Portugal’s Alentejo Region: Évora, Monsaraz, Marvão, Wine, Cork and Marble
By Amy Davoli, CTAVisited November 2023 · 13 min read
Quick takeaways
- An educational trip for travel advisors with ACTA (the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies) through Portugal’s Alentejo region, the quieter countryside east and south of Lisbon, in November 2023.
- We stayed two nights at Convento do Espinheiro, a 5-star former convent just outside Évora, then two nights in Elvas.
- Highlights: Évora’s Roman Temple and Bones Chapel, the hilltop towns of Monsaraz and Marvão, Alqueva Lake, a UNESCO-listed cowbell workshop, a winery lunch in a 16th-century chapel, a marble quarry, an olive oil experience and the Estremoz market.
- November was fantastic: sunny, low 20s during the day, cool in the evenings, and no crowds at all.
- The Alentejo produces about half of the world’s cork, plus fantastic wine, olive oil and marble. Leave room in your suitcase!
In November 2023 I had an incredible opportunity to travel to Portugal on an educational trip with ACTA, alongside fellow travel advisors from across Canada. Instead of the usual Lisbon and Algarve route, we spent our time in the Alentejo, a region most people haven’t heard of yet. Rolling hills full of olive trees, cork oaks and vineyards, whitewashed hilltop towns, castles, and so much history!
It was a very full itinerary (I broke some days into multiple Facebook posts!), so here’s everything we saw, ate, sipped and, yes, shopped for, to help you plan your own trip. If you’re thinking about Portugal, you’ll also love my colleague DeeAnn’s story about her five weeks in Portugal.
Arriving in Lisbon
We flew overnight from Toronto to Lisbon with Air Canada. I slept about 3 hours on the flight, thankfully! Portugal is 5 hours ahead of Toronto, so you land in the morning ready (sort of!) for your first day. From the airport we had about an hour’s drive to our hotel, just enough time to freshen up before our group lunch at noon and the start of our very busy itinerary.
Convento do Espinheiro, our home in Évora
Our first two nights were at Convento do Espinheiro Historic Hotel & Spa, a gorgeous 5-star property just outside the city centre of Évora. The hotel was previously a convent, and it has been added onto over the years. The newest wing of guest rooms was added in the mid 90s. And it was so sunny and warm when we arrived that I put on my yellow dress that makes me feel like sunshine!
The hotel has 90 guest rooms, 2 restaurants, a spa, a pool and hot tub, a wine cellar (more on that below!) and its own chapel. There are no regular masses held in the chapel today, but it can be used for any religious ceremony and it’s a very popular choice for weddings and destination weddings.
Convento do Espinheiro is about a 10-minute drive from the Évora city centre, and a taxi was only about €10 each way. It’s a wonderful choice if you want a quiet country stay that’s still close to the city.
Évora: Roman Temple and Bones Chapel
Our first afternoon was a city tour of Évora, and I was really surprised at how gorgeous the weather was. Nice and sunny, low 20s, and cool in the evening. Fantastic weather for November, and off season means it was not crowded at all! In general, the Alentejo is a quieter area of Portugal, so it was so nice not to have large tourist crowds.
The wall around the city was built in the 1300s! Inside the wall, all that remains of the Roman Temple are the pillars that were once inside the temple. Incredible to think how much history is in this small city.
We also visited the Bones Chapel (Capela dos Ossos). Yes, those are human bones. Never have I seen anything like it. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. It was built in the 16th century by monks, and the inscription at the entrance translates to “We bones, are here, waiting for yours.”
Monsaraz castle and bullring
Our second morning was very busy! First up was Castelo de Monsaraz. Monsaraz is built high up on a hill with walls all around the small town, and it’s only 10 km from the Spanish border. There’s a lot of Spanish influence in this part of Portugal, especially with bullfighting, and there’s a bullring right inside the castle walls. One of the main differences is that in Portugal, the bull isn’t killed as part of the show like it is in Spain.
We struggled with a lot of fog that morning being so close to the lake, but you could still see all the incredible history that remains here from the 16th century.
