Things to Do in Tomar — Convento de Cristo, Aqueduct & River Town

Tomar’s main draw is one of the most remarkable medieval monuments in Portugal — the Convento de Cristo, built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century and expanded over four more centuries of Portuguese history. But the town itself, with its river island park, medieval synagogue, and Ribatejo cooking, holds enough for a full day visit. See our Tomar city guide for transport and accommodation details.

Getting to Tomar

Train from Lisbon: approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from Oriente or Santa Apolónia, from around €10–15. Change at Entroncamento if needed. By car from Lisbon: 140km via A1/IC3, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. The train station is a 10-minute walk from the town centre.

Convento de Cristo

The Convento de Cristo sits on a forested hill above the town, enclosed by the original 12th-century Templar castle walls. The complex took shape across several centuries, which makes it architecturally layered: Romanesque in the oldest sections, Gothic, Manueline, and Renaissance in successive additions.

The Charola: The 12-sided Templar rotunda built around 1160, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The interior design — a central octagonal altar structure surrounded by an ambulatory — allowed knights to attend mass on horseback. The walls are covered in gilded painted panels; the carved columns are dense with symbolic detail. This is the most spiritually intense space in the building and arguably in all of Portuguese medieval heritage.

The Manueline Chapter Window: The west facade of the chapter house bears the most famous example of Manueline decoration in Portugal. The window frame accumulates carved imagery from the Age of Discovery — ropes, cork bark, the Cross of Christ, armillary spheres, coral, anchors — into a single compositional statement about Portuguese maritime power. View it from the Santa Bárbara cloister pathway. It rewards slow looking.

The Cloisters: Eight cloisters of different periods. The Great Cloister (Claustro Principal) is the largest — two-storey Renaissance, commissioned by João III in the 1550s. The Cloister of Washing (Claustro da Lavagem) has a characteristic Manueline arcade. The Cloister of the Crows (Claustro dos Corvos) is the smallest and most austere.

Castle Ramparts: The outer walls of the original Templar castle circle the hilltop above the convent. Walking the ramparts takes 20–30 minutes and gives views east over the Nabão valley toward the Serra da Estrela and west over the Ribatejo plain.

Tickets and hours: Approximately €6 combined (castle + convent) as of 2026. Open approximately 9am–6:30pm in summer, 9am–5:30pm in winter. The complex is large — pick up the free site map at the entrance.

Pegões Aqueduct (Aqueduto dos Pegões)

Built between 1593 and 1619 to supply the convent, the aqueduct stretches 6km with 180 arches. The most dramatic section — two tiers of arches crossing a valley — is a 20–25 minute walk from the convent (or 1km from the car park on the Estrada dos Pegões). Free to visit. The scale and solidity of the structure, visible against forested hills, make it one of the best engineering sights in central Portugal. Almost no queue even in summer.

Tomar Synagogue

On Rua Dr. Joaquim Jacinto, a short walk from the Praça da República. Built in the early 15th century and used by Tomar’s Jewish community until 1496 (the date of the Edict of Expulsion). The single-nave vaulted hall retains its original four columns and stone benches. One of the best-preserved medieval synagogues on the Iberian Peninsula. Entry approximately €1.50. The adjoining museum covers the history of Portuguese Jewry and the forced conversion of 1497.

Parque do Mouchão

A river island park in the Nabão at the edge of the town centre — crossed by pedestrian bridges from both banks. Watermill (a working replica), weeping willows, benches, and a café. Free to enter. The best place in Tomar to spend a slow afternoon hour — local families bring children here on weekends, and the atmosphere is unhurried. Walk in from the Avenida Dr. Cândido Madureira side.

Igreja de Santa Maria do Olival

On the south side of the Nabão, 10 minutes’ walk from the Praça. The 13th-century church served as the burial place of Tomar’s Templar Grand Masters, including Gualdim Pais, the city’s founder. The exterior is Romanesque-Gothic, the interior plain — it was restored after the 1755 earthquake. Free to enter. Often overlooked in favour of the convent but worthwhile for the historical context.

Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes

The national forest surrounding the convent covers seven hills and provides a shaded walking circuit below the castle walls. Well-marked paths connect the convent entrance with the aqueduct approach, the Castle of Almourol viewpoint, and forest picnic areas. Free to enter. Allow 45 minutes for the main loop, longer if you extend to the aqueduct.

For ticketed attractions in tomar, skip-the-line tickets can save time at the gate — useful for popular sites that queue in peak season.

tours in Tomar cover guided day trips, themed walks, and activity bookings so you can skip the logistics.

Practical Notes

Best time to visit: Morning for the Convento de Cristo — afternoon light creates glare on the chapter window facade. The aqueduct looks best in mid-morning. Weekdays are quieter than weekends year-round.

Eating near the convent: A café operates at the convent car park. For a proper meal, return to the town centre — the walk down takes 25 minutes or take a taxi (approximately €4–5). See the Tomar food guide for restaurant recommendations around the Praça da República.

Combined visit with Batalha and Alcobaça: All three UNESCO monuments are within 60km of each other. A hire car itinerary covering all three in a single day is feasible but pressured. Two days — Tomar first, then Batalha and Alcobaça — is the more comfortable option.