Monsaraz Travel Guide

 solopes Says:  Discreetly lined with the white houses, there's a small church that (it seems - I couldn´t read much about it) is dedicated to St John. It was closed, so I don't know how to visit it (and if it deserves to be visited or not) 

 solopes Says:  By the church, in the northern side of the small square, there's an interesting building called "Antigos Passos da Audiência". I tried to read about it, but, so far, I couldn´t find much. It is a building from the 12th to the 14th century and its name suggests that it was... 

 solopes Says:  Built in the 16Th century, during the black pest, because the older one couldn't receive all the dead needing sepulture. It has a heavy and strong look, almost Romanic, but it was built according to Renaissance plans. It has a gilded altar and some tombs 

 solopes Says:  All houses in Monsaraz respect the general medieval look. Some of them are really old and classified, as, for instance the Governor's house, used in the old days by the military governor and the out-coming judges, nowadays belonging to Evora university. 

 solopes Says:  Cars are not allowed inside the walls, but parking is easy near the main door of the walled village. To preserve the village most of its live and development was transferred to Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the plane and not too far. Monsaraz lives to and from tourism, and... 

 solopes Says:  Tourism in winter decreases, and imagination is needed. In Monsaraz, they decided to create a nativity scene, at human scale, and spread it all over the city. We were there in a cold night, and got impressed by the calm an silence surrounding the presentation. 

 solopes Says:  At the very end of Monsaraz main street there's the castle. It has a particularity - I think that it is the only one that houses... a bullring. Funny detail, in a building that dominates a very beautiful small city inside its walls. 

 micas_pt Says:  Bullfighting is a traditional custom of Alentejo. Although bullfighting in Portugal is different from the one practiced in Spain (in Spain the bull is killed on the arena and in Portugal it is forbidden to kill the bull as part of the show), there are some villages near the... 

 micas_pt Says:  Reguengos de Monsaraz is a small town situated near Monsaraz. The center of the town has an interesting church to visit (the one on my photo).Reguengos might be an option for having a meal or doing some shopping, as this town provides a wider choice of restaurants and shops... 

 Martin_S. Says:  Yes of course, like any decent self sufficient village there MUST BE a castle, and sure enough there is. Found at the extreme end you can climb the walls and have great views both back into the village that supported the castle, or out into the surrounding countryside. The... 

 Martin_S. Says:  This was the largest church we saw on the main square and it was closed. But as you can see from our photos we found no people outside on the streets, almost as if the entire village was a musuem.So, while we could not get in to see the interior of the church, I did find... 

 Martin_S. Says:  Monsaraz - I found the following information on the internet:Perched above the River Guardiana on the frontier with Spain, the tiny medieval walled town of Monsaraz is one of the most atmospheric places in the Alentejo. With its narrow cobbled lanes, low-rise old houses and... 

 Martin_S. Says:  Not to far from Monsaraz is the Anta Olival da Pega (dolmen or cromlech), an ancient burial site that is hidden off the main road amid a pastoral setting and hard to find since there is only a tiny sign at the actual spot itself. The sign showing the turnoff is prominent but... 

 Bwana_Brown Says:   One of the old border castles protecting the frontier with Spain, Monsaraz is an easy drive east of Evora. The countryside in this whole part of Portugal, the Alentejo, is very pleasant and the roads are excellent, no matter which class of road you choose to reach your...