By rail
Évora station, ~1.5 h from Lisbon
Europe · Portugal
Évora, Portugal
A Roman temple and a chapel of bones
Getting there
By air
Lisbon (LIS), ~1.5 h by road
Best time to visit
March to May and September to October — mild
Don't miss
The Roman Temple
The Chapel of Bones
The Cathedral
The Praça do Giraldo
Things to do
The Roman temple
The Chapel of Bones
Alentejo wine tasting
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Paolo Querci · CC BY 3.0
What to pack
A sun hat
A quieter corner
The Almendres Cromlech, a stone circle nearby
Questions travellers ask
What months suit a trip to Évora?
March to May and September to October, when it is mild. A sun hat is worth packing.
How long does it take to reach Évora from Lisbon?
About 1.5 h by train to Évora station, and about the same by road from Lisbon's airport (LIS).
What are Évora's essential sights?
The Roman Temple, the Chapel of Bones, the Cathedral and the Praça do Giraldo. Nearby, the Almendres Cromlech is a stone circle worth seeking out.
What food is Évora known for?
Alentejo pork and açorda. Make time for some Alentejo wine tasting, too.
About Évora
- Inland
Where it is
Évora is the historic capital of the Alentejo region of south-central Portugal and the seat of the Évora District, a walled city on a low rise in the rolling Alentejo plains, about 140 km from Lisbon.
History
The Romans took the town in 57 BC and Julius Caesar called it Liberalitas Julia; its 1st-century temple still stands in the centre. Arab rule from the 8th century ended when Gerald the Fearless took the city by surprise in 1165, Portuguese kings held court here for long periods, the Jesuits founded a university in 1559, and the historic centre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
People
Eborenses speak Portuguese, and the Alentejo's slow, many-voiced choral singing, cante alentejano, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. The surrounding plains are a land of cork oaks, olive groves and vineyards, and local cooking favours black pork, bread soups (açorda) and sheep's cheese.
Known for
- The Roman Temple
- The Chapel of Bones
- The Cathedral of Évora
- The Almendres Cromlech nearby
- Alentejo wine and cooking
Did you know?
Évora has been chosen as one of the two European Capitals of Culture for 2027.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.