The Hill Town of Óbidos, Portugal
Stay for the evening ....
The fortified town of Óbidos perched high on a hill is one of Portugal’s iconic charming towns.
When you think of Portugal you may think of whitewashed walls, narrow cobbled lanes, tiny little restaurants, well, Óbidos has all it all and a castle!
We travelled to Óbidos after staying at Évora a couple of nights in the east of Portugal, and the landscape across the countryside was incredible.
Field after field of spectacular wildflowers, springtime in Portugal, what a delight.
A reference guide
Our recent new found love is Portugal, it is such a beautiful country. While planning our trip, I used the DK Eyewitness books. I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into discovering more.
We used a previous version of this book to plan our north to south Portuguese road trip, now you can grab the revised copy.
Timing
We arrived in Óbidos late afternoon as we knew this popular little town was going to be buzzing during the day, Óbidos is only (53 miles) 85km north of Lisbon, so, it is an ideal place to visit for a day trip.
All checked in, we strolled into town passing the 16th-century aqueduct, which was funded by the Queen of Portugal (Queen Catherine). It’s believed to be the last fully intact aqueduct in Portugal.
Bustling Lanes
We head into the old town through the lower city gate of Porta da Vila which has incredibly attractive 18th-century azulejos and such a lovely balcony.
Weaving our way along the colourful medieval street of Rua Direita, passing little boutiques, ice cream parlours and some intriguing gift shops, stocking all your medieval jousting needs.
Why not?
Start creating your own Portuguese adventure and discover its historical colourful towns and cities for yourself, easyJet & British Airways are just a couple of options.
To the Castle
We continued to head up to the castle which was rebuilt by Afonso Henriques after he seized the town from the Moors in 1148.
There’s evidence at the base of the medieval tower of Roman construction. You can stay overnight in the castle if you wish, as it is now a Pousada.
Have You?
Visited Portugal and discovered any towns or cities that you really want to share with us, as we can’t wait to start planning our next road trip?
A little detour
You can understand and appreciate why Óbidos is so popular with visitors, it is incredibly picturesque. However, whether it was because of the time of day (around 5/6pm), it wasn’t difficult at all to find some quieter spots.
Just one or two lanes back from Rua Direita and you have the enchanting white-washed streets to yourself.
Tempted to?
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Memory of Lisbon
Last year when we were in Lisbon, Gary discovered the local liqueur of Ginja, quite an acquired taste, and now we’d found that Óbidos did it too. So, as the car was parked up, we thought we would reminisce and enjoy a couple of Ginjas, along with some cheese and bread.
Good to know
Ginjas are sold by the glass, you don’t need to drink the whole the decanter.
After a couple of Ginjas, we headed out, and nearly all the crowds had gone for the evening. It was now time to find a local Portuguese restaurant, serving traditional fare.
Where we ate
No specific plans, we just wandered and found Jamon Jamon just outside the castle walls. The food was fantastic and very local, Gary went for the rustic octopus, and I played safe with a steak in a homemade sauce. Great cosy atmosphere, staff really chatty, we highly recommend it.
Inspired to visit Óbidos?
Stroll the charming cobbled lanes amongst the white-washed walls, ensure you stay for the evening, it becomes a whole new place.
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Comments
Obidos looks absolutely charming. I’d love to stay in the castle one day. There’s a posada there that looks fabulous and I think they have a medieval festival in the town in the summer. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
Yes there is a Posada, although not the easiest place to get to if you have a car, I think the parking was tricky. However, certainly worth staying overnight as it’s a completely different experience than during the day.I did read there was a medieval festival, we were there in Spring, so unfortunately missed it.I hope you enjoy it.
WOW! That castle! I would love to visit this lovely town. We loved visiting Portugal and I hope to get back one day. If I do I’ll be adding Obidos to my list of must go places. #farawayfiles
Ah beautiful Portugal! I was supposed to go to Lisbon and the Algarve this summer but had to cancel last minute due to some personal reasons. Hoping to make the trip happen again! Love those blue trimmed buildings! Thanks for linking up with #farawayfiles
You can actually stay in the castle, it’s a Pousada.We really loved our road trip around Portugal, it’s a country we have only recently discovered and can’t wait to return to tour around even more. There are so many quaint little towns.
Ahh that’s such a shame, I’m sure you’ll make it happen. It’s a country that still has that charm of feeling undiscovered in places. We will certainly be returning again.
Hrmm, now I’m interested to learn more about Ginja! I’ve wanted to visit Obidos for a while now and hopefully in 2019 we can make it to Portugal, of which this most definitely going on the itinerary! #FarawayFiles
It’s an acquired taste but not too offensive, but, hey you have to try these things. There are also a couple of tiny little shopfronts selling it in Lisbon, some folks even have a little tipple in the morning.Portugal is a fantastic country I can’t rate it highly enough, enjoy!!!