The Óbidos walls, a walk round the town above the rooftops.

From the wall-walk you see the town like a plan: the orange rooftops, the white streets with blue and yellow stripes, the churches and, outside, the aqueduct and the countryside towards the lagoon. It is the best part of the visit, and the one to do with the most care.

What it is and why it is worth it

Óbidos is a complete medieval town inside its walls. The circuit has a perimeter of about 1,565 metres, with stretches of wall up to 13 metres high, four gates and the castle at one end. What is extraordinary is that the walkway on top, the wall-walk, can be followed almost all the way round on foot, above the rooftops, and it is free.

History helps you look at it. The Moors fortified the place, and Afonso Henriques took it in 1148, a year after Lisbon. King Dinis gave the town to his wife, Queen Saint Isabel, as a wedding present, and from then on Óbidos formed part of the dowry of the queens of Portugal until 1834. Dinis also built the keep, around 1325. The castle has been a national monument since 1910, and its palace section became a pousada between 1948 and 1950.

Who it is for

Anyone without vertigo who is steady on their feet. The wall-walk is narrow in places, the stone floor is uneven and the inner side has no handrail: on one side you have the battlements, on the other the drop towards the streets. With children it can be done, but hold hands and go in short stretches. Not with a pushchair or reduced mobility: you climb by steep stone steps.

Getting there

Óbidos is in the Oeste region, north of Lisbon. You leave the car outside the walls and walk in through the Porta da Vila, the main gate, which has a chapel with 18th-century tiles inside. Beside it begins one of the staircases up to the wall-walk; there are several more around the circuit.

When to go

All year, in good weather and without strong wind. The best time is first thing in the morning, before the day-trip groups, or the end of the afternoon, with low light over the rooftops. At midday, on the narrow stretches you pass people at the edge, which is exactly what you want to avoid.

What it costs

Nothing. Access to the wall-walk is free by several staircases. At most you will pay for parking outside the walls.

If it rains or blows hard

Do not go up. Without a handrail and with wet stone the risk is real. In bad weather, walk the streets inside and Rua Direita, and leave the walls for another time.