Water Paths – Évora Hike
This is an easy, circular walk of 9 km (5.5 miles) or 7 km (4.5 miles). On this walk we'll do a tour of the main monuments of Évora under the theme of water. We also Hike in the outskirts of Évora all the way to S Bento Hill.
The Hike starts at Palácio D. Manuel which is now the City Museum. Here we can learn about the Roman City and its impressive Baths. We can also have a brief introduction to the History of Portugal and Évora. Nearby, under the Market, we have the foundations of the Aqueduct discovered in an archaeological excavation. If we want we can also visit the Chapel of Bones. We walk through Évora passing by the beautiful 16th century Portas de Moura Fountain. At the beautiful University of Évora we'll visit the Cistern that collected rainwater and walk through corridors with tiles. The University is one of the oldest in Portugal, almost 500 years old. We continue to Évora's Pumping Station where we have an exhibition dedicated to the theme of water. From here we'll go all the way up to the old and historical city center. The Roman Temple dominates the top of the city it was surrounded by an interesting water mirror. We can also visit the Cathedral or the Palace of the Inquisition. The Palace hides a huge Medieval fresco. We keep on going to Sertório Square passing by one of the Aqueduct's water tanks. In this square we had the Roman Baths, which were the subject of an archaeological excavation. We now follow the Medieval Aqueduct, which was initially built 2000 years ago. We'll leave the walled city following the Aqueduct. We´ll see the huge Fort de Santo Antonio, a 17th century Bulwark Fortification. Around Évora we have several Convents and Monasteries and we can visit one of the Churches. We now climbed up to Alto de S Bento where we have several windmills and a beautiful view of Évora. S Bento has been a Sacred Mount since prehistoric times, where we'll find several holes carved in the stone used for rituals and sacrifices. We return to Évora through old paths. We'll cross the medieval wall and see the immense Garcia Resende Theatre. Arriving in Giraldo Square we have another impressive 16th century fountain built in local white marble. Here we can end our or go all the way to where we started.
