Taking a day trip to Évora from Lisbon is super easy! Évora is less than 2 hours away from Lisbon, and it’s packed with things to see and do. If you have the time, I definitely recommend you take a day trip (or longer) to see this historic town in the heart of the Alentejo region.
Getting There
There are many ways to reach Évora from Lisbon. We chose to drive there because it was the most convenient way for us. Driving, it takes about an hour and a half to reach Évora from Lisbon, making it an easy day trip. There are free parking lots outside the old city walls. We parked by the aqueduct and it was super convenient for exploring the town. Also, does it get any cooler than parking your car and getting out and seeing an aqueduct from the 1500s? Check out this website for parking options around Évora.
You can also go on a day trip to Évora from Lisbon by bus or by train. The journey from Lisbon to Évora by train also takes an hour and a half. Trains to Évora depart from these stations: Oriente, Entrecampos, Sete Rios, and Pragal. You can buy tickets to Évora on Comboios de Portugal website. If you choose to go to Évora by bus, check out Rede Expressos or Flixbus for tickets. The bus ride from Lisbon to Évora takes somewhere between 1h30m and 1h45m.
What to See and Do
For our day trip to Évora from Lisbon, there were three main sites we definitely wanted to see, so we set off to see them! This city truly has some spectacular monuments! No surprise that Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These are the sites we saw (and absolutely loved!):
Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)
I’ve decided that the churches named after Saint Francis offer great places to visit, and the Chapel of Bones in the Igreja de São Francisco in Évora is truly fascinating. This site is not to be missed when doing a day trip from Lisboa to Évora!
The Chapel of Bones is one of the most popular monuments in Évora. It was built in the 17th century by the initiative of three Franciscan friars. They wanted to convey a message of temporariness and fragility of human life. This is very clearly conveyed through the sign in the entrance that says: “We bones that are here, for yours we wait.”
The chapel was bigger than we had expected. The bones are human skulls that are neatly spread and connected with cement over the walls and pillars, and around doorframes and windows. In total there are around 5,000 human skulls in the Chapel of Bones. Where did they get the bones? From graves in the convent church and from other churches and cemeteries in Évora. Apparently, in the 16th century, the town had too many cemeteries, and as a solution, the monks took the bones from the ground and used them to “decorate” this chapel.
Sé de Évora
Évora Cahtedral is actually called Basílica Sé de Nossa Senhora da Assunçao, and it is the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, built between 1186 and 1250. It is easy to spot this beautiful cathedral as it sits on the highest part of town, right next to another iconic building: The Temple of Diana (Évora Roman Temple).
When you purchase a ticket to visit the cathedral, you can choose to visit the church and the terrace, or the church, the terrace and the museum. We chose the latter, though we didn’t spend much time in the museum as we were approaching lunch time and the kids were getting a bit tired.
The interior of the church was beautiful, and we really enjoyed visiting the terrace and seeing the panoramic views from the rooftop terrace. You can really see all of the town from the terrace! One really cool exhibit we saw was a display of many nativities from all over the world. We all really enjoyed seeing all the different styles and learning what countries they were made in.
Templo Romano de Évora (Temple of Diana)
The Roman Temple of Évora is one of the most beautiful and best preserved Roman temples in the Iberian Peninsula. The temple has been considered UNESCO World Heritage since 1986 and, along with the Chapel of Bones, it is one of Évora’s most visited sites.
This 2,000 year old temple is also known as the Temple of Diana by many Portuguese and people from Évora. This might have to do with a legend from the 17th century that said the temple was created to honor Diana, goddess of the hunt. In reality, the temple was built to honor the Roman emperor Augustus. Regardless of who it was built for, this beautifully preserved Roman temple definitely deserves a visit.
Around Évora
If you have a car when visiting Évora, you can (and should!) explore a bit more of the area. There really is so much to do and see there, especially as you get closer to the border with Spain. There are so many castles to visit, I don’t even know where to start!
After grabbing lunch in Évora, we did take a quick half hour detour to visit the Castle de Evoramonte.
Castelo de Évoramonte
The fortification you’ll see in Evoramonte dates back to 1306, when the king ordered it built around the medieval village. This area has proven difficult to repopulate permanently, so he built the walls to help the inhabitants feel protected. Despite the passing of centuries, a lot of the walls are still original.
Make sure to visit the castle A very nice lady who worked there explained the history and components of the castle. The terrace offers unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside. We were told that, on a clear day, you can see the Estremoz castle in the distance. We didn’t see it, but we were pretty sure we could see Spain from up there!
Where to Eat
Because we were on a day trip, we only grabbed a snack and lunch in Évora. Both of those were delicious! In fact, I’ve been told that the food in Évora is dangerously delicious, and so far I have to agree!
For lunch we ate at a restaurant that doesn’t appear on Google Maps, but that we found while walking on Alcarcova de Baixo street. We had seen this street had a cluster of restaurants so we headed there to see what we found. We ate at Petisqueira de Alcarcova, and really enjoyed the food there. I have to say that the price was more expensive than we are used to paying in Portugal, but the food and wine were really good. We ordered traditional dishes like Pica Pau and Porco Alentejano, as well as Chicken Salad.
Final Thoughts
We had a wonderful time in Évora! It is totally doable to see the main sites on a day trip, but I also felt like it would be nice to stay there a night or two just to absorb the ambiance. This town has so much history, I feel like you need to slow down to absorb it. I’m a big fan of visiting places twice to really absorb them fully, so I know we’ll be going back there in the future. Just not in summer, as it’s supposed to be one of the hottest places in Portugal!
We are a family of four who moved to Portugal in July 2024. Our family loves exploring our new home country, and enjoy sharing our adventures with others. To learn more about our adventures in Portugal, click here.
