# A summer Sunday in Monsaraz: lake beach and sunset on the wall A swim at the river beach on Alqueva lake, with lifeguards and a children's area, lunch in the shade and a climb up to the town when the sun goes down, to see the lake from the castle. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/monsaraz/itineraries/summer-lake-beach-and-sunset · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:30 · Salida: 1 h 30 by car (Spanish time · you arrive around 10:00 Portuguese time) - 10:15 · Monsaraz river beach on Lake Alqueva (Portuguese time · Nautical Centre, former Moinho do Gato · until lunch) - 5 min by car, 3,5 km - 13:30 · Sabores de Monsaraz (Sabores de Monsaraz · inside the walls · home-style Alentejo cooking · €€ · book) · Sabores de Monsaraz, €€ - 11 min on foot - 17:00 · Xerez Cromlech beside the Orada convent (at the foot of the hill · 30 min, when the sun goes down) - 11 min on foot - 19:00 · The walled town and castle of Monsaraz (an hour before sunset · 1 h 30) - 21:00 · Vuelta (Portuguese time · you reach Badajoz around 23:30 Spanish time) When the Alqueva reservoir flooded the Guadiana valley it left Monsaraz overlooking an enormous lake, and at the foot of the hill it opened the lake's first river beach: still fresh water, Blue Flag, lifeguards in season, adapted access and a children's area. An hour and a half from Badajoz, it is a summer Sunday different from the swimming pool. This plan spends the morning and midday by the water, hides from the heat in the bad hours and climbs to the town at the end of the day, when the light falls head-on over the lake and the white streets stop burning. ## The day, hour by hour Stop times are Portuguese time, one hour behind Spain. 9:30 (Spanish time) · Leave. About 90 km from Badajoz; from Mérida, two hours. You arrive around 10:00 Portuguese time. 10:15 · The river beach. At the former Moinho do Gato, the Monsaraz Nautical Centre has the beach, with a jetty and ramp, parking, showers, a children's area and a picnic area. Arrive early to get shade. Ask there whether dogs are allowed: the rule is not published. 13:30 · Lunch at Sabores de Monsaraz. Drive up to the town gate and walk a few minutes to Largo de São Bartolomeu: this small eatery, inside the wall, cooks home-style Alentejo dishes with the lake in view. Roast lamb, migas gatas with cod or grilled Iberian pork. On Sunday it is open for lunch from 12:30 to 15:30: book by phone, as in summer it fills up. If you would rather not move, the beach picnic area works for eating what you bring. Afterwards, a siesta: between 14:00 and 17:00 is the worst time to walk in the Alentejo. 17:00 · Xerez cromlech. Next to the Orada convent, at the foot of the hill, 55 granite monoliths around a 3.6 m menhir, moved here in 1998 from land that the lake was going to cover. Half an hour, free. 19:00 · The town and the castle at sunset. Park by the gate and walk up the two cobbled streets to the castle. In high summer the sun sets after 20:30 in Portugal: with the wall at your feet, the lake turns golden and Spain lies on the other side of the water. 21:00 · Return. You reach Badajoz around half past eleven at night, Spanish time. If you do not want to get back so late, go up to the town at 18:00 and leave at 20:00. ## With children It is a plan designed for them: still water, a children's area, lifeguards in season and showers. Bring jelly shoes, a parasol and sun cream: the natural shade on the shore is scarce. The town, at sunset, is short and car-free. ## If you stay the night on a Saturday Monsaraz is at the centre of Dark Sky Alqueva. From Tuesday to Saturday, the Cumeada observatory, twenty minutes away, runs guided telescope sessions an hour after sunset, for €30 from May to September. See the one-night getaway: a night of stars in Monsaraz. ## Cómo llegar ### By car Essential: the beach, the cromlech and the town are separate and there is no public transport linking them. ## Consejos ### Arrive before eleven The shade on the shore and the parking fill up on July and August Sundays. ### Bring plenty of water In the Alentejo, in summer, temperatures often exceed 35 degrees. ### Go up to the wall an hour before sunset That is when the light falls head-on over the lake. ## Cuándo no ir The town at midday in July: white stone and no shade. Leave it for the end of the day. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is the Monsaraz river beach free? Yes. It has parking, showers, a children's area and a picnic area, and lifeguards from June to September. ### Can I go with a dog? The rule is not published: ask at the Nautical Centre. In the town and at the cromlech, yes. ### How long does it take from Badajoz? An hour and a half by car. From Mérida, about two hours. In Portugal it is an hour earlier. ### What time do I go up to the town? An hour before sunset. At midday, in summer, the white streets have no shade.