12 Best Things To Do In Évora (Beyond The Chapel Of Bones)

Évora is compact, atmospheric and rich in historic sights, but not everything here deserves equal time. After years of travelling around Portugal and returning to Évora in different seasons, I’ve learned that the key is knowing what’s genuinely worth prioritising, what’s optional, and how your experience changes depending on how long you stay.

This guide reflects that thinking. It’s written for travellers who want context and clarity rather than a rushed checklist. If you find yourself wanting help turning those choices into a coherent plan, that’s where my Portugal Travel Planner comes in; this article is the starting point, not the whole process.

If the Chapel of Bones isn’t your thing, don’t worry – Évora rewards visitors far more for its atmosphere, food, history and surrounding countryside.

Many people first encounter Évora as a day trip from Lisbon, but once you slow down, it quickly becomes clear why it works better as an overnight stop, especially if you want time for food, atmosphere and nearby sights.

1. Contemplate your own mortality at the Chapel of Bones in Évora, Portugal

Among the most unusual things to see in Évora is the haunting chapel of bones next to Igreja de São Francisco. This gruesome construction is one of the city’s most popular sights so expect it to be busy but it’s worth seeing if you’re curious about history and symbolism. If you’re sensitive to stark reminders of mortality, you may want to skip it.

The Franciscan monks who conceived this grisly project certainly knew how to drive a message home. With the aim of provoking visitors into contemplating the transitory nature of human life, they gathered up the skeletons of over 5,000 dead from the town graves and used them to build this chapel. Five centuries later, the eerie atmosphere provides modern visitors with a grim reminder that despite medical and technological advances, there’s just no escaping death, no matter how rich or important you may be.

Practicalities: Igreja de São Francisco, Praça 1º de Maio. The entrance includes access to whatever temporary exhibition is on and the nativity collection. If you’re staying overnight in Évora, you can avoid the daytrippers by going early. For further information check here.

2. Explore Evora’s public gardens, peacocks and King Manuel’s Palace

Évora’s public gardens offer a peaceful contrast to its historic churches and plazas – a good place to pause your sightseeing and take in a quieter side of the city.

Amid the bushes, paths and ponds, you’ll find a ruined building which a pride of peacocks have claimed as their territory, making for some potential Instagram moments.

The rather splendid building just inside the park is Dom Manuel Palace – all remains of the 16th century Royal Palace, which was once integrated into the Franciscan complex. Nowadays it hosts exhibitions and cultural events so you could pop in to see if there’s anything interesting on during your visit.

3. What to do in Évora – visit the Cathedral

We arrived just as people were gathering for mass so we spent very little time in the main church and headed straight for the cloisters. As the only visitors at that time, we were able to admire the vaulted ceilings, arches and stone roses in peace, apart from the clanging bells. The founder’s chapel in the far corner contains a beautifully carved marble tomb of Dom Pedro and a depressed lion.

There’s little information about the building so we almost missed the spiral staircase to the roof of the cloisters (it’s opposite the toilets). It’s worth the climb for the city views, the close up of the gigantic rose window and the 14th century relief carving of Gerald the Fearless, aka the Giraldo of Praça do Giraldo. This local hero was instrumental in turfing the Moors out of Évora in 1167 during the reconquest that resulted in the creation of Portugal as a country.

Practicalities: Largo do Marquês de Marialva. Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4pm). Ticket prices vary depending on how much you want to see. We didn’t bother with the sacred art museum (you can see plenty of this in the Evora Museum). If you’re able, take the opportunity to climb to the roof – the city views and surrounding plains are one of the highlights for many visitors and help you understand Évora’s layout.

If you do decide to stay overnight, where you base yourself in Évora makes a real difference to how relaxed the visit feels. I’ve put together a separate guide to Évora accommodation, with suggestions depending on whether you want to be inside the walls, close to parking, or using the city as a base for the wider Alentejo.

4. Pop into the Carriage Museum

Walk around the back of the cathedral and you’ll find one of Evora’s hidden gems. Part of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, this small museum displays the family’s fine collection of carriages and associated items. Watch the short video for context and an insight into the lives of this high profile family.

For lovers of craftsmanship and social history, this small collection brings to life the elegance of travel and society in Évora’s past.

5. Megalithic monuments

The chance to see some of Europe’s oldest stone monuments near Évora gives a powerful sense of how long this landscape has been inhabited and revered.

Around the outskirts of the city you’ll find some of the oldest monuments in Europe, dating from 5500-4500 BC. These megalithic enclosures were built here because this was the crossing point for various rivers.

The biggest megalithic monument in the Iberian Peninsula is the double circle of standing stones at Almendres Cromlech, built around 7000 years ago.

Others of note are Zambujeiro dolmen, a funerary monument whose contents are on display in the Évora Museum (see below) and Almendres Menhir.

How to get there: If you’re visitig on a day trip from Lisbon, try this Small-Group Évora and Almendres Cromlech Full Day Tour. If staying overnight, take a half-day tour with a local tour operator.

6. Visit Évora Museum

In front of the cathedral you have the city museum. Having spent the previous morning on a tour of the nearby megalithic monuments, Jules and I were keen to see the first room of the Archaeology section. It contains the engraved slate plates, ceramic dishes, beads and other treasures that were placed with the dead inside the Neolithic Zambujeiro dolmen.

The exhibition progresses through the Bronze and Iron Ages to the Roman era. As you might imagine for a city that was important enough to have a Roman temple, there is no shortage of Roman sculptures.

The upper floor of the museum is replete with religious art including the altarpiece from Evora Cathedral and paintings by Grão Vasco.

7. See the frescoes at Casas Pintadas

Both Jules and I are fresco fans so we were keen to see the Casas Pintadas (Painted Houses). These paintings of mythical creatures and other animals represent moral characteristics, virtues and vices and adorn a 15th century nobleman’s house.

While this artwork is around 500 years old, the exhibitions inside the Centro de Arte e Cultura are utterly modern, providing an interesting contrast. Make sure you go to the top floor to see the Inquisitor’s Room. It’s so dark that you can barely see the painted ceiling – instead, the details are projected onto a lumpy light display on the floor.

This contrast between old and new, sacred and secular art is one of the reasons Évora’s layered history stays with you.

Practicalities: Largo do Conde de Vila Flor, accessed via the Centro de Arte e Cultura.

8. Pose beside the Roman temple, aka Templo de Diana

A surprisingly small but reasonably well-preserved Roman temple dating back to the 1st century AD dominates the square in front of the museum. Often called the Temple of Diana, it’s more likely part of the imperial cult honoring Emperor Augustus.

It was a hub for the city’s activity for a couple of hundred years until Germanic invaders destroyed it. You can’t go inside but if the weather’s nice and you want to simply contemplate its history, there’s an outdoor café in the small gardens beside the temple.

9. See the azulejos inside Cadaval Palace and Loios church

One side of the Roman temple is flanked by the Archbishop’s palace and the other by the Cadaval Ducal Palace. This latter palace adjoins the Church of Loios, which in turn is connected to the former convent, now luxury hotel.

The church is a wonderful example of how specially commissioned azulejo panels were used for floor-to-ceiling decoration and illustrations of saintly lives in the early 18th century. However, unless you pay to step behind the thick red velvet curtain, you won’t get to see this as it’s still private property.

10. Wander the ancient corridors of University of Evora

While not as impressive (in my eyes) as the University of Coimbra, as one of Portugal’s longest running universities, Evora’s seat of learning is still worth a visit. The stunning cloistered courtyard is lined with lecture rooms that ooze history via their blue and white tile panels and the Grand Hall has some intriguing designs.

It’s particularly worth visiting if you appreciate architectural continuity; seeing how old and new coexist in everyday life here.

11. Walk alongside the Agua da Prata / Silver Water aqueduct

Jules and I were staying very near to the 16th century aqueduct so we followed a tiny section of its 18 km length into and out of the heart of the walled city several times. This gave us ample opportunity to see how Évora’s medieval planners integrated water infrastructure into urban life, and to marvel at the impossibly narrow houses that have been built into the arches of this medieval waterway.

12. Go wine tasting in Évora

Évora sits within the Alentejo wine region, known for robust reds and wine-in-terracotta-urn (vinho da talha) tradition, so wine tasting here connects you with deep regional culture as well as local flavours.

We had intended to visit a nearby winery but ran out of time. Instead, we went to the Rota dos Vinhos do Alentejo tasting room, shop and information centre. For a small fee, you can taste a few of the wines that are being featured that week. If you like any of them enough, you can buy some, or any of the other bottles they have in stock.

If you haven’t yet decided which local wineries you would like to visit in person, this is a worthwhile stop as the information available will help you plan such visits.

Where to stay in Evora – Best hotels and guesthouses

Staying inside the historic walls gives you the freedom to explore early and late when the streets are quiet; properties just outside offer easy parking and countryside views.

Évora has accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets and you’ll find my top picks from the various categories in this dedicated article about Evora hotels.

Where to eat and drink in Évora

Probably my favourite restaurant in Evora is Taberna Típica Quarta Feira. 3 generations of the same family work tirelessly to produce delicious Portuguese food served with a smile. You don’t get to choose what to eat – it’s whatever the chef decides is the dish of the day. I’m a bit squeamish about fatty meat but we had braised pork neck which was slow cooked, tender and tasty and not too fatty at all. This was after a myriad of starters and followed by an array of desserts. At €30 a head including house wine, it was excellent value. 

Reservations are essential. Cash only. Rua do Inverno 16-18. Open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday and for dinner from Monday to Saturday.

Another rustic traditional restaurant with red and white checked tablecloths and a simple menu chalked on the wall is Adega do Alentejano, where the house wine is still drawn from large wooden barrels. After hearing that this is THE best place for my favourite tomato and bread soup, we booked a table. At this restaurant, not only do you get a poached egg in the soup, it comes with a side dish of fried Portuguese sausages. We also had the bacalhau dourada (golden cod), which was home made and tasty.

Rua Gabriel Victor do Monte Pereira 21A. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. Cash only.

We found a lovely ‘secret’ café down the side of the Carriage Museum, just through a gate on the left. We weren’t even sure it was open to begin with as we were the only ones there. The interior is lovely but the main feature is the outdoor terrace. Pateo de São Miguel. Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

If you like pasteis de nata, aka Portuguese custard tarts to die for, or just pies in general, try the Fabrica dos Pasteis (Pie Factory). Tucked away on a side street near Praça Giraldo, you can eat in or take away but either way, you’ll be getting freshly baked sweet or savoury pies to make your mouth water. Alcárcova de Cima 10. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 9 pm.

How to get to Évora

Évora is easy to access from Lisbon and beyond, by train, bus, car or guided tour, making it suitable for a long day trip or overnight stay.

The train from Lisbon to Evora (approx. 1.5 hours) runs several times a day from Entrecampos station. Flixbus and Rede Ecxpressos buses also serve this route with similar journey times.

Driving to Evora is easy as it’s motorway pretty much all the way – it takes around 1.5 hours, depending on traffic – compare rental car prices.

If you’re based in Lisbon and prefer to join a structured visit, a full-day tour typically covers Évora’s city centre attractions and sometimes nearby megaliths.

For example: Small-Group Évora and Almendres Cromlech Full Day Tour.

Alternatively, you can take a private tour by one of my trusted partners, with an emphasis on sustainability and meeting local producers and craftspeople. Complete this enquiry form.

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