Discover the country of the most western discoverers of Europe
Évora
"The capital of the Alentejo"
"A capital do Alentejo"
The UNESCO Roman capital of the Alentejo
Between Lisboa and Spain, we find the largest Portuguese region, the Alentejo. His capital Évora is one of the oldest cities in Portugal. When you do a road trip through the Alentejo, Évora is a must stop. As many other places in this region, Évora is marked by a lot of small streets, nice marketplaces and beautiful hidden places and viewpoints. Évora is around 135 km away from Lisboa. You can reach it by car, high speed train and bus in around 1h30 from Lisboa. The old city center is UNESCO classified.
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#evora, #unesco, #alentejo, #altoalentejo, #capeladosossos
UNESCO World Heritage
"Important for many folks"
The UNESCO World Heritage city center of Évora is a very nice place to visit. It has a large history, many folks already settled themselves on this place. So, you still can discover the different cultures in this city.
An important city for the Romans
"The Romans called it Ebora"
First of all, the Romans called it Ebora. You still can discover a lot of monuments from the Roman Empire in the city. The presence of all these kind of monuments, remember us that that Ebora was very important for them.
"The Wall"
The city center of Évora is completely surrounded with a wall. This wall dates already from the 1st century BC, from the Roman Empire. So because they placed a wall around the city, there was a lot to protect.
"A healthy city"
In most Roman cities, there were Roman baths. Also here, they were present. They had an area of around 300m² with 3 different places: a central heating room, the hot and steam baths and an outside pool connected with the aqueduct. You still can visit the inside rooms. But of course, they are not in use anymore.
"Water is important"
In Évora, there is no river in the city. So, they built a huge aqueduct to bring water to the city for the baths and to live. This should be the prior one of the Silver Water Aqueduct, o Aqueduto da Água de Prata, which you discover maybe when you arrive in Évora. The aqueduct that stands now in Évora dates from the 16th century.
"The Roman Temple of Diana"
One of the most impressive Roman monuments in Évora must be the Roman Temple. These days, you still can visit this temple near the Diana Garden. It is completely free, because the temple stands in the middle of a square with a nice viewpoint over the city and region. This way, it is part of the appearance of Évora. But it must be a very huge temple with a large forum in front of it.
"A theatre of Silenus"
Near the Roman Temple is the Lóios Convent located. Here is a statue of Silenus discovered. This means that there should be a huge, still undiscovered, theatre in that region. So, maybe there is so much more to discover in Évora. This all tells that Ebora was a very important place for the Romans to live.
The Labyrinth around the city center
"A Moorish Labyrinth"
Also the Moors had there influence in this city. The small quarters in a Labyrinth style are markers of the Moorish time. They called the place Yeborah. A good example of his is found between the Cathedral and University, near the Porta do Moura with his font.
Geraldo main square
"Expulsion of the Moors"
The main square in Évora is named after Geraldo Geraldes, also known as "Geraldo Sem Pavor" (Gerald the Fairless). He was the key person to expel the Moors out of Évora in 1167. This is the large main square in Évora. Ideal to take a break with a drink and relax.
"The aqueduct source"
But first, we have to tell you something about what to see on the square itself. Looking over the square, we see the Igreja Santo Antão. This church has an unusual, marble high altar. In front of this church, we find the Fonte Henriquina, built in the 16th century and made of marble out of the Alentejo. It is thought that this fountain has been the source of the Silver Water Aqueduct. On top of the fountain stands a crown of King Philips II from Spain, husband of Mary I of England. The fountain has 8 water streams, which represent the 8 streets connected to the square.
Don't wait any longer
It is time to visit and see all these wonders of Évora with your own eyes. You don't have to wait any longer to make a dream trip to this UNESCO city in the center of Portugal. Click on the buttons below to find your perfect flights and/or hotel in this historical city. Go for it!
Special churches
"Visit the secrets in the churches"
Like many places in Portugal, also Évora has a lot of churches. Some of them have unique aspects to discover. Above, we already told about the Santo Antão church on the main square. Below are some other interesting churches.
Curch of Saint Franciscus
"A Capela dos Ossos"
This church is built in a gothic style, with the typical Portuguese Manueline influences. The actual church replaces an older church from the 13th century. The Saint Franciscus church has a special chapel. The Capela dos Ossos, the Chapel of the Bones, of Évora is located here.
Igreja dos Lóios
"Azulejos, azulejos, azulejos"
Near the Templo Romano, you find the Igreja dos Lóios together with the convent. The church is possible to visit. The walls of this church are decorated with wonderful azulejos, the typical blue Portuguese painted tiles. The convent is a Pousada, an Hotel, these days. So, if you want to sleep in an old historical setting, than this kind of hotel is ideal for you.
The Cathedral
"Uma estátua única"
Finally, the Cathedral of Évora contains something unique in the world. People come from all over the world to see it. Hope you can discover it by yourself, when you visit the Cathedral ;-).
How to reach?
By car
A road trip through the Alentejo is always a good idea. Évora is very central and good located to travel to by car.
The highway coming from the side of Setúbal to Estremoz and Elvas, passes Évora. Of course, you also can take the National Roads (EN) to bring you to Évora. In that case, you travel through the wonderful Alentejo towns. When you travel over the famous EN2, you also can take a side road to reach Évora. And finally, the IP2 from Beja and the Eastern-part of the Baxo-Alentejo, or at the other side the Alto-Alentejo, passes Évora.
On Rossio, outside the city wall, you can park your car for free. From there, it is a short walk to the Public Garden of Évora and the Capela dos Ossos.
By bus
RedeExpressos also is available in Évora. With this company, you travel from and to different location in the Country. This is one of the cheapest options to travel. But, of course, for some destinations it is not the fastest. Take a look at their site and see, how you can travel.
By train
Évora also has a train connection. From Lisboa, it takes around 1h30 to travel to Évora by a high speed train. For this option, the best way is to buy your ticket in advance. Because, for this kind of train connections, the seats are numbered. Take a look at CP for more information.
Also Rome2rio is a good site to see how you can travel. There you get an overview of the travel options and prices for almost each place in the world. Give it a try.
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