39.60° N · 8.42° W · Tomar
On the hill of Tomar, inside the walls of the 12th-century Templar castle, the Convent of Christ brings together eight centuries of architecture: the Charola, a sixteen-sided rotunda inspired by the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Manueline window of the chapter house and several cloisters. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1983 and calls for a whole morning.
Part of Tomar
Step by step
From Praça da República walk up by the slope or the road to the castle gate. Between the walls there are gardens before the entrance to the convent.
The Templar rotunda, with paintings and gilding in the ambulatory. It is the heart of the complex.
The main cloister, in Renaissance style, and the small cloisters, such as the cemetery one, the oldest. Some areas are closed for works.
From the Santa Bárbara cloister you see the great window of the chapter house, covered in ropes, corals and sea symbols.
The long cross-shaped corridors of the friars' cells, the new Mannerist sacristy and the great infirmary with its apothecary.
It was first the fortress of the Knights Templar; when the order was dissolved, it passed to the Order of Christ, which financed the voyages of discovery. Each era left its layer, and you walk through them in order.
The Templars founded Tomar and its castle in 1160, and at the top of the hill they built the Charola, a round church inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, unusual in Europe. When the Order of the Temple was dissolved in 1312, its properties in Portugal passed to the new Order of Christ, which had its seat here. Under Prince Henry the Navigator, between 1420 and 1460, buildings were added around Gothic cloisters; and in 1528 King João III began a great Renaissance convent. All of this now lives together inside the walls.
The most famous piece after the Charola is the window of the chapter house: a Manueline stone frame covered in ropes, corals, roots and sea symbols, which has become an emblem of Portuguese maritime expansion. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Anyone travelling through central Portugal: it is one of the country's great monuments and can be seen without hurry in a morning. Teenagers with an interest in the Templars get hooked. With small children, alternate the visit with the Mata dos Sete Montes park. There are stairs and stone floors along much of the route; if you have reduced mobility, ask at the ticket office which areas are accessible.
From Lisbon there are direct CP trains that end at Tomar in about two hours, and by car it takes a little under an hour and a half. The convent is on the hill above the centre: from Praça da República it is about fifteen minutes' climb on foot, by the slope or the road, to the castle gate.
It opens every day except 1 January, 1 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 24 and 25 December. From October to May, from 9:00 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00; from June to September, from 9:00 to 18:30, with last entry at 18:00. Go first thing: the Charola without groups is something else. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times for the climb; in July it is hot.
General admission costs €15. You buy it at the ticket office or online, from the official Museus e Monumentos de Portugal sales. For reduced fares or free entry, check the website before you go.
Because of conservation works under the Recovery Plan, some areas have restricted access: the south terrace and the access to the Horta dos Frades, the Cera terrace of the main cloister, the Lavagem cloister and the garden and esplanade. The rest of the route is visited as normal.
It is a good plan in bad weather: much of the route is indoors or along the cloister galleries. What you lose is the walk in the Mata and along the walls.
Who it's for
You are interested in the Templars, architecture or the history of the Discoveries, or you want to see the great monument of central Portugal.
You only have an hour: it allows no more than the Charola and the window, and it deserves more time.
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
Museus e Monumentos de Portugal sells tickets online.
Some areas are closed for conservation works; at the ticket office they tell you what is open that day.
The wooded park around the hill leads back to the centre among trees.
The aqueduct that supplied the convent, from the Philippine period, is on the outskirts. You need a car.
At 9:00, before the groups, you can see the Charola in peace.
Questions
Between two and three hours for the Charola, the cloisters and the window without rushing.
The Templars' round church, from the 12th century, with sixteen sides, inspired by the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Yes. It is about 15 minutes' climb from Praça da República.
With over-10s or 12s, yes: the story of the Templars grips them. With small ones, combine the visit with the Mata park.
€15 general admission. Check reduced fares on the Museus e Monumentos de Portugal website.
From October to May, 9:00 to 17:30; from June to September, until 18:30. Last entry is half an hour before closing.
1 January, 1 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 24 and 25 December.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/tomar/things-to-do/convent-of-christ
