Monsaraz
Medieval Walled Village And Castle Above Lake Alqueva, In The Dark Sky Alqueva Starlight Reserve · Monsaraz, Evora
Monsaraz is a tiny walled village on a hilltop in the eastern Alentejo, about 50 km east of Evora, looking down on the great reservoir of Alqueva and across it to Spain. It was taken from the Moors in the twelfth century and is said to have been handed to the Templars; the castle and its square keep were rebuilt around 1300, and a bullring still sits inside the old parade ground. Two whitewashed lanes of schist and slate run the length of the ridge from gate to castle, past the parish church, a pillory and the old courthouse, whose rare medieval fresco of the good and the bad judge is the village's treasure. People come for the silence, the views over a lake often said to be one of Western Europe's largest artificial lakes, and the night sky: Monsaraz lies inside the Dark Sky Alqueva reserve, certified for stargazing. Megaliths, pottery villages and river beaches lie below. The honest caveat: it is small, two or three hours on foot, crowded with day trips at midday, and fiercely hot in July and August.
Monsaraz, the walled hilltop village above the Alqueva reservoir, Reguengos de Monsaraz municipality, about 50 km east of Evora, Monsaraz, Evora, Portugal
The village is open all the time, and the castle yard, the walls and the lanes are usually free to walk; the parish church and the Museu do Fresco in the old courthouse keep their own daytime hours with a lunch break and may close on some weekdays - confirm. There is no train: drive from Evora in about 50-60 minutes or from Lisbon in about 2-2.5 hours, or take a bus to Reguengos de Monsaraz and a taxi (confirm times). Park outside the gates. Book rooms and stargazing sessions ahead in summer and at weekends.