2 Top Travel Tips in Alentejo: Vila Viçosa and Estremoz

Today I want to give you two more top travel tips for Alentejo in Portugal: visit Vila Viçosa and Estremoz! Both are real little gems – an overused expression that I usually try to avoid. Have you heard of either? Probably not, because these towns are not yet on the international tourist radar. This might change soon since Vila Viçosa was added (in 2017) to the ‘tentative list’ for its inclusion among the global World Heritage Sites.

Our travel tip: Vila Viçosa and Estremoz, two intriguing small towns in the east of Alentejo. Both have important roles in Portugal’s history and economy.

The Sights of Vila Viçosa

A view, through the castle gate, up the main street of Vila Viçosa.

 Located a little over 40 kilometres from Elvas, the quiet World Heritage Town with its incredible fortifications , Vila Viçosa is a lovely, fairly laid-back, little town with friendly people – so typical of Alentejo. When I say little town, I really mean it; currently it has less than 9,000 inhabitants. No wonder it feels like such a pleasant place to visit.

Our choice guidebook [instead of the popular Lonely Planet ] for people who are looking for valuable information about Portugal: the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Portugal [new 2019 edition] ! This book is for travellers who are more interested in the sights than recommendations for restaurants or hotels.

Find this guidebook on Amazon.

 

Vila Viçosa and Marble

Vila Viçosa sits in the heart of Portugal’s major marble quarrying region, and it shows. Everywhere you go you will find marble. From door frames and window sills, to footpath cobbles and kerb stones, to the white lines inserted into the (granite) road paving – everything is made from marble. What an indulgence!

The town is surrounded by marble quarries, easily recognised by the number of large marble blocks, piled up high. Portugal is famous for its high quality marble, and is the world’s second biggest exporter after Italy. 80% of it comes from this region alone. Although, this material is usually named after Estremoz (see below); that’s less than 20 kilometres away.

Marble everywhere! The main street in Vila Viçosa, looking towards the castle entrance. No simple white line markings on the paving here – NO! The stop line, the pedestrian crossing, the parking bays, and the turn arrows are all inlaid with marble paving stones. The kerb stones and the footpath paving are also all made from marble.

One of the many marble quarries between Estremoz and Elvas. The large white blocks lying in the landscape are marble of lesser quality, which is used for paving stones, retaining walls, and sometimes ground up for decorative gravel.

It’s not the marble quarries local tourists come for, but rather the Ducal Palace of Viçosa. And yes, you might have guessed already, there’s a lot of marble there too.

The Ducal Palace of Viçosa

The construction of this palace was initiated by Fernando I of Braganza in 1501, after he had returned from exile. Until that year, the Dukes of Braganza had resided in the castle of Viçosa. His father had been executed for alleged treason by order of King John II of Portugal, and hence Fernando refused to move back into the soiled castle.

Numerous renovations and extensions of the palace followed over the next centuries. The successor of Fernando I, Teodósio I (5^th Duke of Braganza), already upgraded the palace substantially for his royal wedding. The present classical facade was added from 1583 onwards, and took 30 years or so to be completed because a third floor was added to the palace at the same time. It’s all covered in the famous Estremoz pink marble (which isn’t all pink).

The impressive marble facade of the Ducal Palace of Viçosa in Italian inspired style. Note that the paving, the pedestal of the statue, and even the lamp posts are all made from marble!

In 1640 João II, 8th Duke of Braganza, was declared king of Portugal as John IV, and moved to Lisbon. The palace in Viçosa lost its significance, although all of the royals liked to spend their leisure time here. The following centuries of royal history are dominated by many ups-and-downs.

Events like the invasion by Napoleon, when the whole royal family fled to Brazil in 1807, rather than submit to the French. And finally, the last monarch of Portugal, King Manuel II, fled to England in 1908 [link to history background on Wikipedia], where he died in exile in 1932. You can read more about the palace’s history in this Wikipedia entry .

Manuel II had entrusted his family seat, the Ducal Palace of Viçosa, to a foundation, which led to the formation of the DGEMN (Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais, General Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments), who now care for the buildings.

And they needed a lot of care, because they had been neglected for decades. But the most interesting aspect is that all of the buildings were entrusted to the new foundation complete with the royal furniture and personal possessions of the time. So today, a visitor can walk through an historic house full of truly authentic pieces!

The sleeping quarters, for example, really look like the king and his wife just left the rooms to go out for the day. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted on the guided tours (although generously overlooked in some cases). It’s only possible to visit the inside of the palace on a guided tour. This ensures that none of the treasures are damaged or nicked.

For more Information about opening times of the palace, please visit the official website [which is unfortunately mostly in Portuguese].

Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.

One thing we missed seeing at the Ducal Palace was the adjoining Coach Museum, located in the old stables. At the time, we weren’t aware of its importance and thought “ah well, a few old horse carriages…”. It is actually a branch of Portugal’s “Museu Nacional dos Coches” , apparently one of the world’s most impressive collections of historic coaches. So, if you’re interested, ask to visit: there’s a counter to buy tickets for a visit right near the exit from the guided palace tour.

We only spent a little over half a day in Vila Viçosa, a fact we somehow regretted later on. There’s more to see in this small town than we expected. Before arriving we only knew about the palace. So allow for extra time to walk around the town before or after visiting the Ducal Palace!

