• Travelsignposts Home
  • Country Guides
  • City Guides
  • River Cruises
  • Europe Photos
  • About Us

Portugal Travel

  • Home
  • Photos
  • Map
  • Weather
  • Site Map
  • Destinations
  • Sightseeing
  • Shopping
  • Food
  • Getting around
  • Useful facts
  • News & Events
You are here: Home / Destinations / Óbidos – Portugal’s Perfect Medieval Fortress

Óbidos – Portugal’s Perfect Medieval Fortress

By Helen Page Leave a Comment

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Óbidos Is Sometimes Referred to as “Queen’s Town”:

Porta da Vila, Obidos town gate

Porta da Vila, Obidos town gate


One of my favourite destinations in Portugal is Óbidos.  This pretty and well preserved medieval town is sometimes called the “Queen’s Town“.

When King Dinis married Isabel of Aragon in 1282, Óbidos was one of the wedding presents that he gave her. From then until 1883, Óbidos and the surrounding land were always the property of the Queens of Portugal.

A Medieval Fortress

Encircled by a ring of medieval walls, Óbidos is one of the most perfect example of a medieval fortress in Portugal. There was once a Moorish castle here which was rebuilt by King Dinis. D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, captured Óbidos from the Moors in 1148.

These days, the Castelo de Óbidos serves as a pousada, the Pousada de Óbidos.  It was opened in the 1950’s and was the first Portuguese pousada (state inn) in a historic building.

In olden times, the town was entered through the southern gate of Santa Maria, built around 1380. Today, the Porta da Vila, with its eighteenth-century azulejo decoration, is still the Town Gate.

Obidos town gate

Obidos town gate

Present Day Óbidos

Strolling down Rua Direita, Óbidos ‘ main shopping street, we came across white houses decorated with luxurious blooms of bougainvilleas and honeysuckle.  As we explored the narrow cobbled streets of Óbidos, we came across traces of different civilizations. From the hidden corners and high walled gardens of the old medina area, to the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features, Óbidos is like an extensive work of art created, destroyed and rebuilt throughout many centuries.

Rua Direita, Obidos' main shopping street

Rua Direita, Obidos’ main shopping street

There are lots to see in Óbidos and the shops along Rua Direita have all kinds of souvenirs, wines, liqueurs and gifts for sale.  I was thrilled that I managed to find some nice Óbidos tiles here, which I hope will some day be incorporated into a part of our home renovation – that’s the plan in my head anyway.

Unless you’re staying at the Pousada de Óbidos, you cannot visit the inside of the castle.  However, it is possible to walk on the castle walls (free of charge). The walls are about 1.5 km and takes around two hours to walk and is only recommended for those who are sturdy on their feet.  There are no railings and some bits are somewhat unsafe.

Festivals in Óbidos

Óbidos has a few festivals that bring thousands of visitors here each year.  The annual Medieval Fair in the Óbidos Castle grounds is a historical reconstruction of medieval life.  Horse tournaments, medieval shows and handicraft exhibitions transport visitors back to the bygone era.  The International Chocolate Festival is another event that brings in crowds.  Held in March, chocolate lovers come here to enjoy the chocolate sculptures, fashions, recipe contest and of course to eat lots of Obidos chocolates.

The tiny village of Óbidos we were told was the location that was used to represent Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travel. Walking around town, it’s easy to see the attraction of this town as a film location.

Places to stay in Obidos

Obidos Sightseeing trips from Lisbon

See Travel Signposts Obidos Photo Gallery HERE.

Click here to get a free PDF of this post

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Destinations, Featured Tagged With: chocolate festival, de obidos, em obidos, medieval obidos, obidos, obidos castelo, obidos chocolate, obidos festival, obidos portugal, obidos travel, obidos vila, obidos vila natal, pousada obidos

avatar

About Helen Page

Helen Page is a prolific blogger and ardent traveller; she runs Travelsignposts with her professional writer and photographer husband Tony.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You can also find us on

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Latest Additions

  • Castelo Arraiolos – The Arraiolos Castle on the Hill
  • Arraiolos – Famous for its Embroidery and Arraiolos Carpets
  • Wine and Cheese Tasting in Arraiolos
  • Elevador de Santa Justa – An Eccentric Lisbon Elevator
  • Caldo Verde – A Portuguese Kale Soup

Plan and Book Your Trip


eNews and Updates

feedburner Sign up now to get emailed news as well as other site updates!

Get the Guerrilla Travel Photography ebook here now!
City Guides
Country Guides
River Cruises

Who is behind Travelsignposts?

Helen and Tony Page at Singapore Changi Airport

We're Helen and Tony Page, and we love travelling - lucky as we've been doing it for the last few decades!

Tony has long been a professional photographer and writer, but Helen now writes most of the posts and takes a lot of photos herself!

Travelsignposts is our main travel planning site, but we've just launched Travelsignposts China and Tony also runs the Travelsignposts Photo and Guerrilla Travel Photography web sites, as well as publishing the Take Better Digital Photos and Guerrilla Travel Photography eBooks.

Read more about Helen and Tony or contact them.

Other Countries

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Devon & Cornwall
  • England
  • Estonia
  • Europe (General)
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Scotland
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine

Resources

  • Take Better Digital Photos eBook Take Better Digital Photos eBook
  • Take Better Digital Photos Free eCourse
  • Travel Signposts Photo – our main travel photography site
  • Guerrilla Travel Photography eBook Guerrilla Travel Photography eBook

Copyright Travelsignposts Pty Ltd © 2023 Log in

Get a free PDF of this post!
Just enter your email address below and we'll send it to you immediately.

Please enter your Email Address