What to see in Évora. Within centuries-old walls and an aqueduct that welcomes us, we will find centuries of history in these streets.
Travel companions, we are still in Portugal, shall we travel back in time? Welcome to Évora.
We are in one of the oldest cities in Europe. A city that has been a World Heritage Site since 1986, it dates back to a prehistoric past, having had Celts, Romans, Moors, and we will find vestiges of many of these in its streets.
Located about 130 kilometers from Lisbon, many people choose to do it as a day trip. At the end of the video we will leave all the information as well as the accommodation option we chose to spend a night because that was our choice of visit and the place where we had dinner.
There are places where I tell you that there are free tours and that they are a good idea, but in cities with as much history as this one I would say that doing one is almost essential if, in addition to walking through its streets, you want to know more about it.
We had a wonderful Portuguese guide, a lover of history, who made the tour through the streets a discovery at every step.
Indice:
Agua da Prata Aqueduct
We begin this tour of what to see in Évora at Porta Velha de Lagoa from where we begin to see the Agua da Prata Aqueduct, which we will follow on its route within the walls.
Rua do Cano
Our steps on this route looking for what to see in Rome will take us to Rua do Cano. Here we will see the use of the arches of the aqueduct to build houses, today in many we can see souvenir shops, it is a very picturesque area.
Roman Temple
The Roman Temple, dating back 2000 years, is a symbol of Évora and one of the most important historical ruins in the country.
The Roman Temple of Évora dates from the first century, from the time of Augustus.
Apart from stopping at the temple, let’s take time to observe the surroundings of this Largo do Conde de Vila Flor, a beautiful area, and almost opposite we will find the Évora Public Library.
Library of Évora
In 1805, Friar Manuel do Cenáculo decided to create the Public Library of Évora, leaving it a valuable bibliographic collection, estimated at the time at 50 thousand volumes.
With due silence, let’s enter for a few minutes to admire the interior of the building. As I told you, it will take very little time but it is worth doing.
If we continue touring in the place we will also have the Museum of Évora.
Our walk of discoveries will take us in a few steps to another of the essential visits in Évora, its cathedral
Cathedral of Évora
The Cathedral is a sight worth seeing, and climbing up to its rooftop is even more so to get some lovely views of Évora.
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption was declared a historical heritage site by UNESCO and its construction began in 1186.
The opening hours are from 9 am to 5 pm and the full visit to the Cloister, museum and panoramic view is 5 euros. I recommend this visit, it is a must see in Évora.
Rua 5 de Octubre
But as not everything is history, in our tours we will let ourselves be carried away by the pedestrian Rua 5 de Outubro to discover shops with souvenirs and typical products of the city.
At night it is to this area that we returned for a restaurant, but we will talk about that, now in this entertaining walk we will end up in the
Plaza de Giraldo
They say that in Évora all roads lead to Plaza de Giraldo, as it is the nerve centre of this historic centre.
Gathered here we find its fountain, the San Antonio Church, commercial establishments, and a lot of movement. Beautiful facades accompany the scene, stop for a moment and enjoy, the image is equally beautiful at night with a halo of mystery at that time.
Speaking of mystery, we will now go on a different visit.
We arrive at Plaza 1 de Mayo and we will enter first at the Church of San Francisco
San Francisco Church
Built between 1480 and 1510 it is worth the visit, admission is free. But what brings us here is as we said a different visit, the Chapel of Bones, which we find right next to
Chapel of Bones
As we said, next to the Church of San Francisco we find this ossuary that forms a small interior chapel. If you follow our videos you will remember that we also visited one in the Czech Republic.
The chapel was built in the 17th century on the initiative of three Franciscan friars whose aim was to convey the message of the transience and fragility of human life.
Before crossing the threshold we find a legend, The bones that we are here for yours we wait.
The entrance fee is 6 euros and you can then also visit the rest of the museum areas, including a museum of nativity scenes.
Church of Grace
We now come to a church that we discover on the way. The church of Gracia.
The Church of Graça was built in the sixteenth century, during the reign of João III. Its exterior is striking, different and we enter for a moment to see it.
The hike will take us to the
University of Évora
As we said, Évora is a university city and we were very surprised to see the students celebrating around the city with clothing very similar to Harry Potter.
Also a few minutes that we dedicate will make us know something more about these constructions that the city has.
And we will end the day in the Public Garden and the Don Manuel Palace
As you will see, a visit to Evora is something worthwhile.
Practical information
How to get to Évora from Lisbon
The visit can be made from Lisbon by train for the day, for about 15 euros each way. Also on Flixbus for about 5 euros per leg. All this depends a lot on the dates and times.
If you want to go carefree, they have day trips from Lisbon.
Book excursion to Évora from Lisbon
If you want to organize your visit in Lisbon we leave you our post What to see in Lisbon
Lodging
We chose to stay in the city, the accommodation chosen was the Stay Inn Évora, it is not a traditional hotel, you check in at the shop next door in one of the traditional Ale Hop.
It does not have breakfast, nor elevator, but the accommodation is very well cared for.
Map and Video of what to see in Évora
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
