As any good traveler knows, there’s a world to be experienced outside of main cities. Lisbon, for example, is surrounded by fascinating places just a day trip away. While celebrating our birthdays in Portugal, my friend and I took a day trip to Évora from Lisbon to experience the Alentejo region’s history, culture, and food.
Évora is one of Portugal’s most beautifully preserved medieval towns. Surrounded by a wall built in the 14th Century, the historical center is dotted with Roman ruins, a medieval cathedral, and adorable buildings. Beyond Évora, the Alentejo region is home to wineries, cork factories, and farms, all of which make for a scenic drive from Lisbon — and a perfect day trip.
Why You Should Take a Day Trip to Évora from Lisbon
How to take a Day Trip to Évora from Lisbon
First things first: getting to Évora. While it’s accessible by train from Lisbon, if you want to see the surrounding Alentejo region you’ll need a car. So we booked this day trip to Évora from Lisbon that included transportation directly from our hotel, entrance to the cork factory, and a wine tasting. Intended to be “small group,” the tour ended up being private since no one else booked it. (One of the benefits of traveling to Portugal in winter!)
Now back to why you should take an Évora day trip from Lisbon.
Évora is surrounded by cork trees, which are surprisingly fascinating.
Our day trip started with a tour of the Cortiçarte cork factory. Honestly, I’ve never thought much about corks. They are the barrier between me and delicious wine or whiskey, and I’ve never given them more thought than that. So when my friend said she wanted to visit a cork factory, I was skeptical. But we ended up learning a ton of fascinating facts about cork and cork trees, making it a surprisingly memorable part of our day.
Cork oak trees only grow in southwestern Europe and northern Africa, making Portugal one of the few places with cork farms. Cork is actually the outer layer of bark that grows on the trees to make them resistant to fire. Trees must be 25 years old for cork to grow, then takes 9 years between each harvest. So clearly cork farmers are patient people! The trees also grow acorns, eaten by the region’s famously delicious black pigs.
The entire city of Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Next we moved onto the city of Évora. The history of Évora goes back thousands of years, way before it was ruled by the Romans in 57 BC, conquered by the Moors and later the Portuguese. But because so much of that history still exists, the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The center of Évora’s old town is Praça do Geraldo, anchored by a massive fountain cut from an equally massive piece of marble. The fountain’s eight jets symbolize the eight streets that spread out from the square. One takes you to the Church of St. Francis and the Chapel of Bones (more on that below), another takes you to the Cathedral and Roman Ruins. All the streets are adorably small, lined with tourist shops and restaurants, and are entertaining to explore.
Évora’s Chapel of Bones is decorated with human remains.
Évora is probably most famous for the Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos), a chapel decorated from floor to ceiling with human bones. Inspired by Milan’s Bone Church, Évora’s Chapel of Bones contains the remains of more than 5,000 people. Using bones from medieval cemeteries nearby, Franciscan monks decorated the chapel in the 17th Century to remind the townspeople of impending death — hoping it’d make them less materialistic. (No report on how effective it was!)
Our first stop in Évora was touring the Chapel of Bones (5€/person). Above the entrance to the chapel reads, “We bones, are here, waiting for yours.” Next door, the Church of St. Francis is a beautiful distraction from the morbidity of the chapel. (Don’t miss the upstairs balcony with a great view of the city.)
Évora is full of great food, especially Black Pork.
After exploring Évora’s adorable old town, we went in search for Alentejo’s famous black pork. Underneath all the cork trees in the Alentejo region are black pigs munching on acorns. The acorns actually give the pork a nutty flavor so amazing that black pork is an Alentejo specialty. They have a higher fat content, but it’s considered “healthy fat” because it comes from acorns. (Hey, I’ll believe whatever can justify eating more of it!)
We stopped for lunch at Tragos e Condutos and ordered two versions of black pork. We started with black pork and olives fried in olive oil served with fries, and immediately understood what the black pork obsession was all about. Next we had Carne de Porco á Alentejana, a regional dish made with marinated and pan-fried pork with fried potatoes and clams all soaked in a garlic wine sauce. Paired with a bottle of local white wine, it was a lunch to remember!
Évora is in the heart of the Alentejo Wine Region.
We finished our day trip to Évora from Lisbon with a visit to the Monte da Ravasqueira winery. The Alentejo wine region is one of the best in the world. But they don’t export to the US, so many Americans don’t know much about it. The Alentejo wine region is famous for red blends made with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with local grapes like Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. White wines are also produced here, most fruitier styles made with local grapes like Antão Vaz.
Monte da Ravasqueira produces red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines from 15 grape varieties grown on the estate and produced at the on-site production facility. They also produce olive oil and honey, and the estate is home to 700 cattle. There’s also a carriage museum, another surprisingly fascinating experience!
After admiring carriages dating back to the 18th Century, we tasted six of Monte da Ravasqueira’s wines. Since 60% of the winery’s bottles stay in Portugal, we bought a few bottles to bring back with us, ending the day on a deliciously buzzed note.
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Our day trip to Évora was another example of how amazing day trips can be and allowed us to experience more of Portugal. It felt like we’d experienced half the country and were back in Lisbon in time for dinner! You can take the same guided tour we did by signing up here.
Coming Up :: Why Portugal is Perfect in Winter, A Day Trip to Sintra from Lisbon, and What to Eat in Portugal
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So cool, you went to Évora, one of my favorite cities :) greetings from Lisbon, PedroL