Évora, Portugal

Évora City Walls
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EvoraWalls1.jpg
Author: ho visto nina volare


Évora is a small city in the Alentejo province in Évora District, Portugal. The city of around 42,000 (2011 estimate) people comprises a historical center surrounded by an ancient city wall, with urban parishes around it. The area still partially enclosed by the city walls has quite a number of monuments from different periods of history, and has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

The city of Évora is to the south of the Tagus River, about 130 km from Lisbon. Its history goes back over two thousand years. It was conquered by the Romans in 57 BC. That was when the city walls and Roman baths were built.

After the Romans, Évora was ruled by the Visigoths in AD 584 and conquered by the Moors under Tariq ibn-Ziyad in 715. It only returned into the hands of the Portuguese in 1166, following an attack on the Moors by Gerald the Fearless a year earlier. It prospered during the Avis Dynasty (1385-1580) but when into decline in the 18th century, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal.


Almendres Cromlech, Portugal
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cromeleque_dos_Almendres1340.JPG
Author: João Carvalho


Today Évora has a lively cultural and historical heritage. The buildings, particularly those in the historic center, are from different architectural styles including Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque. There are narrow streets and alleyways leading to public squares.

Going to Évora

The most practical way to reach Évora is to take a bus from Lisbon. It costs about €12 to get there.

Places of Interest in Évora

Sights in the Outskirts