Óbidos Warnings Or Dangers

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Parking in the city is possible, but moving inside it is complex and with many restrictions.

The best option is to use the parks south of the city; the closest one costing 0.60 € per hour, the other free of charge.

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It's a challenge, to climb the narrow steps to the walls! But, be careful - though large enough to a safe walk, the walkway along the walls is narrow and unprotected.

I needed, once, to hold a french friend and help him in his way back, when he realized that he shouldn't face the risk. Believe me, that walking doesn't add much to the safe visit using the streets.

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There are several entry points ie steps up to the high walls and ramparts that surround the town - they are actuallly quite steep and there are no hand rails anywhere - there are signs though that point out to those who take the opportunity to get the excellent views that abound from these vantage points that one must concentrate and take care with these steps and walkways. One trip of the foot or a gust of wind that catches you off guard could leave you with a serious injury.
Its much recommended though and the walkways are fairly wide.

Be carefull when walking on the castle walls. The walls are a bit irregular and don't have any protection.

I've been told by a local that a turist recently fell and unfortunetly died.

If you're carefull there won't be a problem, and you really shouldn't miss it. You have great views from above.

The path on the wall that encompasses the village is not very wide. At most points, it is no more than two bodylengths wide. Also, the path is very uneven; ruggedly cut stones make up the surface. I tripped a few times because I am generally clumsy and even do so on flat ground. Seriously, be careful because there is no safety guard to prevent you from falling. If you cannot handle heights or have uneven balance, I would recommend not walking along the wall.

It's always a traffic jam to try to walk along the wall that encompasses the town. Why? Because everyone stops to take a million photographs of themselves, of the wall, of the town, of whatever they desire. So it's a pain in the arse to stop every third step because the person in front of you has ceased once again in order to take the 13th picture of herself within a 10 meter range. It's rather difficult to bypass these people because the walkway is so narrow that at some points you'll probably fall off trying. The most traffic seems to be nearest to the Castle, since some people will climb up here but then not walk the entire way around. If you're looking to avoid the chaos, ascend the wall at a point closer to the village entrance. There is hardly any congestion here, and you are free to stand there and take as many photos as you like without being a pest.

The streets are narrow and made of cobblestones, so if you're uncoordinated, be careful not to trip. Also, after it rains the cobblestones are very slippery, so be careful about that too. Wear comfortable shoes like sandals or sneakers, especially if you're going to climb into the castle walls.

Even though it's well worth it to climb the stairs and see Obidos and its surroundings from up there, people should be careful when walking on the path, especially if it's raining, because it's quite narrow and there are no protective rails. Also the path is not even, i.e. it's full of irregularly placed cobbles, which, after a while, start hurting your feet (if, like me, you're wearing sandals or thin-soled footwear).