Mértola Travel Guide

 solopes Says:  Coming from the 9th century, this Muslim castle was conquered by the Portuguese in 1238. The successive enlargements and reinforcements gave it a different look. Abandoned in the 18th century and ruined, it was partially recovered in the 20th century and today is part of the... 

 veigapaula Says:  Inside the old city, islamic streets,narrow and colorful. Once a year, there is the Arab market Fair.Handicraft, food and music... 

 jorgec25 Says:  Pomarão is a very small place, not more than 2 or 3 streets, near the river bank. While the S. Domingos Mine was in activity, Pomarão was the harbour from where the major part of the production was transported. Nowadays, it´s almost deserted. Hopefully, the new international... 

 jorgec25 Says:  the river beach located near the S. Domingos Mine is one of the best and most clean river beaches in Portugal. I went there in the winter, so the place was empty and i could really feel how peaceful the surrounding area is. Truly, a must see. 

 jorgec25 Says:  the grounds of the ancient mine are huge. Despite being in ruins, you can still picture how it must have been in the past, with hundreds of people working there. The best way to visit the whole site is bi bycicle. 

 jorgec25 Says:  The "Corta" of the ancient mine is an incredible place, almost surreal. The ground is partially flooded and the water is very acid, with strong coulors. The whole place seems like a piece of planet Mars. 

 jorgec25 Says:  Included int he City Museum, but a bit away from the town centre (but very easy to reach). This ancient burial ground was used by the early Christians and later on also by the Muslims. You can see some graves still in their actual location, and quite a number of tombstones. 

 jorgec25 Says:  In the town hall building, you can find a small roman museum, with remains of roman houses and an ancient statue, from the 1 st century! 

 jorgec25 Says:  The town centre is a pitoresque place. If you walk along the narrow streets going down from the castle into the river, you can find several places, views and houses that are beautiful. 

 jorgec25 Says:  The small restaurant "Pensão S. Domingos" maybe modest. But if your looking for a place where you can taste local dishes at a great price, and 100% homemade cooking, and if you don´t care for luxury, this a very good option. Black Pork and Perca (a river fish) 

 Martin_S. Says:  The first photo shows the view that we had of Mertola's "backside". We had to do a small amount of driving on some dusty dirt tracks, but as you can see for yourself it is a view that is worth the effort.To find it, just before you get to the city of Mertola, coming from the... 

 veigapaula Says:  Statue of Islamic Chevalier/conqueror.Underground excavations of islamic remains and some roman and medieval too... 

 Martin_S. Says:  We often enjoy just driving or walking in a city/town, like Mertola, with no specific destination or historical object in mind, just wandering as the streets take us. We often get "lost" this way, but it often brings us surprises when we end up in neighbourhoods very often... 

 Martin_S. Says:  Driving around Mertola is an adventure in itself, there are three things that make it "interesting"...First is the cobbled streets, when they are wet they turn slippery and when you brake....Second is the narrowness of the streets, they were built for donkeys and carts, NOT... 

 Martin_S. Says:  Whenever we travel, in this case between Sagres and Mertola, we plan a picnic. We always stop in at the local supermarket and pick up fresh fruits and vegetables along with bread and things we can make a picnic with. Then when we travel the roads, we look for a picnic site...