This village is near Evora and is starting point for viewing some megalithic sites.The main attraction in the village is the Aqueduct which was built between the 16 & 18th century as well as the Casa de Agua (house of water) and a circular tank known as the cardinals tank. These are highly decorated. 
A few kilometres outside the village is the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, a huge burial chamber thought to have been made between 3500 to 4000BC, and abandoned in 1500BC. It is the largest in the country comprising 8 standing stones which lean inwards to form the burial chamber 8 metres high. the 12 metre long approach corridor is mostly intact.
Further west we came to Menhir dos Almendres, a solitary menhir, 3 metres tall in the middle of an olive grove. Another 2.5 km away from this is Cromeleque dos Almendres, where 92 stones, some decorated with shallow engravings, are aligned in an oval plan for 70 m down a hill.This is thought to have been built about 7000 years ago, and appears to be linked with the other menhir as they line up to setting sun and moon at soltices.

THE STONES

This mountain town in the Alto Alentjo was a lovely surprise, even in the rain. A castle with climbable walls, bright white houses with lots of flowers and house plants, steep cobbled streets and natural mineral springs piped into fountains and public taps throughout town. Then there was a lovely artisan bakery.

Evora is one of Portugal's most historic and unspoilt cities with a Roman temple, Moorish alleys, medieval walls,  old palaces and ochre trimmed whitewashed mansions. There is even a Capella dos Ossus, a chapel decorated with the bones of long dead monks in the 1500s. The palaces include remnants of the Royal Palace of Evora and its gardens.  It is thought that Vasco Da Gama received his commission here to set sail looking for India. Also visited the Duques de Cadaval 14th century palace, still partly lived in and its chapel. This chapel contains extraordinary floor to ceiling azulejos (painted tiles) painted in the early 1700s.

Chapel of the Duke de Cadaval

Capela dos Ossus

STREETS OF EVORA

Beja was closed on Good Friday and, as alot of the buildings are not in a good state of repair, it all looked a bit sad. They are renovating the castle and walls so they were closed but the cemetery and nearby convent church were lovely. The museum was also closed but keeps alot of its Roman ruins on display in its front patio.

Lagos is a old fishing village near the mouth of the Bensafrim river, east of Cape St Vincent. It was walled in the 14th century and despite the town being much damaged in the 1755 earthquake the walls have survived. The main activities now are fishing and Tourism. The streets in the centre of town has been mostly pedestrianised and paved in differing patterns. Along with the brightly painted, whitewashed with coloured trim or tiled housefronts, this makes a very pleasant place for a stroll or even a gelati.

This is the most southwestern point of Europe. In the Middle Ages it was thought to be the end of the known world so the navigation school of Henry the Navigator was nearby at Sagres. This trained sailors to go out and explore. Now it has the most powerful lighthouse in Europe housed near a ruined 16th century Capuchin convent. We were grateful for its walls as it is a cold and windy spot, although this doesn't deter the fisherman both in boats and perched halfway down the cliff face.

A fishing village in the Algarve not far from the Spanish border. Our main interest is the Natural Park of Ria Formosa Ceam, with 4 km of walking tracks thorough coastal habitat. There is an old farmhouse with an old Arab waterwheel driven by donkey to feed water from a well, via an aqueduct into the orchards; old Roman salting tanks to preserve fish; fresh water and saltwater ponds with hides for Birdwatchers and poles for stork breeding nests.