Travel&Vacation

Escapes Under $500

To see Europe’s finest castles, travelers often head to the stately manors of the United Kingdom or the chateaux of France. While these destinations convey a sense of grandeur, they can be very pricey to visit. Portugal, on the other hand, keeps a host of secrets inside the Alentejo, an area that encompasses much of its countryside. With acres of gnarled cork forests leading up to rugged stone fortresses dominating hilltops, the region reigns over its own piece of medieval history and invites you to live like a king, even if only for a few days.

Until recently, the Alentejo has remained virtually undiscovered by visitors because it hasn’t been very tourist-friendly. Although it retains its old fashioned ways—widows stand in village archways wearing traditional black garb and leather-faced men congregate on street corners curiously sizing up outsiders—things are starting to change.

According to David Humphrey, a retired reconnaissance specialist and England native who splits his time between Portugal and the U.K., “A little more than a decade ago, the region was difficult to access because of poor roads, some little more than cart tracks. The influence of tourism has created a new source of wealth for the economy with dramatic changes to the infrastructure of road, rail, and air travel, along with a massive increase in development and construction.”

The castles

Thanks to advancements in the region, people like you and me can easily reach the region’s castles, all 50 or so of them, by car. The sheer number can be attributed to King D. Dinis I (1279 – 1325), who rebuilt most of these former Roman and Moorish frontier fortresses in the interest of national defense. The land is relatively flat, so wherever there was a hill, a castle was built, and a town soon followed. As you drive across the region, you’ll see many of the hill towns and their castles jutting right out of the landscape.

But just how different is the castle experience in Portugal than that of the U.K.? Humphrey says, “Apart from Royal residences, many of the U.K. castles are preserved well but do not continue to have a function other than provide conducted tours for visitors. In Portugal, the castles and fortress constructions are often still part of the existing community and so it allows a more tangible mood of the times to be recreated in the visitors mind.” Because these structures are integrated into daily life rather than tourist attractions, access is completely free to the public in most cases.

A few castle towns stand out and have key defensive positions along the Spanish border. With one of the tallest castles in Portugal, Marvão is a fortified city in the northern Alentejo that towers over its Iberian neighbor. Igreja de Santa Maria, a whitewashed church with a tidy boxwood garden, marks the entrance to the majestic granite edifice. There’s a small military museum that charges a nominal admission fee, but the castle is free to visitors who are welcome to climb the towers and ramparts at will. Illuminated at night against a blackened countryside, Marvão resembles its own constellation and can be seen for miles.

Along the winding road a few miles north of Marvão, Castelo de Vide is best known for its fountains and hot springs, 24 churches, and 13th-century Jewish Quarter. Traditional white houses roofed with red tiles line this spa town made up of narrow streets. With a handful of friendly cafes, the main square is a good place to stop for a snack, especially the local
boleima de maçã
, similar to a homemade Pop Tart filled with apples and walnuts but with no unnecessary sugar added.