HERE’S THE PLAN...

Essential Info

When to go: Spring and autumn are best. Temperatures can reach 40°C or more in summer. Winters are usually fairly mild, although there can be frost. Getting there: TAP (flytap.com) flies direct from London and Manchester to Lisbon from £59 one way.

From Lisbon airport take the metro to Sete Rios for a bus to Évora; buses run hourly, take 90 minutes and cost €11.90 one way (rede-expressos.pt). Alternatively, take the metro from the airport to Oriente station; trains to Évora run four times a day, take 90-100 minutes and cost from €12.40 one way (cp.pt). Cars can be hired from Lisbon airport. The drive takes 90 minutes, and includes crossing Europe’s longest road bridge. Getting around: Évora is compact and easily walkable, but wear flat shoes – there are cobblestones. To explore the wider area you’ll need to hire a bike or a car, or arrange a tour. The tourist office has many options. Where to stay: Convento de Évora, aka Pousada dos Loios (pousadas.pt), occupies a former 15th-century monastery facing the Roman temple; doubles from €85pn [£75]. Also in the old town, M’AR de AR Muralhas (mardearhotels.com) has a pretty garden, swimming pool and spacious rooms; doubles from around €90pn [£79]. Convento do Espinheiro (conventodoespinheiro. com), a restored 15th-century convent, sits on a hill a short drive from the city and has luxurious rooms; doubles from €145pn [£128]. Where to eat: Service is haphazard at Café Alentejo but the food makes up for it (restaurantecafealentejo. com). Taberna Típica Quarta Feira offers a warm welcome (facebook. com/tabernatipica quartafeira). Tábua do Naldo is friendly and highly rated (facebook. com/tabuadonaldo). Further info: visitalentejo.pt; visitportugal.com.

Day 1: FEEL THE CITY IN YOUR BONES

The old town is invitingly walkable: nothing is more than a ten-minute stroll from the main square, Praça do Giraldo. The well-preserved Roman temple, used as an execution spot during the Inquisition, dates from around the first century AD. The Roman baths, near the town hall, are even older. Evora’s huge rose-granite Cathedral dates from the 12th century and contains an unusual statue of a pregnant Mary. There are great views from the roof while, next door, the impressive archbishop’s palace is now home to the Évora Museum.

In the small Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) more than 5,000 bones line the walls. It was built as a solution to growing space pressures during Évora’s 16th-century boom days, but also served to remind the living of life’s transient nature.

For something lighter, do a little shopping on Rua 5 de Outubro, where there are stores specialising in eco-friendly cork products.

Évora has a wide choice of restaurants. Wash down hearty specialities with a local wine such as one from the Cartuxa winery.

Day 2: SEEK OUT THE STONES

Leave the town – by bicycle, car or on an organised tour – and go in search of megaliths. At least 150 megalith sites have been found around Évora, suggesting this was an important area in neolithic times.

The Cromlech of the Almendres, 15km east of Évora, is the Iberian peninsula’s equivalent of Stonehenge, a site of around 95 lozenge-shaped stones. The first circle was created over 7,000 years ago. Set on a hillside, it looks towards Évora and its cathedral, raising speculation that there was probably a megalith there that predated the first church. There is no visitor centre or admission charge, and it’s a lovely, tranquil spot. The nearby Menhir of Almendres is a solitary 2.5m-high stone, reached on foot up a rutted track. As ever, its symbolism is unknown.

This is an agricultural area of cork trees, olive groves, sunflowers and vines. Getting to the stones will give you an opportunity to see cork oaks up close; trees that have been harvested are left with a deep red undercoat until their new bark grows. This is a key area for wine too, and many of the local wineries offer tours, tastings and chances to try local food.

Day 3: HEAD FOR THE HILLTOPS

Explore the wider Alentejo region. It’s a quiet delight of rolling hills, hilltop villages and near-empty roads that are a pleasure to drive. Over the border in Spain, these pretty whitewashed towns would be on a well-worn tourist trail, but here they are crowd free. The region also has many beautiful old pousadas if you want to stay overnight.

The hilltop village of Monsaraz, looking towards the border, has had a turbulent history of invasion and counterattacks, involving the Moors, the Spanish, the Knights Templar and a 14th century Duke of Cambridge. Megaliths dot the area around it.

Nearby Lake Alqueva is the largest manmade lake in Europe and is a certified Dark Sky site, so excellent for star-gazing. Stay on a houseboat, paddle a canoe or take a boat trip. Or hire a bike to explore along the shore and the surrounding villages. There is also a series of walking trails.

Beja is another town of historical significance. It was founded in 48 BC by Julius Caesar and has a well-preserved castle (with superb views) and an interesting old centre. For another castle fix, wind your way up to the gorgeous, wall-encircled hilltop village of Marvão.