3 Best Sights in Abrantes, Estremadura and the Ribatejo

Walk up through the maze of narrow, flower-lined streets to this 16th-century castle, later used as a military fortress, and which is still an impressive structure today. A deconsecrated Gothic church within its walls, the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, houses the tombs of members of the Almeida family, the leading local nobility. The garden outside the castle, to the right of the entrance, with its panoramic views, is a wonderful place to watch the sun set or enjoy an evening picnic.

This fairy-tale castle upriver from Abrantes stands atop a cone-shape hill, commanding superb views of the Tagus River. It was built in the last years of the 12th century by the Knights Hospitaller under the command of King Sancho I. In 1194, this region was threatened by the Moorish forces who controlled the lands south of the river. The expected attack never took place, leaving the present structure little changed from its original design, as one of the country's most complete examples of medieval military architecture. The walls of the keep, which stands in the center of the courtyard, are some 12 feet thick, and on the ground floor is a great cistern of unknown depth. According to local lore, an orange dropped into the well will later appear bobbing down the river. The castle is reached by car in 30 minutes via the N244–3 through pine-covered hills to Chão de Codes, then the N244 south toward Gavião. There are four trains a day to Belver from Abrantes (a 25-minute ride).

This prize-winning museum, opened in 2022, showcases municipal and private collections that include archaeological finds from Abrantes and the surrounding area as well as from elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond (including Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia), plus sacred art from the region over the centuries, and some modern art. It is all housed in a former Dominican monastery, founded in the 16th century, that is one of the city's most important historic buildings, now sensitively restored as part of a project by leading Portuguese architect Carrilho da Graça.