The village of Monsaraz
Monsaraz is about a 45-minute drive from Évora, on the far east side of Portugal. A wall was built in the 16th century all around the castle and town to protect it from Spain, and it sits high on a hilltop for the best views of incoming enemies. After peace was established between the two countries, many residents decided to build a new town at the bottom of the hill, named Reguengos de Monsaraz. The names are so similar it’s easy to confuse them, but the old town of Monsaraz up on the hill is the one you want to see.
It was voted the cutest town in the Alentejo, and I can see why! Only about 35 people actually live there now, and most of the homes have been converted into vacation rentals. There’s a variety of shops with locally made goods. I watched a lady spinning yarn onto the spools needed for the loom to make blankets.
We were also invited into a wine and spirits shop to sample local gin and liqueurs. We tried the acorn and the mint liqueurs, and both tasted differently than we expected! Guess which one I had to fit into my luggage to bring home? Such an incredible place to visit!
Alqueva Lake
Below Monsaraz is Alqueva Lake, and it isn’t a natural lake! It was created in 2002 when the entire area was flooded. It’s 250 square km, it sits in both Portugal and Spain, and it now provides water for the entire Alentejo region, including irrigation for all the olive, almond and grape (wine!) crops.
The lake also causes a lot of fog that was never in the area before, which is why our boat ride had to be cut short. Earlier in the day the fog was so thick that we didn’t think we’d make it out on the lake at all, so we were happy to get out on the water for a little while.
Lunch, cork shopping and an evening in Évora
Our lunch at Restaurante Dom Joaquim in Évora was all of us at one long table, and it was wonderful! The menu was arranged for us so we could try local cuisine. Appetizers were served family style: olives, bread, sausage, an egg dish, a chicken puff pastry and a cheese fondue. Our main was beef with a savoury mash, and dessert was a lemon sorbet with pineapple and what I can best describe as candied eggs. Which I did not try, lol.
We also had two hours of free time in Évora to shop and explore. The Alentejo provides over 50% of the world’s cork! Before this trip, my thoughts of cork were cork boards and corks for wine bottles. Well, let me tell you, there is so much more made from cork!
I literally wanted to buy everything. I did buy myself a gorgeous cork bracelet as a keepsake. If you go, budget a little time (and suitcase space) for cork shopping. It’s light, it’s unique, and you won’t find this selection at home.
After shopping we sat in the square to relax and chat, and it was so nice to watch the lights come on after sunset. In November! We were all sitting outside, just enjoying the moment. Cheers!
As the evening went on, a street musician started playing under the arches. The perfect soundtrack for a night out in Évora!
A wine tasting in a marble cellar
Long days! Once we got back to the hotel, a local wine rep met us in Convento do Espinheiro’s wine cellar. Wow! We tasted 4 local wines with dinner served hors d’oeuvres style. I wish I’d taken more food photos, but this wine cellar is like nothing I’ve seen before. Absolutely gorgeous, and yes, that’s all marble!
Handmade Portuguese cowbells
On day three we checked out of the Convento with a full itinerary ahead. Our first stop was a workshop that makes cowbells. Yes, actual cowbells, for cows, sheep and goats! The handmade Portuguese cowbell is recognized by UNESCO as cultural heritage.
We watched the iron being hammered and bent by hand into the shape of the bell. The bell is then covered in mud before going into the fire, and the ovens are 1,000 degrees Celsius! After the heat process, they listen to the sound of the metal and make adjustments before assembling the clapper inside. All the workers have a musical background so they can truly hear and adjust the vibrations of each bell. It was really interesting to watch the whole process.
My souvenir? A cowbell magnet for my fridge, of course.
Fita Preta winery
Our second stop of the day was Fita Preta, a Portuguese winery and vineyard. We sampled 5 different wines and had a wonderful lunch in the 16th-century chapel attached to the main building. An incredible and gorgeous experience.
A Portuguese marble quarry
We travel to see and experience different things in different places around the world, and a marble quarry was definitely different! This quarry has been around for at least 90 years and each layer takes about 5 years to extract. It’s the deepest one, at 150 metres (almost 500 feet) deep. Portuguese marble comes in many tones: yellow, black, pink, and the most coveted, white.
Today it takes about 2 hours to cut each block, using a synthetic diamond blade. We got the full experience, hard hats and safety vests included!
