Alentejo Tourist Information & Tourists Guide

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Alentejo Tourist Information - Portugal

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If you want to locate the Alentejo on a map of Portugal, it's inland and down a bit from Lisbon, touching the Spanish border on the east and the Algarve is at its south end. The Alentejo region of Portugal extends from the unspoilt beaches of the West coast over plains, through vineyards and cork oak forests to the rugged hills on the Spanish border. Fascinating towns and villages with a rich cultural heritage are scattered throughout the province. Full of vestiges of the past, the history of the area can be seen in Megalithic sites, Roman remains, Moorish relics, Mediaeval castles and Baroque palaces. Alto Alentejo is the "High" Alentejo, the northern part, adjoining the Ribatejo province. Baixo Alentejo is the "Low" Alentejo or the southern part, adjoining the Algarve. The beaches of the Alentejo lie in the Costa Azul - the blue coast - the Natural Park of Cape St. Vincent and the Alentejo. 

Aside from the many tourist attractions in the region (such as the towns of Evora, Borba and Estremoz), it is wine that is currently putting the Alentejo region on the map, and more specifically, its red wines. There are two distinct styles of Alentejo red. First, there is what can loosely be termed the traditional style. These often combine earthy, herby, undergrowth-like savoury flavours and aromas with the fruit. Traditional Alentejo wines are often complex and reasonably age worthy. Then there is the modern style, perhaps best demonstrated by the wines of Esporão, João Portugal Ramos or Sogrape’s new Alentejo Reserva. These wines show lots of intense fruit, with a richness that is quite ‘new world’ in character, and not a million miles away from the style that has made Australian wines such a success over recent years. 

It is easy to become completely enveloped in its landscape, a clear expression of the harmony that can still exist between humankind and nature. Dotted here and there, amidst the vibrant colours of spring or the ochre hues of autumn, are to be seen brilliant white houses, with their doors and windows framed in blue or yellow. Standing like watchful sentinels in the midst of this great immensity are the so-called "eagle´s nests": centuries-old towns nestling behind their defensive walls and awaiting your peaceful "attack". Here you can follow the trail of the many peoples that have co-existed in these plains over the years and left behind them a host of memories to enrich present-day Portugal: the Roman, Mudéjar and Jewish cultures have all passed through here and left their indelible marks. Perhaps you would like to go back even further? The Alentejo is extremely rich in archaeological remains that bear testimony to different stages in the development of human life over thousands of years.

Make sure that your tour takes in cities such as Évora, classified as a world heritage site and steeped in almost two thousand years of history, Vila Viçosa, the home of the last king of Portugal, or Beja, the home of Soror Mariana, the lovelorn nun, who, shut inside her convent, looked out over the plains from her window and wrote passionate love letters to her dashing French army captain, or perhaps Portalegre, in the heart of the São Mamede National Park. In addition to the warm hospitality that is an omnipresent characteristic of the Portuguese people, you can also enjoy a varied cuisine, liberally seasoned with aromatic herbs, and the quite unique desserts and sweet dishes made from traditional convent recipes and complemented so perfectly by the region´s full-bodied wines.