My wife and I are going to be heading to Portugal this summer. We are spending some time in Lisbon, Evora also a day in Obidos. I was hoping to squeeze in a historic village and have been reading up on them a bit. Monsanto and Monsaraz look like they fit the bill. Anyone out there have any experience travelling to either of these villages? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Any other recommendations for another romantic village?
Thanks,
Matt & Christina
Our host strongly suggested Monsaraz. As we drove to Seville from Evora we could see it on the hill in the distance. Yes, distance! We kept onward! We had explored the fortifications of Elvas. We were unable to see the other two forts because they were closed 1200 to 1400 or 1500. In our past travels to southern Spain we have stayed in white villages. If we had not had that experience we would have made the quick stop for Monsaraz. Also, it is a lovely hour drive to the east of Evora. The reservoir is low.
We really enjoyed Monsanto; it is truly unique and romantic. But, logistically, it doesn't make sense. In some spots the roads to Monsanto is very curvy and while the scenery is great the drive is long. In your situation, from Obidos to Monsanto is about 2.5 hours and from Evora about 3 hours. You can see that Monsanto is out of the way. But Monsaraz is only about an hour from Evora. Also just a few minutes from Monsaraz you can see the Xeres stone circle and megaliths (Cromeleque do Xerez) and about .5 hrs from Evora the Cromeleque dos Almendres, stone circle and megaliths which may go back to 6,000 BC. Not sure if these sights are romantic but Monsaraz would be and if you're up for a bit of adventure you can see some ancient history as well.
