What to expect
Portuguese Culture
Discover the tranquil region of Alentejo
Fully-guided Trip
Enjoy six fully-guided walking days
Four-star Hotel
Stay in the heart of Evora
Historic Charm
Discover the town of Évora
About this trip...
What's Included
Airport transfers
Room for sole use
Solos Board - dinner daily in hotel/local restaurants-
Solos Board – breakfast daily
Drinks included with evening meals-
Welcome drink
6 fully guided walking days
Accompanying Solos Tour Leader
Passport & Visas
- International flights are not include
- Travel Insurance
- Tips & drinks
- Meals when not included in the itinerary
- Activities when not included in the itinerary
Itinerary
- Arrive Lisbon
- Évora – Unesco World Heritage Site
- Nossa Senhora da Tourega Walk
- Estremoz & Alpalhão
- Marvão walk
- Ribeira de Nisa walk
- Carreiras da Senhora da Penha walk & Castelo de Vide
- Depart Lisbon
What you'll be doing
Day One: Arrive Lisbon
Day Two: Explore Évora's monuments
- Walking Distance: 8.5km/5.2 miles
- Ascent/Descent minimal
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Three: Discover Nossa Senhora da Tourega's beautiful lake
Our walk today will take in the classic Alentejo scenery along with the pre-historic monuments dotted throughout the area. The Ribeira de Valverde passes through the villages of Valverde and Guadalupe winding its way amongst cork oaks to the beautiful lake at Nossa Senhora da Tourega.
- Walking Distance: 12.5km /7.8miles
- Ascent +73m
- Descent -125m Highest point: 262m
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Four: Venture through Estremoz's famous marble city & Alpalhão
This morning there will be time to explore the local area before we transfer to Alpalhao. Alpalhão is a small village situated on the plain between the mountain range of São Mamede and the river Tejo, which integrated the domains of the Order of the Templars. It is known for the benefits of its thermal waters (a few kilometers away, in Termas da Fadagosa hot springs), the quality of its traditional cheese and for its craftworks. The Bienal da Pedra (Stone Biennial) initiative also took advantage of the region's blue granite to leave numerous sculptures scattered throughout the town, including an intriguing finger pointing to the sky, 'Dedo de Deus' (God's Finger), in the churchyard of the main church.
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Five: Explore the hilltop medieval town of Marvão
Today we discover the small, hilltop medieval town of Marvão, surrounded by walls and with a majestic castle that defended the population from the Spanish back in medieval times. From here we can admire spectacular views and then walk along a medieval narrow road flanked by ancient stone walls. The town is perched on a great granite escarpment within the São Mamede Mountains. It stands out for its imposing Castle and it’s Neolithic and Roman remains such as the Roman road, the ruins, the Roman Bridge including the Village of Ammaia.
- Walking Distance: 9km /5.8miles
- Ascent+407m
- Descent-407m Highest point: 842m
- Terrain: Mountain paths, old laid tone tracks, dirt tracks
- Meals Include: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Six: Delve into nature in the Ribeira de Nisa
Today our walk starts from the village of Monte Carvalho where we take the path eastwards to meet the Ribeira (stream) where we ascend through a small gorge to the plateau with magnificent views beyond. We will continue walking along lanes through farmland and descend through cork oak woodland, beautiful meadows, and stunning countryside back to the village.
- Distance: 10km / 6miles
- Ascent+330m
- Descent -330m Highest point: 782m
- Terrain: Good tracks, with some rough sections
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Seven: Climb to Senhora da Penha & Castelo de Vide's castle ruins
For our last day of walking we climb to Senhora da Penha where we find a little chapel on the top of a hill offering amazing views over Castelo de Vide with its rows of whitewashed houses. We will walk along narrow lanes on an old Roman road, bordered by cork trees or stone walls and descend to Castelo de Vide. This well-kept border town complete with impressive ramparts, a ruined castle, panoramic views and natural spring waters which have been revered as curative for centuries.
- Distance: 10km, 6miles
- Ascent+286m
- Descent-327m Highest point: 725m
- Terrain:Tarmac, roughly cobbled tracks §ions of good tracks
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day Eight: Depart Lisbon
Today we check-out of our hotel and say goodbye before transferring to Lisbon Airport. Transfer Time - 2 hours 30 mins
Accommodation
Walking The Golden Alentejo Hotels
Dates & Prices
Essential Information
- Walking boots with good ankle support
- Waterproofs – jacket and trousers
- Walking poles – recommended as they provide good support for the knees, particularly on downhill sections of walks and when conditions are wet/slippery
- Lightweight trousers and shorts with pockets
- Shirts or t-shirts for walking in
- Walking socks – several pairs
- Lightweight fleece or jumper
- Hat & gloves
- Daysack/rucksack for walking
- Umbrella – it can be used also for protection from the sun as well as rain
- Lightweight drinking bottle to carry water whilst walking
- Small first aid kit – plasters, insect repellant, etc
- Good, high factor sunscreen, sunhat and sunglasses.
We recommend that you check passport and visa requirements for the country you are visiting at the State Department if you have a U.S. Passport. Most countries require that your passport have at least six months validity when traveling internationally, and many require that you have one to two blank visa pages for either an entry stamp or visa. As a general rule, please check that your passport has six months validity beyond your planned trip, and if not, please renew your passport with plenty of time to provide Solos with your updated passport information by the final payment due date.
We recommend that you check if vaccinations are required for your destination at the CDC’s recommendations for your visited destination(s). We also recommend you purchase travel protection. A travel protection plan can often assist with medical emergencies and reimburse costs that are covered by the plan. Please verify coverage details with Solos before you travel.
