Alentejo Litoral
The coast of Alentejo, fortunately, has been preserved from untimely construction. Between the Sado estuary and Zambujeira do Mar, the coastline is divided from north to south into two distinct coasts. The Costa Dourada (Golden Coast), which begins at the peninsula of Troia, describes an almost perfect arc until Sines, on an uninterrupted beach of almost 70 km long! From Sines to Cape St. Vincent, in the Algarve, the more rugged profile of the Vicentine coast is visible. Along these coasts, there are other huge sandy beaches where it is not difficult to find a place to put your towel. It is one of the favorite places of the Portuguese on vacation.
Baixo Alentejo
The Baixo Alentejo is bordered to the north by the district of Évora, to the east by Spain and to the south by the district of Faro. A sub-region that includes 13 municipalities: Aljustrel, Almodôvar, Alvito, Barrancos, Beja, Castro Verde, Cuba, Ferreira do Alentejo, Mértola, Moura, Ourique, Serpa and Vidigueira. In its southern part, the border of Alentejo with Spain is marked by one of the largest rivers in Portugal, the Rio Guadiana. This is the Alentejo of the empty plains, the land of the endless horizon where the checkerboard of crops sometimes reveals the bright white of the farmhouses. It is also the Alentejo of remarkable cities with a thrilling history, such as Beja or Mértola.
Alto Alentejo
The landscape changes in this sub-region, which corresponds to the whole district of Portalegre: here the high plateaus (Portalegre, Castelo de Vide and Marvão) are next to the hilly reliefs, like those of the region of Evora. In the east, towards the Spanish border, the fortresses of Monsaraz or Elvas recall the strategic position of the region in history. The Serra de São Mamede natural park dominates the whole, from the top of its 1,025 m, the highest point of Portugal south of the Tagus. The Alto Alentejo is 6,230 km² of beautiful land, home to megaliths and lost Roman cities, a land of peasants where they still know the secret of the ancients to give taste to the chickpea stew or the roasted goat..
Lezíria do Tejo
It is the largest of the three sub-regions of the Ribatejo, named after the rich and agricultural lands on either side of the river: "Lezíria" is a word of Arabic origin that means flood plain. Vineyards, olive groves, melons and rice fields are found side by side. The abundant pastures have made it a region for breeding horses and fighting bulls, which have made the place famous. Lezíria do Tajo is composed of 11 municipalities: Alpiarça, Benavente, Chamusca, Golegã, Salvaterra de Magos, Almeirim, Azambuja, Cartaxo, Coruche, Rio Maior and Santarém.
The mountainous massifs
Mainly made up of plains and hills, the Alentejo is also endowed with some modest reliefs, small mountainous massifs where it is good to walk, run and explore the forest.
Serra d'Ossa.
Oriented northwest / southeast, the Serra d'Ossa is located between the towns of Estremoz, Borba and Redondo. Its highest point is at about 600 meters above sea level. A beautiful place of nature covered with pines, eucalyptus and olive trees and smelling of lavender and rosemary...Serra dos Arraiolos.
It is the castle of Arraiolos that constitutes the highest point of this massif (412 m), located in the district of Évora. Despite this moderate altitude, it is one of the few places in Alentejo, along with the Serra de São Mamede, where snow can appear in winter. Frosts are not rare until March!Serra de São Mamede. It is the highest mountain range south of the Tagus, with peaks reaching 1,025 m. It is part of the natural park of the same name. It is part of the natural park of the same name, whose vegetation is characterized by its richness and variety: oaks, chestnut trees or cork oaks. With a little luck, you can see eagles and many other birds of prey
Miles of beach
The Alentejo has more than one hundred kilometers of beaches, a good part of the country's west coast. From the Sado estuary to the borders of the Algarve, more than thirty beaches are indicated. Some are easily accessible by car, others, hidden by cliffs, require a short walk. They are often the most beautiful..
Lake Alqueva
Water is scarce in the Alentejo, which is why the region gave birth to the largest artificial lake in Europe: the Alqueva dam. A huge body of water, a small inland sea that occupies an area of 250 km2 and extends for more than 80 km between Moura, Mourão and Alqueva. When this lake was created, the village of Luz was buried: a museum is now dedicated to it.
Rio Guadiana
Most tourists to Portugal don't even know it exists (and sometimes the Portuguese don't either!). Yet it is the third largest river in the country (after the Douro and the Tagus) and marks the border with Spain in the extreme southeast of the country. The Guadiana River stretches for 829 km, from its source at 1,700 m in the Spanish region of La Mancha (where Don Quixote comes from) and its mouth in Vila Real de Santo António (Portugal). A river of great beauty that crosses landscapes still little colonized and where tourism is still relatively discreet.
The peninsula of Tróia
There is an original way to reach the Alentejo... by sea. If you come from Lisbon by car, rather than bypassing it, you can reach the Tróia peninsula by ferry from Setúbal. The peninsula is a 13 km long point of land, topped by a small marina with unwelcome buildings. It's a pity because, on both sides, the coast and the beaches are superb: pine woods, white sand dunes, turquoise waters... It's like the Bahamas! At the back, the Sado estuary is home to a nature reserve where you can see otters, dolphins and all kinds of wading birds and palmipeds. At the front, facing the relief of the Serra da Arrábida, a spectacular beach of 70 km long, which forms a perfect arc until Sines and is called Costa da Galé, then Costa Dourada.
