Castle of Castelo de Vide

Castelo de Vide Castle

Castelo de Vide Castle (Castelo de Castelo de Vide)

Castelo de Vide Castle gives its name to the town of Castelo de Vide which has grown on and around the hill the castle is built on.

Indeed Vide only became Castelo de Vide when the fortress was built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The town and castle of Castelo de Vide are located in the Alto Alentejo region. They are both a short distance east of Marvão and its equally historic Castelo de Marvão.

Castelo de Vide Castle, Alentejo, Portugal. — The impressive Castelo de Vide Castle dominates the summit of the hill the town is built on and around

History

The castle was built by Dom Dinis and his brother Afonso between 1280 and 1365.

Dom Dinis held negotiations here with the Spanish to marry Isabel of Aragon. This marriage settled any disagreements between the two brothers who had been at the point of conflict.

In the late 14th century the castle passed to the control of the Order of Avis for a period.

In the mid-17th century the castle was strengthened to adapt it to the threat of modern artillery. This was the work of the French military engineer and architect, Nicolau de Langres. An extensive line of bastioned walls now connects the main castle keep to Fort of São Roque, to the east.

The castle, nonetheless, was captured a number of times including during the War of Spanish Succession in 1704 and again by the French in the Peninsula War.

The 12-meter high square tower on the southern side affords superb views over the town. Inside the castle is a small museum part Military Museum, part Archaeological Museum. On display are a collection of historic weapons (cannon, cannonballs, muskets, etc), Roman pottery, Stone Age arrowheads and other archaeological finds from the menhirs (standing stones) of northern Alentejo.

Today the fortress is a National Monument.

Access & Hours

Rua Direita
Castelo de Vide

Open daily 9 am to 5 pm.

Nearby

Castelo de Vide has a 14th-century synagogue in its Judairia (Jewish Quarter) - the oldest surviving synagogue in Portugal. There's also a pelourinho (pillory) and rows of pretty white-washed houses.

There are also Roman ruins in Ammaia which is 7 km south of Marvão on the road to Portalegre.

Getting to Castelo de Vide

Castelo de Vide is not connected by railway any more. The beautifully-tiled station closed and is now a pension, the Pensão Destino.

Interestingly, the former Marvão-Beirã Station has also been converted into accommodation. It closed in 2011 and has now become the Train Spot Guesthouse.

The nearest train station is now in Portalegre, 20 km to the south. There are daily trains from Portalegre to Lisbon (3 hours, 30 minutes) changing at Entroncamento or Abrantes - take a shuttle bus from the bus station to the Estação de Portalegre.

Castelo de Vide is on the N246 and M253 (through the Parque Natural da Serra de São Mamede) from Portalegre.

Evora (1 hour, 40 minutes on the IP2), Elvas (1 hour, 20 minutes) and Estremoz (1 hour, 10 minutes) are all within easy driving distance. Lisbon is around 226 km away. The quickest route on the highway would take around 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Castelo de Vide has bus connections with Portalegre and Marvão.

From Portalegre there are fairly frequent buses to Sete Rios Bus Station in Lisbon. Journey times vary from 2 hours, 45 minutes to over 4 hours depending on the route and stops on the way.

There are also bus connections from Portalegre to Elvas (90 minutes), Evora (90 minutes), Castelo Branco (110 minutes) and Estremoz (50 minutes).

Castelo de Vide Pillory, Portugal. — The pillory (pelourinho) of Castelo de Vide

Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation

Recommended places to stay in and around Castelo de Vide include the three-star Hotel Castelo de Vide. This comfortable hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool and breakfast.

Also recommended are the three-star INATEL Castelo De Vide with bar and restaurant plus bicycle hire, the three-star Hotel Sol e Serra has a swimming pool and bar and the Hotel Casa do Parque, also a three-star hotel with restaurant.

The Pensão Destino is a hostel in what used to be the former Castelo de Vide Station. It retains the original features of the lovely old station including its azulejos tiling.

See here for a complete listing of hotels and guest houses in Castelo de Vide.