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Take a break from your frantic routine and soak up Évora’s serenity
This full day tour to Évora will you provide with the quietness you’ve been craving for your whole vacation. Located in the Alentejo region, Évora’s allure comes from its beautiful natural landscapes and its historical monuments.
With this tour you’ll visit the town’s historical area: The Roman Temple, a resilient monument of the Roman occupation; the lovely Praça do Giraldo, a wide open space where you can cool down and enjoy the surroundings; the fantastic Chapel of Bones with its walls covered in human bones and skulls. And when your stomach starts to ask for food, you’ll go to a recommended restaurant, where you’ll get to enjoy some of the wonders of the portuguese cuisine, in this case, the Alentejo cuisine. At last, you’ll visit the Fundação Eugénio de Almeida and have a tour guide show you the historic cellar, home to the Cartuxa wine, and have yourself a tasting of the wine and olive oil.
Soak up the air in this beautiful town in Alentejo and survey its historical elements.
Your address in Lisbon district, Hotel, Cruise Ship , Airport.
09:00am
5:00 in the afternoon.
With our Évora full-day private tour, you will see:
Before you go to The Roman Temple of Évora, located at Largo Conde de Vila Flor, in the town’s historical centre, just a few meters behind you will visit the Cathedral of Évora’s.
Évora’s ex-libris is The Roman Temple, one of the greatest roman temples in the Iberian Peninsula, and one of the most well preserved too. Many Portuguese people refer to it mistakenly as The Diana Temple, even the locals. This misunderstanding can be explained: there was a legend created in the 17th century, that the temple was built in honour of Diana, the Roman goddess of the Hunt when it was in fact built as a tribute to Emperor Augusto, who was worshipped as a god.
Currently, we can see the almost complete podium, the staircase, in turn, lies in ruins. In total there are still 13 intact columns ( 6 on the top and 7 on the sidelines). Its situation is very similar to that of the Diana Temple in Mérida (Spain) or the Artemis in Ephesus (Greece).
There’s no way you’re gonna miss the town’s ex-libris, that has been granted World Heritage by Unesco in 1986.
Giraldo’s Square, a Praça do Giraldo as the Portuguese call it, was built in 1571/1573 as a token of appreciation to Geraldo Geraldes, the man who won the battle against the Moorish and conquered Évora back in 1167.
In 1910 the Square was considered a National Monument. See it for yourself: the ground is made out of the renowned Portuguese sidewalk and the surrounding buildings- including a church, the Church of Santo Antão – have also amazing façades. Take a seat at a café and admire the marvellous views!
We recommend to try “The Fialho” Restaurant, the most traditional and renowned restaurant in Évora
A bit of history about this restaurant.
“In 1945 at Travessa dos Mascarenhas, in a corner building on Rua do Calvário, Manuel Fialho found the space he needed to start his project. A single storey house with an open interior, with wine carvings and wooden countertop with zinc plated top. Those who knew the renowned Maitre do Hotel Alentejano said that Manuel went from “horse to donkey”. However, as time went by, Mr Fialho showed that he had conquered the Alentejo. For more sophisticated coffees that were born, its space was always distinguished by those who enjoyed good wines and regional snacks. This, coupled with the owner’s friendliness, has always attracted numerous customers.”
Along with the Roman Temple of Évora, the Bone Chapel is an ex-libris of the town. You’ve probably guessed by now the nature of this building: its walls are covered in human skulls and bones.
The chapel, located in San Francisco Church, was built in the 18th century by three Franciscans, whose main goal was to convey the human life’s fragility and faith. In fact, the following is written on the entry door “we the bones who lay here, await for yours”, nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos. It’s really a peculiar and strange place to be in, but this grim chapel should remind us of our own mortality. Be prepared to hold your breath and be confronted with this quite unusual sight.
And to end this tour with a good twist you’ll have a Wine Tasting at Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, where you’ll get to taste the wines. This tour is around 90 minutes long and will take you to the Cartuxa Cellar, the place where the brand was founded. You’ll get to know more about the history of the brand, as well as the techniques of wine production. To top it off you’ll drink some of the Cartuxa wines and taste the olive oils.
