Monsaraz Day Trip
A trip to Portugal would not be complete without visiting the walled village of Monsaraz. You’ll be rewarded with amazing views, excellent dining, and boutiques selling local wines, olive oil, rugs and pottery. This historic village is a special gem in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
The area between Monsaraz, Evora and Estremoz (which I call my Triangle of Joy) is filled with vineyards, olive grows, and farmland with sheep grazing in the fields. You can spend an entire day just driving around this area taking in the views and visiting small villages and wineries.
The drive to Monsaraz is just as rewarding as getting there. We decide to start our trip from Redondo, which is about a 40 minute scenic drive to Monsaraz. Heading south from Redondo, we make a stop in Santiago Maior to visit the church and cemetery and enjoy the views.
From here, we continue toward Monsaraz, which is about another 30 minute drive. Make sure you are heading toward the Castelo de Monsaraz and not Redquengos de Monsaraz. Although Redquengos de Monsaraz is a lovely town worth visiting, it’s not where we are heading. Locals will often refer to Redquengos de Monsaraz as just Redquengos so as not to confuse it with Monsaraz, which is where the castle and hill top village are located.
As you arrive toward the village of Monsaraz, you’ll see the castle, high above, to the left.
Before heading up the hill towards the castle, you’ll want to pull over and park to take in the views of the river and the area overlooking Spain as well as the large sculpture titled Monumento de Homenagem ao Cante Alentejano which is a tribute to the Alentejo style of music.
From here you can either walk up to the castle and village or drive up a bit closer to the entrance of the walled village. Either way, it’s a very short walk to the top. Arriving at the top, you’ll want to pause and take in another view, before entering through the arched gate. The view of vineyards and farms down below look so peaceful.
Heading into the village through the arched doorway doesn’t look like much, but once your through the doorway, it all gets very magical. White washed buildings with tiled roofs and cobblestone streets lead you to an endless series of amazing views.
After a brief stop in the small tourist office we zig zag up and down the alleys taking in the views from all sides of the hilltop.
Although the views are breathtaking, the street scenes and alleyways have so much charm you’ll want to check out every inch of this place.
You can’t visit Monsaraz without doing a bit of shopping. Two of my favorites are Fabrica Alentejana De Lanificios which sells mostly carpets and blankets. I love the poofs they make and the designs are so beautiful. The shop at #9 is great for browsing around. They sell vintage items, table top and all sorts of other interesting things as well as women’s clothing.
Once you’ve had enough of wandering the streets and shopping it’s time for a bite to eat. Lots of interesting spots to choose from.
For a simple lunch we decide to stop into Sahida. They have a beautiful courtyard in the back for lingering with a glass of wine and small pizza.
By visiting this small historic village and taking a drive through the Alentejo wine country, you’ll start to get a sense of why so many people love it here and why we decided to make this area of Portugal our home.
