Monsaraz
A panoramic view over the River Guadiana and Alqueva Dam
Our 2012 visit
One of the two streets in Monsaraz
Monsaraz is a delightful fortified village in Alentejo. It is tiny and perched atop a hill which means fabulous views over the River Guadiana which marks the boundary with Spain. It is part of the chain of fortified fortresses running along this border with Spain.
The village comprises two streets and unusually for Portugal the buildings are all white with none of the touches of green or ochre which is usual elsewhere.
The village clearly relies heavily on tourism but when we visited in October it was quiet and in the evening it was silent. There are a couple of restaurants and bars and a number of small bed and breakfast establishments.
The village comprises two streets and unusually for Portugal the buildings are all white with none of the touches of green or ochre which is usual elsewhere.
The village clearly relies heavily on tourism but when we visited in October it was quiet and in the evening it was silent. There are a couple of restaurants and bars and a number of small bed and breakfast establishments.
Fort/bullring
When the Moors were turfed out of the village in the 12th century the Knights Templar took their place. This is their fort which is now a bullring.
The village cistern, still in use.
This is a view of this village from one end to the other.
Where we stayed:
We found this aire in the Vicarious Books "Aires of Spain and Portugal" and it was marked up as a particularly pretty spot and it certainly was.
The drive up to the aire was a bit of a job for a big vehicle as the road is shiny cobbles and there is a nasty sharp turn at the top.We were fortunate that the weather was good but it was a strain for our vehicle - getting down as well as up. At the bottom of the hill, however, there is a large parking area and we would have stayed there if we hadn't made it to the aire. The aire has no facilties but there are public loos in the village and the views are stunning.
The drive up to the aire was a bit of a job for a big vehicle as the road is shiny cobbles and there is a nasty sharp turn at the top.We were fortunate that the weather was good but it was a strain for our vehicle - getting down as well as up. At the bottom of the hill, however, there is a large parking area and we would have stayed there if we hadn't made it to the aire. The aire has no facilties but there are public loos in the village and the views are stunning.
Dolmens and menhirs
Dolmen
In this part of Portugal there are a few areas where you will see megalithic stones and as we left Monsaraz we took in a couple of these sites. The ones we went to were poorly signposted and rather neglected, which was a shame.
Cromeleque do Xerez, close to Monsaraz
