The centre of Portugal is an area dense in historic towns, fortifications, and religious monuments. Perhaps this is nowhere more evident than the small town of Alcobaça. It’s around 120km north of Lisbon and the meeting point of two rivers, the Rio Alcoa and the Rio Baça, the meeting of which gives the town its name. The town itself is steeped in Portuguese history and hosts the renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Monastery of Alcobaça.
What to See and Do in Alcobaça
Naturally, the vast Monastery of Alcobaça dominates many of the tour guides of modern Alcobaça, but the wider town has lots of other interesting areas to explore, before or after wondering the monumental Monastery. However, we’ll start with the monastery as we do think early arrivals should explore the monastery before day trippers and coach trips arrive en masse.
Monastery of Alcobaça
To give its full name, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça is the monastic complex and abbey that was founded in the 12th Century by King Afonso I. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989 due to “Its size, the purity of its architectural style, the beauty of the materials and the care with which it was built’’. It is a masterpiece and regarded as one of the finest examples of Cistercian Gothic architecture.
A Brief history Monastery of Alcobaça
To give a bit of background on its history, the monastic presence in Alcobaça dates back to 1153 and the very start of Portuguese Monarchy. It was founded by the first Portuguese King Afonso Henriques. He would grant the “Couto Charter” to Bernard of Clairvaux, donating to the Cistercian Order approximately 44,000 hectares of land stretching from the Serra dos Candeeiros hills in the east to the Atlantic coast in the west, and from the outskirts of Leiria in the north to Óbidos in the south.
This act was not simply a donation to a religious order, but an attempt to buy favour with the prominent Bernard of Clairvaux. Portugal was not yet an independent kingdom, and buying influence in Rome was an attempt to establish this. As such, Alcobaça Monastery is intrinsically linked to Portugal as a nation.
In 1178 the works to build the great monastery were started, beginning with the church, which would become the largest Gothic church in Portugal. The monastic wings were also started at the same time. In the 13th century many of the other medieval rooms like the Chapter House, Dormitory, Monks’ Room and Refectory were added.
The Monastery of Alcobaça Through the Ages
The construction of the monastery spanned multiple centuries of Portuguese history, and witnessed the country’s golden ages. With ever growing riches, buildings, wings were commissioned or rebuilt. The Desterro Chapel and the New Kitchen were built in the late 18th century, looking decidedly modern while clad in glazed tiles (azulejos). Following the devastating earthquake of 1755, the New Sacristy, which was originally in full Manueline style, was also rebuilt.
From the outside, the monumental façade of the main church is dominated by an entrance framed by the 13th-century portal and side niches with a baldachin, where the statues of St. Bernard and St. Bento rest. The interior takes us to a grand and wide open space, dominated by marble pillars raising to the roof. But, with typical plain decorations in accordance with the rules of the monastic order. The central nave leads to the transept, made up of nine radiant chapels connected by an ambulatory and covered by barrel vaults.
It is in the transept that we can find the tombs of D. Pedro I and Inês de Castro. These exquisite tombs carved in the 14th century, were named as part of the justification of designation of World Heritage in 1989.
Castle of Alcobaça – Castelo de Alcobaça
After visiting the monastery, a short walk up the hill through the town will lead you to the Castle of Alcobaça. It now lies in ruins but at one point was part of a significant defensive line that stretched from Leiria, Pombal and Óbidos. The castle’s origins date to either the Visigoths or Moors, however, throughout the centuries it’s been successively destroyed and rebuilt. In 1838, the castle passed into the care of the Municipality, who in part razed it for stone for buildings elsewhere in the town and left it largely in ruins. Although they continued to use the original cistern to store and provide water for the town and the monastery.
In its current form today, it was rebuilt in 1952. The remains of the walls were rebuilt based on old drawings found in the monastery to beautify the hill and organise the remaining rubble. Although as a castle, it can be considered lacking compared to some truly impressive specimens nearby. It offers a fantastic viewpoint of the town, monastery, and the fertile valleys surrounding Alcobaça. It’s here you can really get a sense of scale of the town.
Traditional Pastries in Alcobaça
After visiting the castle, we recommend a walk back into the town itself. A great place to stop for a coffee, and a traditional pastry in one of the many of the pastelarias that line the main square, or any of its side streets before moving on to the Jardim do Amor. Although the world-famous pastel de nata is the most popular of treats, we do recommend exploring many of the other Doces Conventuais that are available! Casa dos Doces Conventuais and Pastelaria Alcôa were some of our favourites!
Jardim do Amor – The Garden of Love
Central to Alcobaça is the meeting point of the two rivers, Alcoa and Baça, that converge in a central part of the city where there were once factories, mills, and potteries. Water was the heart of industrial production, and many of these factories would have featured water mills. Today, much of the industry has been removed, or converted, the heart of the city now belonging to a garden named Jardim do Amor – the garden of love.
In Jardim do Amor you’ll find details of two love stories and dedications to them. The first, the origins of both the rivers. Legend states that they’re the result of the tears of a local couple separated and longing to be together, supposedly if you listen closely to the water, you’ll even hear their whispers. Second, among the flowers are two royal thrones carved out of local limestone, behind the thrones stands the symbol of Alcobaça, a love heart. The thrones symbolize the love of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro. Behind the thrones stands a heart in rusted steel, the modern symbol of the municipality and the physical manifestation of its motto: “Alcobaça: give way to love”.
