Évora -

April 4, 2018

Évora

Wonders of A Historic Town: Chapel of Bones and Heavenly Conventual Pastries

From bone chapels where skulls and skeletons hang on walls to heavenly conventual pastries, it is tough not to place Évora on our must-visit list. An easy 2.5 hours road trip from Zambujeira, we drove away from the grandiose waves hitting Atlantic shores to begin our discovery of interior Portugal.

En route, we passed by a vinous town where 3 out of 5 signboards lead to wine adegas, and queer Guadiana, where stones are naturally arranged or stacked upon each other; unlike Ryōan-ji, a man-made zen rock garden in Kyoto.

Here is a 2D1N Évora travel itinerary that will sweep you off your feet! VLOG at the end to accompany.

STAY: Pousada Convento de Évora – a historic hotel

This paradise is as much of a historical site as it is a hotel.

Pousada Convento de Evora

Address: Largo Conde Vila-Flor, Evora City Center, Evora, Portugal, 7000-804 (great location!)

Contact: +351 266 730 070

Prices start from 90€. Book here.

1. Church of São Francisco + Chapel of Bones

If you did not arrive too late, visit the bones chapel, opened from 9 am to 6.30 pm throughout June until September. The fee is small, not more than 4€ per person.

Actually, I haven’t seen this because I was convinced that it is too touristic. To think of it now, it might be touristic for the Portuguese but if you are not from there, then you are missing out on a weird world wonder!

If you arrived too late, there is always tomorrow. Skip to:

2. Historic Centre of Évora

Wander the neighborly alleys, grab a fino (small beer) or Compal, a juice brand you will find throughout Portugal and easily Macau, relax, and do your rounds of souvenir shopping before dinner.

3. Dine at O Fialho

Thanks to the epicurean husband É is, we splurged tonight at an expensive restaurant we rated 4/5 stars. Notice the amazing number of certs hanging on the wall amongst a few photos!

We had: a spread of appetizers, rabbit rice, grilled good cuts, pumpkin sweets for dessert, and a bottle of local wine to accompany us throughout the entire gastronomical journey. HOW MUCH I MISS ÉVORA!!!

Restaurante O Fialho

Address : Tv. Das Mascarenhas 16, 7000-557 Évora, Portugal

Phone : +351 266 703 079 (encouraged to reserve table)

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 12 – 3 pm and 7 – 11 pm. Closed on Mondays.

P.S. Ladies might want to bring a light scarf along. I remember wearing this very summer outfit – the moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I was literally swayed by the wind! Throughout the stroll, it never. stopped. blowing. Luckily É usually brings along his ultra-light UNIQLO jacket for me (the ones you can squeeze into a bundle) in case of situations where I get bullied by unpredictable European weather like this.

4. Pastelaria Conventual Pão de Rala (Pão de Rala Convent Bakery) by Ercilia

Out of soooooooooo many breakfasts I’ve had in Portugal, this is my number 1. A conventual breakfast of sweet delicatessen surrounded by azulejo walls that paint or tell you stories as you savor golden pastries. Embedded in this pastry shop’s name are the words Pão de Rala, a kind of bread which calls for a must-try when you’re there.

List of Must-Try Pastries: