Tuesday 22nd May 2018
About 35 minutes south from our campsite was the historic walled town of Óbidos, considered to be one of the most picturesque locations in Portugal. It seemed like the perfect way to spend our last day before we headed north to Porto.
The short drive on A8 brought us to Óbidos Municipality. There were a number of public car parking areas just outside the town walls, all clearly signposted charging a minimal amount. On the day we visited there were a number of tourist buses but this number increases lots during the peak months.
We parked close to the large Amoreira Aqueduct, crossing one road to enter the town through the main gate, Porta da Vila.
As you enter the gate and look upwards you will see the traditional decorated azulejos tiles, depicting the Passion of Christ.
We entered the town and were greeted with two main narrow cobbled streets.
They were lined with shops, restaurants and small bars touting the local cherry liqueur Ginja de Óbidos. If you enjoy cherries and alcohol, then this sweet tasting drink will definitely appeal.
First experience was to walk around the town walls which were accessed by some very steep stone steps, but be warned, the path is extremely well worn, not much more than a metre wide with multiple trip hazards and there are no health and safety precautions here!
Also there is no one way system, so you often have to negotiate passing people going in the opposite direction. The drop from the open side of the wall is quite jaw dropping and anyone with mobility issues or with young children should seriously not even consider attempting it.
All of that said the views from here are absolutely stunning over the tiled roofs of the quaint white-washed Portuguese buildings below, the medieval castle in the corner of the town and the agricultural exterior landscape. Well worth the accelerated heart rate and bouts of vertigo 😉
We had read that it was possible to walk the entire battlements, but part of this was barriered off so we had to descend near the castle and then ascend on the other side to complete the walk.
Having completed the ‘wall of death’ successfully, we descended near the main gate and went to explore the town within. Although the two main streets were busy with numerous tourists, away from here there were much quieter areas to explore within the walls.
At the end of the day we were glad we had not passed up the opportunity to visit this delightful area of Portugal.
Óbidos has now been bestowed the title of UNESCO City of Literature.