer: the lake beach
From June to September, the river beach at the Centro Náutico, at the former Moinho do Gato, at the foot of the hill, has lifeguards, a Blue Flag, adapted access, showers, a children's area and a picnic area. On Sunday morning you can drive down from the village in a few minutes: it is the way to beat the heat before heading back. In July and August, leave the walk along the walls for sunset and early morning.
With children
Under-7s do not pay at the observatory and ages 8 to 12 pay €10, but the session starts late: with small children, go between October and March, when it gets dark early. The Xerez menhirs and the potters at the wheel go down well with them, and the village is small and car-free.
If you have a day to spare
Évora is about 55 km away, less than an hour: the Roman temple, the cathedral with its terrace and the Chapel of Bones. See the Évora page and return to Badajoz along the A6.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Monsaraz, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Monsaraz
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Monsaraz by car, from the lake to the stars
A car is almost essential: the town is explored on foot, but the river beach, the Xerez cromlech, the pottery of São Pedro do Corval and the Cumeada observatory are all outside it. From Badajoz it is about 90 km, an hour and a half.
70–150 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayMonte Alerta, on the plain…
- Getting aroundPark outside the walls and…
- Where to eatSabores de Monsaraz, inside the…
- ServicesCar park by the town…
Where to stay
- Monte Alerta, on the plain at the foot of the hill
- São Lourenço do Barrocal, a farm estate at the foot of Monsaraz, with a spa
Getting around
- Park outside the walls and walk in
- River beach and Xerez cromlech, a few minutes away
- Cumeada observatory, about twenty minutes; drive back slowly at night
Where to eat
- Sabores de Monsaraz, inside the walls, open for Sunday lunch
- Herdade do Esporão, lunch at the winery by reservation
Services
- Car park by the town gate
Flying to Lisbon and driving to Monsaraz
Monsaraz has no airport nearby and no train: if you fly, you arrive in Lisbon and continue by hire car, about 190 km, a little over two hours. If you live in southern Spain, Seville is about 230 km away and Badajoz about 90 km: for most people, driving from home is more direct than flying.
- Getting thereLisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS), the…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to stayMonte Alerta, at the foot…
- ServicesCar hire at the arrival…
Getting there
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS), the usual gateway from Spain
- Seville (SVQ) and Badajoz (BJZ), on the Spanish side, if their routes suit you
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport: the observatory, the river beach and the menhirs are outside the town
- Inside the walls you can only enter on foot
Where to stay
- Monte Alerta, at the foot of the town, with your car at the door
- São Lourenço do Barrocal, an estate for a longer stay
Services
- Car hire at the arrival airport
- Stargazing sessions at Cumeada, by reservation
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingif you're flying
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Monte Alerta
Why we like it: Rural guesthouse at the foot of the Monsaraz hill, 2 km from the Alqueva Nautical Centre, with gardens, a pool from May to October and a breakfast of local produce.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Monsaraz
Herdade do Esporão restaurant
What to order: one of the two menus with the house wine pairing, and book the cellar visit the same day.
Sabores de Monsaraz
What to order: the house roast lamb, and to start Alentejo cheese and Iberian pork paio.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Book the stargazing session before leaving Badajoz. Places are limited and there are only sessions from Tuesday to Saturday.
We'd skip it
A full-moon night if what you want is the Milky Way. The telescopes still show you the Moon and the planets, but the deep sky is lost.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
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.
Which days is there stargazing?
Tuesday to Saturday, by reservation. That is why the plan sleeps over on Saturday night.
How much does the session cost?
€25 per person from October to April and €30 from May to September. Ages 8 to 12, €10; under-7s, free.
Can you drive into Monsaraz?
No. Only residents go inside the walls: you park outside the gate and walk up.
What if it is cloudy?
The observatory cancels the session or moves it to another date. Check the forecast on Friday and keep Évora as a plan for Saturday afternoon.