Marvão Guide
Portugal City Travel Guide: Marvão
Marvão is a another pretty, hill-top village with a castle in the Alto Alentejo region. It has much in common with nearby Castelo de Vide and Monsaraz, 125 km to the south.
The villages of Monsaraz and Marvão both have small, mainly elderly populations, castles and historic white-washed houses, while Castelo de Vide is more of a small town. All are known for their beauty, tranquility and superb views.
Romans, Visigoths and Muslims all occupied this area of Portugal at some time. Indeed, the name Marvão derives from Marvan, the Arab lord of Coimbra.
The village fell to the Christians in 1166. Dom Dinis enlarged and strengthened Marvão Castle in the early 13th century as part of the border fortifications against neighboring Castile.
The village's attractions include the Museu Municipal de Marvão which has a diverse range of exhibits including archaeological finds, pottery, glass and metal from the Roman era, religious art and traditional costumes from the area.
The museum is located in the former Santa Maria church, which may have been built over an earlier mosque in the 13th century, though the present structure is mainly from the 16th century. The museum opened in 1987.
The Marvão International Music Festival (FIMM) takes place annually from the end of July to early August. The 10-day classical music festival is the brainchild of German maestro Christoph Poppen and was first held in 2014. Venues include the castle, the Roman ruins in Ammaia and various churches in the village. Around a quarter of the concerts are free of charge.
Churches in Marvão
The Convento de Nossa Senhora da Estrela, the Igreja Santiago de Marvão at the foot of the castle and the small Capela do Calvário are the main religious buildings in the village.
Castle
The Castelo de Marvão has its roots in a fortress constructed by the Muslim lord Ibn Marwan in the 9th century. After the fall of the castle to the Christians Dom Dinis built the keep and strengthened the walls.
The castle was attacked by Spanish forces during the Restoration War (1640-1668) and again in the early 18th century.
The castle grounds include a huge cistern to provide water in times of siege.
Nearby
The small town of Castelo de Vide with many similarities to Marvão is just 10 km west. Castelo de Vide boasts a 14th-century castle, the Castelo de Castelo de Vide and 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.
Cidade Romana de Ammaia
The Roman ruins of Ammaia are located 7 km south of Marvão on the road to Portalegre. The Roman town of Ammaia is believed to have been founded during the reign on the Emperor Claudius in the 1st century. Structures that still stand include parts of a Roman wall with gate and towers as well as remains of a residence, public bath, forum and temple. A small Visitor Centre/Museum offers further information on this important site that was linked by road to Emerita Augusta (present-day Mérida in Spain). Some of the pottery, glass and metal work found at the site is displayed in the Visitor Center, while other pieces have been transferred to the National Museum of Archaeology in Lisbon.
The surrounding countryside also contains several ancient megaliths. Visitors can pick up a map of all the Neolithic sites in the area from the Tourist Office.
Marvão Tourist Office
Marvão Tourist Office
Rua de Baixo 12
7330-111 Marvão, Portugal
Tel: 245 909 131.
Find information on where to stay and eat in Marvão.
Getting to Marvão
Train Travel in Portugal
Marvão is not connected by railway. Marvão-Beirã Station, 9 km to the north, closed in 2011 and has now been converted into accommodation, the Train Spot Guesthouse.
The nearest train station is in Portalegre, 20 km to the south. There are daily trains from Portalegre to Lisbon (3 hours, 30 mins) changing at Entroncamento or Abrantes - take a shuttle bus from the bus station to the Estação de Portalegre.
Car Travel in Portugal
Marvão is off the N359 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 234 km away.
Bus Travel in Portugal
Marvão has bus connections with Portalegre and Castelo de Vide.
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).
Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation
Recommended places to stay in and around Marvão include the four-star Pousada de Marvão. This pousada offers a restaurant and spectacular views from its rooms.
Also recommended are the homely, holiday home Casa O Arco Alojamento Local on Rua do Terreiro, the three-star Dom Dinis Marvão hotel, the El-Rei Dom Manuel, also a three-star hotel with restaurant and the Estalagem de Marvão - Casa de Campo right in the center of the village with a regional store Mercearia de Marvão.
See here for a complete listing of hotels and guest houses in Marvão.
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Lisbon Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, Tramcars, and Yellow Boat River Tour
Eating
Try the local cuisine of Alentejo at the recommended Mil-Homens south of town on Rua Nova. Within the village walls are O Castelo on Rua Dr. Matos Magalhães and Varanda do Alentejo at Praça do Pelourinho 1-A, the latter has a good selection of wine and vegetarian options to go with meaty favorites such as Espetada de porco à Alentejana. The restaurant also has a nearby guesthouse Varanda do Alentejo.
Drinking
Natural Bar at Tv. do Chabouco has great views and great cocktails.
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Internet
Your hotel or guest house should provide free WiFi.
The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
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