It’s not a large park by any means, but a worthy spot for a break, or to cool off in the shade if you’re busy exploring in the summer season. True romantics might even make use of one of 700 vaults in the wall to the garden, allowing you to seal a love letter or dedication to a loved one in the Garden of Love, in a town dedicated to lovers.
Who were Pedro and Inês? And why is Alcobaça’s Motto ‘Give Way to Love’?
Pedro and Inês are mentioned throughout this guide, and you’ll find various monuments dedicated to them in Alcobaça. The real love story of Pedro and Ines dates to the 14th century and is a tale of entwined lovers, tragedy, and revenge. Pedro was the son of the King Afonso IV and was married to Lady Constance (Constanza Manuel). However, Pedro would soon be infatuated by a Galician noblewoman Inês de Castro, Constance’s lady-in-waiting.
It’s written that the prince’s infatuation would lead to him neglecting his lawful wife, endangering the alliance between his wife’s family the Castile’s, and the Kingdom of Portugal. Constance of Castile passed away in 1349, reportedly through complications during childbirth, but widely rumoured to be of depression and neglect.
Soon after, the love story between Prince Pedro and the Galician Inês de Castro would generate strong opposition among the Portuguese people and court. This culminated in Pedro’s refusal to marry any wife other than Inês, and fathering three illegitimate children with her, while neglecting his son and lawful heir. Infuriated, and after multiple attempts to keep the lovers apart, King Afonso IV ordered the death sentence of Inês by decapitation. Inês was then detained and executed in Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in nearby Coimbra.
Pedro would soon enact his revenge. When he ascended to the throne, Pedro sentenced to death three of his father’s advisors and Inês’ killers. When two of them were caught, he executed them violently and publicly. Supposedly ripping their hearts out, while claiming they had removed and pulverised his own.
Shortly after, he declared Inês his lawful wife, claiming a secret marriage between the two lovers had occurred and forcing his subjects to recognize her as the Queen of Portugal, even after her death. To this day, Pedro and Inês are immortalised as lovers that could never fulfil their passion, and both are interred in the monastery of Alcobaça.
Electric Power and Steam Museum
Portuguese lovers and legends aside, there is one remnant of the industrial heart of Alcobaça in the park. A large building that was once an electrical plant that provided electric to Alcobaça in 1896. It’s a small, but tidy museum, that’s also free to enter. You’ll find several historic engines, and remnants of the industrial past.
The upstairs of the museum features an art exhibit from local artists. Surrounding the park are several large, historic houses that were once occupied by the wealthy elite that resided in Alcobaça. One such building is the municipal library, which was originally a palacial house built in 1870!
Museu do Vinho de Alcobaça
Alcobaça hosts several noteworthy and fascinating local museums, each displaying a unique factor of the town and it’s wider setting in Portugal. The first we’ll mention is the Museu do Vinho de Alcobaça to give its formal name. It’s a museum dedicated to the historic development of the Portuguese wine industry, and describes itself as the largest and most complete Portuguese wine museum.
The facility was originally used to produce local wines, before being used to house to an array of historic wine, wine memorabilia, and industrial machinery for viticulture. It’s an eclectic museum that will be fascinating to anyone with an interest in wine making!
Tickets cost €4 and all entries are by guided tour, usually hourly. If you want a guided tour in a specific language, English and French are offered, you should speak directly to the museum to check which times are available!
Organised Tours to Alcobaça
With its UNESCO World heritage site, Alcobaça is a pretty popular place to take a day trip or organised tour. Although it’s rare to find a tour that specifically only goes to Alcobaça, you’ll find several that combine Alcobaça with nearby destinations like Óbidos, Nazare, Fatima, and Batalha. Most of these are large group tours, or coach trips that will start in Lisbon and bring you back in the same day, but if you’re willing to up your budget you’ll find private options as well!
Here’s our pick of our favourite and best reviewed tours:
- Lisbon: Day Trip to Fatima, Alcobaça & Óbidos with Transfers (€75 per person
- Lisbon: Private Guided Tour of Tomar, Batalha, and Alcobaça (€100 per person)
- Lisbon: Tomar, Batalha, and Alcobaça Monasteries Tour (€194 per person)
Somewhere to Stay in Alcobaça
Alcobaça is more traditional town than a tourist destination compared to the nearby resort towns of Nazare and São Martinho do Porto. However, you’ll still find plenty of good options for overnight stays, and longer!
For a truly unique stay, take a look at the 5 star Montebelo Mosteiro de Alcobaça Historic Hotel. It’s a luxurious new hotel located within the 17th century Cloister of Rachadouro itself, part of the monastic complex. For those looking for somewhere to stay with a lower budget, than the 3 star Hotel Santa Maria is a great option offering simple rooms in a hotel that overlooks the main square. You can take a look at the full range of options with this list here!
Should You Visit Alcobaça?
Alcobaça is a fantastic town to visit, and even base yourself in to explore the slower paced Central Portugal. Surrounded by authentic sites, and some amazing local food, Alcobaça makes a good day trip, or a great stopping point for longer trips. If you want to fully absorb yourself in Portuguese history and historical sites, then combining Alcobaça with nearby Tomar, and Batalha, is a great option. You can even buy a joint ‘World Heritage Route’ ticket to see all three UNESCO monuments in each of the towns!
Follow Us!
