Things to Do in Évora: Top Activities & Experiences

Évora is the Alentejo’s open-air museum — a walled medieval city where a Roman temple stands in the main square, a 16th-century cathedral looms over rooftops, and a chapel lined with human bones waits quietly around the corner. Outside the walls, megaliths older than Stonehenge dot the cork-oak plains. If you’re travelling inland Portugal and only have time for one stop, make it Évora. Here’s what to put on your list.

The Roman Temple of Diana

The 14 granite columns visible from Praça do Giraldo form one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the Iberian Peninsula. Built in the 1st century AD and wrongly attributed to Diana by 18th-century travellers (it was more likely dedicated to the imperial cult), the temple survived because it was incorporated into the city’s medieval castle after Roman rule ended, then used as a slaughterhouse for centuries — which is why the colonnade is still standing while most Roman structures in Portugal are rubble.

Entry to the exterior is free and the temple is always visible; guided Évora tours depart from Praça do Giraldo and typically include the temple plus four or five other monuments, running 1.5–2 hours for approximately €12–€18 per person (as of 2026). Évora’s tourist office on Praça do Giraldo can book these on the day in quieter periods.

Chapel of Bones at Igreja de São Francisco

The Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) at the Igreja de São Francisco is one of the stranger sights in Portugal. Built in the 16th century by Franciscan monks who exhumed remains from the city’s overflowing cemeteries, the chapel’s interior walls and ceiling are decorated with the bones of approximately 5,000 human skeletons. The inscription above the entrance reads: Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos (“We bones that are here, await yours”).

The chapel is genuinely arresting rather than merely macabre — the bones are arranged with geometric care, and the effect in the filtered light is closer to a meditation on mortality than a haunted house.

• Entry to the chapel: approximately €4 for adults, €2 for children under 14 (as of 2026)
• Entry to the wider church complex: approximately €2 additional
• Open Monday–Saturday 09:00–17:30, Sunday from 10:00; hours extend to 18:30 in summer

Tour the Sé de Évora

The cathedral, begun in 1186, is the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal. The Romanesque nave, Gothic transept, and Renaissance cloister accumulated over 400 years of construction give the building a layered quality that rewards close attention. The 32 carved apostles flanking the portal are 14th-century originals.

Climb to the roof terrace for views over the walled city and the surrounding Alentejo plain — on clear days you can see as far as the Alentejo hills 30 km away.

• Cathedral and cloister: approximately €4 for adults (as of 2026)
• Roof terrace: approximately €1.50 additional
• Treasury Museum: approximately €3 separately or bundled in a combined ticket for around €6

Open Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed Mondays.

Day Trip to Cromleche dos Almendres

The Cromleche dos Almendres, 14 km west of Évora, is one of the oldest and largest megalithic monuments in the Iberian Peninsula — a oval arrangement of 95 granite standing stones dating to between 6000 and 3000 BC. Unlike Stonehenge, there are no crowds, no fences, and no entry fee; you walk directly among the stones.

A second site, the Menhir dos Almendres (a single standing stone about 1 km from the cromleche), is the largest known menhir in Portugal and predates the circle by several thousand years.

Getting there: The sites are 14 km from Évora on unpaved rural roads — a car or organised tour is the only practical option. Taxis from central Évora cost approximately €20–€30 each way; several local operators run combined megalith + wine estate tours.

• Rotas do Alentejo and Inside Évora both offer half-day megalith tours from around €35–€45 per person (as of 2026), sometimes combined with a cork oak estate visit
• No entry fee for the sites themselves; parking is free at the cromleche trailhead

Alentejo Wine Tasting

The Alentejo produces roughly half of all wine consumed in Portugal, despite covering only about a third of the country’s area. The region’s signature grape varieties — Aragonês (Tempranillo), Trincadeira, and Alicante Bouschet — produce deep, structured reds that stand up well to the hearty local cuisine.

Several estates within 20 km of Évora offer visits and tastings:

• Herdade do Esporão (near Reguengos de Monsaraz, 35 km east) — one of the Alentejo’s largest producers; winery tours and tastings from approximately €15–€25 per person (as of 2026); restaurant on site
• Cartuxa / Fundação Eugénio de Almeida — estate 8 km from Évora with guided tours and tastings from around €12–€18 per person
• Monte da Ravasqueira (near Arraiolos, 20 km north) — smaller, family-run estate with intimate tastings

If you’d rather taste in town, the Évora Wine Bar on Rua 5 de Outubro pours a rotating selection of regional producers by the glass from around €3–€6.

Eat at a Traditional Taberna

Alentejo cooking is slow, hearty, and based on what the dry plains produce: acorn-fed black pork (porco preto), wild herbs, sheep’s cheese, and açorda (bread soup). Évora has several good spots:

• Taberna Típica Quarta-Feira (Rua Inverno 16) — one of the most reliable in the city for honest Alentejo food; mains from approximately €12–€18, closed Sundays
• Botequim da Mouraria (Rua da Mouraria 16A) — tiny, bookings essential; tasting-style menus that change seasonally, from around €35 per person
• Restaurante A Choupana — rustic grilled meats and migas (fried bread crumb side dish), budget €15–€22 per person

The local sheep’s cheese (queijo de Évora) is worth buying to take home — the market at Praça 1 de Maio on Saturday mornings is the best place to find it.

Getting Around Évora

The walled city is small enough to cover entirely on foot — no vehicle is needed within the walls. The Roman temple, cathedral, and Chapel of Bones are all within a 10-minute walk of each other.

For the megalithic sites and wine estates, car hire from Évora or a guided day tour is the practical option. Several agencies on Rua João de Deus offer rental from approximately €40–€60 per day (as of 2026) — you can also compare car hire rates to pre-book at better prices.

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Évora is 130 km from Lisbon — two hours by Rede Expressos coach or about 90 minutes by car. Staying two nights allows time for both the city monuments and at least one outing to the megaliths or wine estates.