There’s so much marble in this part of Portugal that it’s literally all over town in Elvas (pronounced el-vish): curbs, crosswalks, steps, sidewalks and benches!
Marvão, above the clouds
Good morning from high above the clouds! Marvão is such a quaint village, built strategically high on a hill to protect Portugal from Spain. Its history dates back to the 9th century, and today about 300 people live within its walls. We definitely weren’t there long enough to explore. I would love to go back one day!
An olive oil experience
This was so much fun! We met a local family who shared their history, how olive oil is made, and how it has changed over the years. We had a wonderful lunch, sampled the different oils they produce, and learned how the flavour of the oil changes when it’s cooked.
If you ever have the chance to include an olive oil experience when you’re in Europe, I highly recommend it! It’s a great way to meet local families and taste the difference for yourself.
Exploring Elvas
We spent two nights in the town of Elvas, close to the Spanish border, and had a bit of free time to walk around and explore in the late afternoon.
The Estremoz market
Talk about a local and authentic experience! We had an hour to explore a local Portuguese market in Estremoz: fruits and vegetables, nuts, cheese, cured meats, flowers, chickens, and flea market items too (in my video I called it a garage sale, lol). It was very large, and it was so nice to see locals doing their shopping.
My mom would absolutely love spending a couple of hours wandering here and taking it all in. Yes Mom, we will take a trip to Portugal! I know she’s going to read this.
Comporta beach
On our final night in Portugal we went to the beach! Always my happy place, to feel the sand in my toes and hear the ocean. This is the Atlantic, on Portugal’s west coast, and this particular beach stretches about 50 km. I wish we could have stayed longer!
My Alentejo tips
- Consider going off season. November gave us sunny days in the low 20s, cool evenings and almost no crowds.
- Stay in the countryside. A historic hotel like Convento do Espinheiro feels like a retreat, and Évora is only a 10-minute, €10 taxi away.
- Give the hilltop towns more time. Monsaraz and Marvão are tiny, but I’d have loved more time to wander both.
- Plan for morning fog near Alqueva Lake. It can delay or shorten boat rides, so keep that part of the day flexible.
- Book the food and drink experiences. The winery lunch, the marble wine cellar tasting and the olive oil lunch were highlights.
- Leave room in your suitcase. Cork goods, local liqueur, olive oil and wine all make great souvenirs.
- Pair it with the coast or Lisbon. The Alentejo combines beautifully with a few days in Lisbon or a beach stay on the west coast like Comporta.
Want to see the Alentejo for yourself? We’d love to help you plan a custom Portugal trip, from historic hotels and wine experiences to the perfect beach add-on.
FAQs
Is November a good time to visit Portugal’s Alentejo region?
Yes! On our November 2023 trip the days were sunny and in the low 20s Celsius with cool evenings, and because it’s off season there were hardly any crowds. Mornings near Alqueva Lake can be foggy, so keep boat trips flexible.
How far is Évora from Lisbon?
Évora is about 130 km east of Lisbon, roughly a 1.5-hour drive. Convento do Espinheiro, where we stayed, is about 10 minutes from Évora’s city centre, and a taxi was about €10 each way.
What is the Bones Chapel in Évora?
The Capela dos Ossos (Bones Chapel) was built by monks in the 16th century and its walls are lined with human bones. The inscription at the entrance translates to “We bones, are here, waiting for yours.” It’s eerie and beautiful at the same time.
What is Portugal’s Alentejo region known for?
Cork (the region provides over half of the world’s supply), wine, olive oil and marble, plus whitewashed hilltop towns like Monsaraz and Marvão, Évora’s Roman Temple, Alqueva Lake and long Atlantic beaches like Comporta.
Do Canadians need a passport to travel to Portugal?
Canadians must travel with a valid passport, and we recommend it be valid for at least six months past your return date. Some destinations only require three months, but six months is the safest rule of thumb.
Can a travel agent plan a custom trip to Portugal?
Yes. Travitude Travel Group can build a custom Portugal itinerary around what you love, from historic hotels and winery lunches to city time in Lisbon and a beach stay on the coast, with a consultant who has been there.
