We venture on to our next Portuguese road trip destination, and now we are heading to Évora.

We based ourselves here for a couple of nights, as we know this city has so many nooks and crannies for us to discover.

One of the reasons we chose Évora was for its incredible amount of history, I’ve read that there is a chapel of bones, so, why wouldn’t you visit?

What Gary and I enjoyed about Évora, was that it was easy to walk around. Lane after lane strolling over the well-trodden white tiles so synonymous with Portugal.

There’s such a beautiful mixture of architecture, not only from the Romans and the Moors but also more recent structures from the 16th century.

As Évora’s historic centre is a UNESCO site, you can imagine there’s plenty to see.

If time is on your side, stay for the evening, as it is so pleasant to stroll around at dusk when the lights around the city come to life.

Just behind where we were staying are the Public Gardens, I can imagine this is a cool place to retreat to, escaping from the high heat of the day.

Within the grounds are architectural ruins from the Mudejar period, and just sauntering around the ruins and not giving two hoots about anyone are elegant peacocks.

Just stepping north out of the gardens and you stroll into Largo de San Francisco, a pleasant square with cafes & restaurants. However, its centre-piece is San Francisco church, built during the early 16th-century in Gothic style.

Restoration has since been undertaken inside and out, due to large cracks in the nave. Take a climb up to the outside balcony, for a view across the rooftops and square below.

Who would have thought that around 5,000 bones would be so fascinating, but it is?

The chapel was built in the 16th century by three monks, who wanted to convey that life was transient. So, they unearthed the bones of around 500 monks from graveyards & cemeteries around the city (slightly weird).

Stacked high along the walls and pillars are row after row of bones and skulls. It’s incredible, and it sends a shiver down the spine.

The message above the entrance reads “Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos” - “We, the bones that are here, await yours". (A rough translation)

One of the main squares in Évora is Praça do Giraldo, attractive buildings and arcades surround the elegant square.

At one end is the church of St Anton overlooking the Renaissance fountain which was built in 1571.

Perhaps not a question you ask every day, however, in this region of Portugal cork has several uses, even a bikini.

As we head up to the highest point in Évora, we come to one of the oldest cathedrals in Portugal. Évora’s cathedral was built between 1283 & 1308 and has a beautiful cloister within it walls.

However, for me the best part was walking upon its rooftop, it’s a bit of a narrow climb up but undoubtedly worth it. You feel like you’ve sneaked out to somewhere you shouldn’t be & the views across the city were fantastic.

Sitting high in the city near the cathedral is the 1st century AD ruins of a Roman Temple. It is so impressive how the Romans never seem to fail to achieve leaving their mark.

All within hopping distance around the Largo do Conde de Vila Flor, is Évora museum, the public library, Cadaval Palace and church & the very pleasant garden of Jardims Diana.

The Cadaval Palace was built on the grounds of an old castle burnt down in 1384, Évora today still has large sections of the castle walls surrounding the city.

We head off to find Évora’s 16th century Prata Aqueduct, which was designed by Francisco de Arruda, the same person who designed Belém Tower.

As the arches start to reach out from the ground, we wander further along and find that no space is left unused.

Homes and shops are built within the towering arches of the aqueduct, everywhere is utilised among the little lanes.

Originally the water supply from the aqueduct ended in Praça do Giraldo, but further branches have led off one of them towards, Largo de Porta Moura.

The impressive spherical water fountain and bath is known as ‘Source of the Porta de Moura’, which was connected to the aqueduct in 1556 to enable people could collect water from within the city.

We really enjoyed our stay at Évora, although it attracts tourist to its ancient sites, it still feels very family orientated and proud.

It’s hard to beat strolling along the peaceful cobbled lanes amongst the mustard and whitewashed homes and not feel content.

We chose a local Portuguese restaurant called São Luís, quite modest from the outside. The food was traditional, and you couldn’t fault the portions, my veal cutlet could easily have fed Desperate Dan.

Our accommodation for the two nights we were in Évora, was at the modern Évora Olive Hotel. Fantastic location within the old town and had ample underground parking.

I would certainly stay here if returning to Évora.

It’s a delightful UNESCO city, and there are not many places in the world with a Chapel of Bones.

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