Fodor's Essential Portugal by Fodor's Travel Guides

Author:Fodor's Travel Guides [Fodor’s Travel Guides]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fodor's Travel
Published: 2020-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

60 (40 miles) northeast of Evora.

A quiet town with a moated castle, Vila Viçosa is in the heart of the fertile Borba Plain. It has been closely linked with Portuguese royalty since the 15th century, and court life in Vila Viçosa flourished in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when the huge palace constructed by the fourth Duke of Bragança was the scene of great royal feasts, theater performances, and bullfights. Today Vila Viçosa is a pleasant, bustling town that remains affluent because of its ties to the region’s wine industry and marble quarries. Most residents still live in the town center, and it’s less touristy and untainted by the suburban sprawl that has cropped up on the edges of other provincial towns. The huge Praça da Republica, lined with orange trees and anchored by a castle on one end and a 17th-century church on the other, is one of the finest squares in all of Alentejo.

GETTING HERE AND AROUND

Vila Viçosa lies just past Borba, south of the highway that connects Évora with the Spanish border. Praça da Republica stretches across the town center, with the Paço Ducal and pousada about 300 meters to the northwest. Bus service from Évora is infrequent and slow, and Vila Viçosa is best reached by private car.

BUS CONTACTS Vila Viçosa Bus Terminal. E R. Dom João IV 2.

TAXI CONTACT Vila Viçosa Taxis. E Praça da Republica P 268 980 115.

VISITOR INFORMATION Vila Viçosa Tourist Office. E Praça da Republica 34 P 268 889 317 w www.cm-vilavicosa.pt.

s Sights

Castelo de Vila Viçosa

CASTLE/PALACE | In the heart of Vila Viçosa, surrounded by lush gardens, is this medieval-era castle. For a while it was the home of the Bragança family before they settled down in the nearby Paço Ducal. Inside you’ll find a 16th-century church and a cemetery where the Portuguese poet Florbela Espanca rests. You can walk around the walls or visit the small museums of archaeology and hunting located inside the castle. E Av. Duques de Bragança P 268 980 128 w www.fcbraganca.pt A Free entrance to the castle, €3 for museums C Closed Mon. Closed Tues. morning.

Museu do Mármore Raquel de Castro (Raquel de Castro Marble Museum)

MUSEUM | This museum offers an interesting look at Alentejo’s local marble industry, which has sustained Vila Viçosa and made it prosperous. It’s on the site of a former quarry, near the road out of town toward Borba. There are free guided tours in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French. E Av. Duque D. Jaime P 268 889 310 A €1.55 C Closed Mon.

H Paço Ducal (Doge’s Palace)

CASTLE/PALACE | This opulent palace draws a great many visitors—and for good reason. Built of locally quarried marble, the palace’s main wing extends for some 360 feet and overlooks an expansive square and the bronze equestrian statue of Dom João IV. At the north end of the square note the Porta do Nó (Knot Gate) with its massive stone shaped like ropes—an intriguing example of the Manueline style.

The palace’s interior was extensively

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