Description

Visit Evora, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage City, due to its excellent preservation along the centuries. Little differences exist between walking in Evora today or some centuries ago. This town has been growing without losing its ancestral characteristics. That's why it deserved the praise from the world organization.

After leaving Lisbon, we will drive to Evora by the countryside roads of Alentejo, for a beautiful sightseeing tour by car. In Evora, we will have enough time to walk in its historical centre and "feel" the atmosphere of this town. After reaching the walled city our guide will invite you to visit the enigmatic church of St. Francis and its Chapel of the Bones. The tour will continue up the narrow streets of the old town reaching the Giraldo square where the Inquisition once had its headquarters. You will also have time to explore the millennium old Roman Temple and have a glimpse at the 12th century cathedral. In the already distant 16th century Evora thrived with culture and tradition in its university as much as it still does today. During a short visit to the century old university courtyard you will understand why Evora was once the second most important city of Portugal.

After such an intensive cultural morning it will be time to enjoy the pleasures of one of the most creative cuisines of Portugal in some of the local "alentejano" restaurants that our guide will help you to choose. After a relaxing lunch the tour will continue to Vila Vicosa, land of marble and of the Braganca Family Palace. This family reigned in Portugal between 1640 and 1910 (date of the end of monarchy), establishing its opulent court often in this palace. The large rooms house some of the best Portuguese and international arts and crafts once purchased by the royal family and now property of the Braganca foundation. It's also in Vila Vicosa that you will find several references to the marble of the region present in every cobbled stone, every stone bench and of course in the houses of the town itself.