Castles, Villages and the Spanish Border
Monsaraz, the Village Above the Lake
Monsaraz
Walk the walls of a medieval hill village with the great lake below.
Half day
Castles, Villages and the Spanish Border
Porto Covo and the Fishermen's Coast
A small white village above a rocky cove, where the day is still ruled by the tide and the catch.
- Location
- Porto Covo
- Duration
- Half day
- Best seasons
- Spring, summer and autumn
- Pace
- Gentle
- Region
- Alentejo Litoral
The story
Porto Covo is one of those villages the coast kept to itself for a long time: whitewashed houses with blue trim, terracotta chimneys, and a cobbled lane that simply walks downhill into the sea. Fishing boats still work from the sheltered cove, and at lunch the day's catch is on the tables of the small cafés around the square. Walk to the headland for the view over Ilha do Pessegueiro, its ruined fort facing the open Atlantic, and the village slows you down without asking.
The day
What you do
- 1Walk the cobbled lanes and the seafront of the old village
- 2Lunch on fresh fish and shellfish at a café by the square
- 3Follow the clifftop path to the viewpoint over Ilha do Pessegueiro
Gentle on the land
A small village best explored on foot, with family-run cafés and restaurants and no infrastructure of its own.
Pair it with
Good companions
Castles, Villages and the Spanish Border
Marvão and Castelo de Vide
Marvão and Castelo de Vide
Two hill villages in the mountains near the Spanish frontier.
Full day
Castles, Villages and the Spanish Border
Elvas and a Lunch Across the Border
Elvas
A star-shaped fortress town, and a short hop into Spain for lunch.
Full day
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