Portugal Regions: Ribatejo
The region of Ribatejo is north east of Lisbon and the name means "Upper Tejo" to differentiate it from the mouth of the river in the capital.
Ribatejo is south of both Beira Litoral and Beira Baixa. It is often described along with Estremadura in travel guides. It has no border with Spain and no coastline.
Main Towns
The main towns in the region are Abrantes, Almeirim, Alpiarça, Azambuja, Cartaxo, Chamusca, Constância, Coruche, Golegã, Santarém, Tomar, Torres Novas and Vila Franca de Xira. The two largest municipalities are Santarém and Tomar.
Constância is a pretty town with associations with Portugal's most famous poet, Luís de Camões (1524-1580).
Located about 5 km from Constância, Almourol Castle (Castelo do Almourol) is one of Portugal's most spectacular castles, located on a small island in the River Tagus. When the original castle was retaken during the Reconquista in 1129, it was remodeled by Gualdim Pais, the leader of the Knights Templar in Portugal, who also built the equally spectacular Convento de Cristo in Tomar.
15 km east of Constância is the small town of Abrantes. Abrantes has a small historic centre and a restored castle. The town is a convenient base for visiting the nearby Castelo de Belver.
Golegã, midway between Tomar and Santarém, is famous for its horses and its National Horse Fair (Feira Nacional do Cavalo) held in the first two weeks in November. The area around the town is also known for its wines and bull-breeding.
Getting to Santarém
Train Travel in Portugal
There are frequent trains from Lisbon to Santarém Station which is 2km south of town. The fastest trains from Santa Apolonia and Oriente take around 40 minutes to Santarém with local trains taking about an hour. After leaving Oriente Station local trains stop at Povoa, Alverca, Vila Franca de Xira, Azambuja, Virtudes, Reguengo-V.Pedra-Pontevel, Setil, Santana-Cartaxo and Vale de Santarem before arriving at Santarém.
Local buses connect to the center every 30 minutes or so from Santarém Station.
Car Travel in Portugal
Santarém is 80 km from Lisbon. The most direct route is on the A1 motorway. A slower route is on the N3.
Bus Travel in Portugal
Regular buses from Lisbon or a hire car take about an hour to reach Santarém. The bus station in Santarém is close to Praça Sá da Bandeira on the Avenida do Brasil in the old town. Other buses run to Alpiarça (20 minutes), Abrantes (1 hour, 25 minutes), Coimbra (2 hours) and Fatima (45 minutes).
Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation
Places to stay in Santarém include the centrally-located Santarem Hostel, the 2-star Hotel Vitoria, the 3-star Hotel Umu and the 4-star, slightly out of town Hotel Santarem.
See here for a full listing of accommodation in the Ribatejo region of Portugal.
Eating
Regional dishes from the Ribatejo include favorites found elsewhere such as cabrito no forno (roast kid) and perdiz de escabeche (marinated partridge).
Wines from the Ribatejo region are designated as either Tejo VR (Vinho Regional) or DOC. Wines of a higher quality earn the higher designation as DoTejo DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada). The majority of the vineyards are planted on the banks of the River Tejo, which has an ameliorating effect on the climate. The area produces both red and white wines.
The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
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