The Castle of Vila Viçosa

Right at the end of the main street, the old castle of Vila Viçosa sits on a hill! This used to be the family seat of the Braganza family until they moved into the Ducal Palace. The fortified compound of the citadel, with its outer walls, is rather large compared with the main castle building. The castle now houses the Museum of Archaeology and the Museum of Hunting and Game.

We visited during lunchtime when the museums were closed, but (as vegetarians) probably would not have shown much interest in the latter. Although, Vila Viçosa’s tentative UNESCO listing mentions specifically the “hunting reserve known as Tapada Real”, so hunting is obviously an important historical activity of this region.

The walls of the old castle in Vila Viçosa are surrounded by lovely gardens. The streets are lined with fragrant orange trees.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Conception

This small church is located within the confines of the citadel of the town, not far from the castle. It was founded by the “Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa” headed by the Dukes of Braganza.

When we arrived there, the first guests for a booked wedding had started to arrive, so we had very little time to take in the beauty of this intimate little church. I would certainly add it to the top of my list of places to visit. If you are interested, you might have a look around the adjoining small cemetery. It’s one more proof of the prevalence of exquisite marble craft in Alentejo.

The inside of the Church of Our Lady of Conception, which stands inside the castle compound of Vila Viçosa. It’s beautifully decorated with hand-painted Azulejo tiles, which are so typical of Portugal. Note all the marble columns and arches!

The Pillory of Vila Viçosa

When you leave the sanctuary via the main citadel gate nearest to it, you walk straight out to the pillory. This Gothic style whipping post was erected in 1512 – a grim reminder of harsh justice in times past.

Detail inside the Church of Our Lady of Conception in Vila Viçosa, which shows more of the Azulejo tiles. (see previous listing)

In front of one of the castle gates stands this tall Pillory – a flogging post.

The Church of the Augustinians

You basically can’t miss this church as it’s right opposite the Ducal Palace. Unfortunately, for most of the year it remains locked up, its beautiful marble entrance gathering blown in rubbish. Inside are the tombs of the Branganza family.

The Convent and church of the Augustinians as seen from the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa.

Museum of Marble

Vila Viçosa even has a Museum of Marble that is highly recommended in our guide book . It’s located in the town’s former railway station. We had run out of time and stamina. It was after 4pm when we left the palace, too close to closing time of this museum.

Our choice guidebook [instead of the popular Lonely Planet ] for people who are looking for valuable information about Portugal: the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Portugal [new 2019 edition] ! This book is for travellers who are more interested in the sights than recommendations for restaurants or hotels.

Find this guidebook on Amazon.

 

The Neighbouring Town of Estremoz

Just off the way between Elvas and Vila Viçosa, you can visit Estremoz, another typical small town of Alentejo. This is the ‘real’ centre of marble production and gives its name to the local variety. We stopped there just for one sight (where you could even stay the night):

The Castle and Keep of Estremoz

From a distance, the square keep on top of the hill looks like many others you see around Portugal and Spain. But, as you come closer, you will recognise that this is a little different. The “Tower of the Three Crowns” was built entirely from marble! Yet more evidence of the abundance of this expensive material in the region of Alentejo.

The castle is classified as a protected “Historic Monument of Portugal”. King Dinis, who reigned in the 13^th century, rebuilt it as a royal palace, long before the Dukes of Braganza from Vila Viçosa attained national importance.

The tower, and the adjoining medieval palace, now house the Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel, a historic building converted into a hotel. If your budget allows, we recommend staying overnight in this unique place. You can learn more about Pousadas in Portugal here .

The castle’s keep in Estremoz: a tall square tower built from marble. To the right, the entrance of the Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel, a hotel in these historic walls.

If you have the time, we suggest visiting the lower town of Estremoz. There are a number of historic structures worth a look (or two), including a recently restored old pillory and the arched town gate with its marble surrounds. And of course you can marvel at more marble!

Bonecos de Estremoz

If you are searching for souvenirs particular to this region, you should browse through the local craft shops for the “Bonecos de Estremoz” [search results for photos of these clay figures].These unique hand-crafted clay figurines have been made locally since the 1600s. The “Craftmanship of Estremoz clay figures” was recently [2017] recognised by UNESCO as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.

These small clay figures are called “Bonecos de Estremoz” and are recognised as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by the UNESCO. [photo credit ]

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the Marco Polo Map Spain & Portugal
This is likely the most accurate paper map you can find for the Iberian Peninsular.

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Why you should visit Vila Viçosa and Estremoz

It’s unusual to encounter several significant connections to a nation’s past in such a confined, predominantly rural region. Yet here you can learn loads of fascinating facts about Portugal’s long and convoluted history and its identity today. This alone makes a journey into the east of Alentejo a rewarding experience! The gentle, friendly Portuguese people, and the beautiful landscape, are added bonuses.

Both, Vila Viçosa and Estremoz, deserve some extra time. They are less than 50 kilometres [30 miles] from Elvas, the worthy World Heritage protected town we wrote about earlier.

Have you heard of Vila Viçosa? Have you been there?
Is there anything we missed in this post?
Please tell us in the comments below!

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