Elvas & Marvão
When initially planning our trip to Portugal, there were two towns near the Spanish border we wanted to visit, but were a bit far from where we were staying to do just as a day trip. To solve this, we decided to spend one night in both Elvas and Marvão.
We spent Saturday night in Elvas. Elvas is located on the far east side of Portugal. It is a wonderfully preserved town, home to two forts, a castle, several churches, and white-washed homes.
Old Santa Clara Square
Igreja de São Domingos
We walked to Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, a church built in the 16th century and was the primary cathedral in Elvas until it the church lost its episcopal status in 1882.
We also were able to explore the Castelo de Elvas. This is a small castle and has survived numerous sieges and battles over hundreds of years. The castle was constructed purely for defense so although there are thick walls, it does not have many decorative architectural features.
On Sunday morning we visited both forts in Elvas, the Forte de Santa Luzia and the Forte da Graça. The Forte de Santa Luzia sits a mile outside of Elvas's city walls and now houses a military museum.
The Forte da Graça is situated on a high hill two miles from Elvas (you can see it in the distance in the picture above in the top right corner). There were beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and the Amoreira Aqueduct.
After spending time exploring the forts, we left Elvas and drove one hour to Marvão. Marvão is another medieval walled village perched high on a rocky hill called the Serra de Marvao. The town is quite small and so very charming. Marvão has been one of the highlights of our Portugal trip so far with its winding cobblestone streets full of rocky stairs, pretty flowers, and colorful doors. There were also very few other tourists. We stayed an an adorable hotel, Pousada Santa Maria, a guesthouse built in the 13th century with amazing panoramic views.
Igreja de Espírito Santo
Igreja do Calvário
The main attraction in the village is the Castelo de Marvão. It was built in the 12th century and was mainly used to track enemy forces from Valencia de Alcántra in Spain. It is incredibly preserved and we were able to walk all around.
