One of the most beautiful castles I’ve ever seen in Portugal is the Castle of Almourol. Surprisingly, you might not have heard of it. Despite being an important place to build a castle and fortify the area in the 12th century, it’s not really known for anything else in the modern day. The closest major town is Entroncamento which is well off the usual tourist route for most visitors to Portugal.
Where is the Castle of Almourol?
The Castle of Almourol is located on the islet of Almourol, a small island in the middle of the Tagus River. Yes, the very same river that flows all the way past Lisbon and to the sea 130 km (80 miles away). This is the Central Region of Portugal, a part of Portugal filled with historic towns, castles and tiny villages. The closest major town to the castle is Tomar (30 km / 20 miles away), or Entroncamento (10 km / 6 miles). Tomar is a favourite place of ours and well worth exploring in its own right!
The History of Castelo de Almourol
It’s actually believed that the islet was fortified as early as 1st Century BCE by Lusitanian habitants. Successive conquerors and occupiers would continually take over the islet, and continue to add defences. This began with the Romans, then the Alans, Visigoths, the Moors, and then finally the Christian Reconquista in the 12th Century. It was conquered by the Christians in 1129, and the castle was placed in the care of Gualdim Pais who rebuilt the castle. Losing its importance in the following centuries, the castle fell into disrepair and was left to ruin.
The Romanticist Revival of Almourol Castle
In the early 19th century, the long-abandoned castle would capture the hearts and imaginations of the local population looking to reevaluate their heritage. This Romanticist period produced other places like the stunning National Palace of Pena. Although Almourol’s was much more subdued, it still faced significant redevelopment. The arrival of uniform merlons (the spacing along the top edge of its outerwalls), as well as the addition of rounder more circular turrets. These are Romanticist embellishments of what a medieval castle should look like.
Accessing Castelo de Almourol
Visitors today can access the castle from a small dock near the car park. A boat departs roughly every hour from the dock bring visitors to and from the castle. Visits take around 45 minutes and the return trip is included. Tickets cost €4 per person.
Even though there are areas that you can almost walk or jump across the water to the islet that the castle is on. There are signs surrounding the area that the only official way to access the castle is by boat. The boat ticket is also the castle ticket.
Castelo de Almourol – Opening Hours:
March 1st to September 30th: 9:30am to 1pm – 2:30pm to 6:30pm
October 1st to 31st: 9:30am to 1pm – 2:30pm to 6:30pm
November 1st to January 31st: 10am to 1pm – 2:30pm to 5pm
February: 10am to 1pm – 2:30pm to 5:30pm
Closed on Mondays from October 1st to February 28th
How to Get to the Castle of Almourol?
The simplest, and most convenient is to drive. It will take you around an hour and 15 minutes to drive the 130 km (80 miles) from Lisbon, and this will give you good opportunity to explore the area, like the castle town of Torre Vedres, or further explore the knights templar history in Tomar.
Can you Get to the Castle of Almourol with Public Transport?
You can, but it is definitely more awkward and takes a bit longer. You can get the Regional Trainline from Lisbon to Tomar or Castelo Branco. If you take the Regional Train to Tomar, you’ll need to swap trains at Entroncamento, to the Regional Line that heads to Castelo Branco.
On the Regional line from Entroncamento to Castelo Branco, it is 3 stops to the small train station of Almourol which is around 1km from the castle! All in all, its around 2 and a half hours of travel. With departures from Lisbon Santa Apolonia at around 6am. As always we recommend checking Combois de Portugal’s website for the latest schedules before making the journey!
Nearby:
- Tomar. for the full Templar Knight experience you’ll want to visit the Covento do Christo in Tomar.
- Batalha. The grand Monastery of Batalha as one of Portugal’s finest religious monuments and an architectural wonder.
