TEKST DOSTEPNY TAKŻE PO WERSJI POLSKU
We depart for Évora on Sunday at 9.00 in the morning. This small town, with its 40 thousand inhabitants, is situated some 130 kms from Lisbon. The town doesn't offer so much as you could expect from the place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
You can get from Lisbon to Évora by train or by bus. Both options are similar:
*train: www.cp.pt; from Lisboa Oriente station (far off the center); trip takes about 1h30, ticket: 12,20€;
*bus: www.rede-expressos.pt; from Sete Rios station, service between 7.00 and 22.00, more or less every hour, it takes approx. 1h30; ticket: 12,50€
Worth to know
Official website: www.cm-evora.pt
*Tourist information: Praça do Giraldo 73, open 9-19; very competent staff, town maps for 0,50€.
Accommodation
There are many pensions and hostels in Évora. We choose O Alentejo at rua de Serpa Pinto 74, 250 meters from Praça do Giraldo, the main town square. We pay 35€ for a double, big room, with an old TV. There is one drawback, we have to wait for ages for a hot water. During the summer it’s not a big problem, but it’s still an inconvenience.
Sightseeing
We had bad luck because during our stay – and it was Sunday – some attractions were closed. The next day would not be much better, it would be a national feast. Strange for a town on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We weren’t the only disappointed tourists. Yet, when I checked the website before going there, there was no information on this.
*Giraldo Square (Praça do Giraldo); main town square with several shops, restaurants (scarce choice) and cafes (broad selection of sweets!).
*Templo romano; largo do Marquês de Marialva; remains of the Roman temple; in the open
*Church Dos Lójos and Palace of the Dukes Cadaval (Igreja Dos Lójos i Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval); rua Augusto Filipe Simoões; Tue-Sun 10-12.30, 14-18; church: 3€, palace: 2,5€, combined: 5€
*Cathedral (Sé); largo de Miguel de Portugal; daily 9-12.20, 14-16.50; cathedral: 1,50€; cathedral + cloister: 2,50€
 |
| Roman temple |
*Cathedral (Sé); largo de Miguel de Portugal; daily 9-12.20, 14-16.50; cathedral: 1,50€; cathedral + cloister: 2,50€
*St. Francis Church (Igreja São Francisco); praça 1 de Maio, Fri-Sat 9/Sun 10-12.45, 14.30-17.45; free entry to church; Skulls Chapel (Capela dos Ossos ), Fri+Sat 9/Sun 10-12.45, 14.30-17.45; entry: 2€
*University (Universidade); largo dos Colegiais; Mon-Fri 9-19, Sat 9-13, free admission, but there’s nothing really interesting here
 |
| Skulls Chapel |
Generally we were disappointed with Évora. Maybe if we had succeeded to see all the attractions, our impressions would have been better. But, nonetheless, there nothing here what can’t be seen anywhere else, perhaps apart from the Skulls Chapel, but such attractions don’t weigh much on the attraction of the whole place for us.
The town itself has its charm, walking the paved streets full of souvenir shops would have been more pleasant if more of them had been open. Not all the places, if open, had full offer that day. Luckily in one of the side-streets we found a cozy, cheap place with a Turkish cuisine, serving delicious kebabs!
As a result, we leave Évora the next day in the morning. Thanks to that we will have a whole day for the coastal Faro.
Read also: