A Walled Town Frozen in the Most Beautiful Moment of Its History
If Portugal had to choose a single image to represent its medieval soul, it might be Óbidos - a perfectly preserved walled town of whitewashed houses draped in bougainvillea, narrow cobbled lanes, and an ancient castle converted into a luxury pousada. For centuries a royal wedding gift to the queens of Portugal, this enchanting hilltop town rewards every visitor who steps through its ancient gates.
The circuit of Óbidos' 13th-century walls is one of the great walks in Portugal - a kilometre of battlements offering bird's-eye views over the white town within, the green lagoon beyond, and the rolling hills of the Óbidos region. The walls rise up to 13 metres and require some care - there are no guardrails - which only adds to the authentic medieval atmosphere of the experience.
Dominating the north end of the town, the fortified castle was built by the Moors and rebuilt by successive Portuguese kings after the Reconquista. Today it has been converted into one of Portugal's most atmospheric pousadas, but visitors can admire its towers and exterior at close range and learn how it shaped the destiny of the town it has protected for eight centuries.
The real magic of Óbidos lies in simply wandering its lanes. The main Rua Direita runs the length of the town between craft shops and houses ablaze with bougainvillea, but it is the side streets - unpaved, overhung with flowers, barely wide enough for two people - that reveal the town's true character. Every corner produces a perfect photograph; every doorway hides a story.
Óbidos is famous throughout Portugal for its ginja - a sour cherry liqueur infused with sugar and aguardente - traditionally served in a cup made of dark chocolate. The combination is irresistible: the slight bitterness of the chocolate against the sweet warmth of the liqueur. Dozens of small shops along the Rua Direita sell ginjinha by the cup - sampling two or three is almost obligatory.
Óbidos is unlike anywhere else in Portugal - come and see why
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