The adorable town of Óbidos is a place you won’t want to miss on your next trip to Portugal. The entire historic town, including a castle, is enclosed inside a tall, medieval wall giving it an enchanting setting. Here are some things you will see when you spend a day in the fortified town of Óbidos.
On the edge of town is a long 16th century aqueduct that brought drinking water to the homes inside the walls.
Your love for Óbidos will begin as soon you walk under Porta da Vila (Village Gate). The gorgeous azulejos above Oratory of Our Lady of Piety lets you know that you are about to see something truly special.
One of the best features of this town, is that it is contained entirely within the old walls. The stone rampart is only broken where it meets the medieval castle. Towers in the corners add to its medieval look.
Once inside the gate, you can walk along the top of the wall and enjoy the charming scenes of terracotta tiled roofs atop perfect, white homes. Even the the wall itself is picturesque from this vantage point.
Óbidos Castle (Castelo de Óbidos) is a typical medieval castle. It has a commanding exterior with two rounded drum towers guarding its front gate. An imposing tower above completes the Gothic look. Today it is a hotel and restaurant so unless you’re a hotel guest, you can only enter the first courtyard.
After walking around the town on the top of the wall, the next best thing to do is aimlessly wander the disjointed streets. Soak in the atmosphere as bougainvillea drapes over some of the walls while others are decorated in potted plants. Only residents’ cars are allowed in the town making it even more peaceful as you amble along the medieval cobbled streets.
In addition to being encapsulated by the wall, another aspect that makes this town perfect, is that there are only heritage buildings inside. Thankfully, modern structures haven’t intruded.
Originally built by the Moors, the town was conquered by Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques in the 12th century. About 80 years later a new tradition was started by King Afonso II. He decided to give the town to his wife, Queen Urraca, as a gift. Wouldn’t you like to be her? This strange tradition continued until the 16th century.
Most people say that the cutest street is Rua Dureita. It is pretty, but is lined with tourist shops and therefore filled with tourists. No one else seemed to walk along the other adorable streets. This meant that they were very quiet, which is why we preferred them.
There are a couple spots that you won’t want to miss as you stroll around the town. One is the azulejo-decorated walls and painted ceiling inside Santa Maria Church. Another is the bookstore located inside an old church, called Livraria de Santiago.
How to get to Óbidos
Located only 80 km north of Lisbon, it’s fairly easy to reach Óbidos. Buses destined Caldas da Rainha stop in Óbidos. They leave from Campo Grande Terminal in Lisbon. There are also many tours from Lisbon that include Óbidos in their itinerary. If you prefer to travel by train, one leaves from Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia Station. It is apparently very slow though. The final option is the easiest and that is to drive. You can not drive within the town, but there is a parking lot right outside of Puerte de Vila.
The first map below is of the entire country. The second map is an expansion of the southern half. You can click on either for a closer look. You can find Óbidos near the top of the second map.
This article is now featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Obidos.
To read more of our adventures in Portugal, click here.
Coming Next – Visit University Town Of Coimbra’s Historical Buildings
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
We'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment.