Vila Viçosa

Vila Viçosa lies about 55km southeast of Évora, best reached by car via the N254/N4 in around 50 minutes; a Rede Expressos bus with a connection in Estremoz also serves the town. As the historic seat of the House of Braganza, Portugal's former royal family, the town centres on the vast Terreiro do Paço square and the marble-faced Paço Ducal, the Ducal Palace, which remains furnished much as it was when the last king of Portugal, Manuel II, departed in 1910. A day itinerary suits a morning start with a guided tour of the Ducal Palace interior, including the armoury, the treasury, and the royal apartments, followed by a walk across the Terreiro do Paço, paved and lined with marble quarried locally. In the afternoon, the hilltop Vila Viçosa Castle, an older Braganza stronghold predating the palace, is worth the short walk for views over the marble quarries and surrounding olive groves, and the nearby Convento das Chagas, part of the palace grounds, houses further Braganza artefacts. Vila Viçosa suits a year-round visit given its mild terrain and largely level streets. A lunch stop in the town centre offers Alentejo dishes alongside local marble craftwork for sale, since the region remains a major marble-producing area.