Every journey begins with a single step — Evorá in two seasons, my latest mini road trip
Evorá on a sunny May day - May 2024
Every journey begins with a single step right?! Like this! Mega cliché but it’s true.
Of all the places I’ve travelled…. I’m starting with… Évora!? Yeeep. I’m going to start with my latest adventure — a tale of the Alentenjano city of Évora, in two seasons.
I first happened to visit Évora because I needed to go and do a Portuguese exam with the goal of eventually applying for citizenship. You only need A2 level Portuguese for this, and I’m well ahead of the game, as you need five years of residency to qualify (which I don’t have yet), but for some reason, I think language exams are fun. So one night when I couldn’t sleep, I signed up, and voilá—the trip to Évora was born.
Me being me, I decided to make the most of it and turn it into a mini road trip. This was November 2023. I invited a good friend along, and we promptly planned a weekend in the small city of Évora in the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so we figured there would definitely be some things worth seeing. I knew it was famous for its Chapel of Bones (the Capela dos Ossos), and for vineyards and wine tasting, and for its food —although it's very meaty food. As a 99% vegetarian (or flexitarian), I was certainly willing to find out how this would go for me! :)
Évora in November…
…was foggy and atmospheric, and it somehow suited the city. I felt like I was in The Shadow of the Wind set in Barcelona. It felt very Gothic, very poetic and somehow very fitting. I got up early one morning to walk Chanel and mist cloaked the city and its old Roman ruins and I loooved it.
Living in the south of Portugal, I sometimes miss the autumn colours, and Evorá is just that bit further north that you actually can see some fall shades.
Misty, atmospheric Évora in the autumn
Accommodation
We stayed at an Airbnb that was dog-friendly, which I can recommend. It was cosy, even though it was winter, and houses in Portugal can often be damp, so we made sure that we did our research. We booked somewhere with heating, and this was certainly not a problem—we weren't cold, despite it being within the old city walls.
Evora Cathedral
Unfortunately, I got sick on this trip and obviously was focusing on my exam, but we still did some really nice things. The Cathedral at the top of the city for sure is worth checking out. And it’s worth the climb to the top of the cathedral. I think this is really where Shadow of the Wind gothic vibes got me. However, if you are travelling with a dog, these places won’t let you take the dogs inside, so we tag-teamed it and went in individually.
My second visit was just now in May 2024, to go and pick up said exam certificate (thanks for asking, I passed with flying colours). May in Évora felt quite different. Although when I arrived on the Sunday evening it was also kind of misty and rainy again, it didn’t stop me from joining a friend and going to have dinner in a nice restaurant called O Pateo, which has both vegetarian and meaty options, and some lighter things as well. I can imagine on a summer's evening it would be super atmospheric to go and sit there. This time I opted for a dog-friendly hotel as it was just one night. I had Chanel with me, and I can really recommend the Garden Hilton Hotel. Although they charge 20 eur per dog, it's only been open for less than a year and the standards were impeccable. Plus shout out to the staff who were super friendly and kind (to me and the dog).
The Hilton Garden Hotel - yeaaah the bed is a mess I know
The next morning, after working from the hotel, Chanel and I headed out to explore the city again. We sat and had an amazing Thai-Asian fusion lunch at Kantu—delicious. Maybe not the most authentic Pad Thai I've had outside of Thailand, but certainly super flavourful and tasty. So definitely check that out if you're in the region and get a bit fed up of endless meat options. There were veggie and non-veggie options available.
Epic Evorá sunset in November
We wandered around again before heading off to go pick up my exam certificate from the university building. I shouldn’t say this because obviously you're not supposed to do it, and I had a legitimate reason for being there, but if you can find a way to sneak yourself into the university building, it's incredible. It has an amazing internal courtyard, and a lot of tiled parts of the building, and all in all, it’s just very beautiful.
Evorá University courtyard
So that was my tale of two seasons of visiting Évora. I think if I had more time, I would definitely go back. It's a very charming city. Being a university city, so it feels very young and there's a nice vibe around it. I felt a bit disappointed both times that I didn't make it to a vineyard to do a tasting, but the first time I was sick and the second time I was very short on time. And ultimately, spring or autumn, it doesn’t matter when you go - if you keep in mind summer is going to be SUPER HOT.
Chanel embracing autumn
I think the Alentejo is worth exploring, and one of my favourite places in actually probably the whole of Portugal is nearby—Reguengos de Monsaraz (thanks for the tip, Greg!!!!). The roads are wide open and quiet, and there’s a vineyard at every turn! What’s not to like!!!????
More to come soon. And ciao bacalhau for now x
