Alentejo

Alentejo was up next on my Portugal Scouting Trip. It wasn’t originally part of my plans for the trip. However, it was on the way from the Algarve to my next stopover in Coimbra. Instead of taking the highway from Albufeira to Coimbra, I decided to explore the countryside as there were several areas that had popped up in property searches and I wanted to check them out. Beja and Evora were a couple of locations I could hit along the way to get a better feel for the region.

Since I had to be in Coimbra later in the afternoon, I did not have a lot of time to spend in each location. Unfortunately, I only did a short stop to check out the area and then moved on to the next place. I spent a bit more time in Beja and Evora than I did in Aljustrel and Portel. Aljustrel and Portel were brief stops in the town center to stretch my legs and to take a few pictures. Unfortunately, my time was very limited and I wanted to get a quick feel of the area and what services were available such as stores, medical, and transit.

Aljustrel and Portel

Aljustrel and Portel were small communities situated on the open plains of central Alentejo. They had some basic services but I did not see any train service and only a small medical clinic from what I could tell. The towns were small and did not appear to have a grocery store other than a small Mercado or two. There were no Lidl, Aldi, or other full-service grocery stores that I could see. This would make these locations difficult without a car. Walkability to stores, medical facilities, and public transport are key requirements. This is not to say we will not have a car, but minimizing the need for daily use is important. Therefore, Aljustrel and Portel while very beautiful and cozy locations, neither checked enough key boxes based on a short drive-by visit. However, both were about 30-40 minutes from Beja by car if you needed more services.

Beja

Beja is located between Aljustrel and Portel in Alentejo. It has a beautiful old town situated on a hill overlooking the plains. There is a castle in the center of town with great views of the surrounding plains. Unfortunately, the castle was closed on Monday, the day I visited. Beja also had a train station with multiple trains daily to Lisbon, a 2-hour train trip. There were also several major grocery store chains such as Lidl, Aldi, etc. I flew my drone briefly and while checking to see if I was allowed to fly, an airport was listed close by. Unfortunately, I could not find any flights listed online as it appears that it has not been in use for civilian flights in the last 10 years according to Wikipedia.

Beja also has several public hospitals and clinics, but they don’t receive great reviews online. However, it doesn’t see the level of tourists as Evora, so it is much quieter and more peaceful. I was pleasantly surprised by the town, it has the old town feel without being overwhelmed by tourists. Therefore, Beja checked a lot of boxes with the exception of highly rated medical facilities, specifically private hospitals. English-speaking doctors may also be an issue due to its location in the middle of Alentejo.

Evora

After leaving Beja I drove through Portel (see above) and then onto Evora. Evora is a tourist area due to the historic cathedral and catacombs. It is also larger than Beja and has similar or better access to trains, stores, and hospitals. Due to limited parking in the downtown area, I had to park in a not-so-legal fashion. I only realized that I parked in a restricted zone when I got back to my car. Luckily, I was only there for about 10 minutes and didn’t receive a ticket. Unfortunately, it was a Monday and I was not able to visit the attractions as they were closed and it was also a holiday weekend (April 25th).

Evora was a nice town albeit a bit touristy. There was a good selection of restaurants, stores, hospitals, transportation, etc. As with Beja, it could very well be on a list to investigate further. Evora and Beja are very hot in the summer, so keep that in mind. It has hotter temperatures than the Algarve without the cooling ocean winds.

My Thoughts on Alentejo

Alentejo is a great area if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon or the Algarve. The areas I visited were more central and eastern and are warmer than the western side near the Atlantic Ocean. With train service from Evora and Beja, you can be in Lisbon in a couple of hours, the Algarve is about the same via car. There are other train routes that will take you into central Portugal as well. Spain is not far as well, so a lot of options for exploring.