Évora

Dawn at the Roman temple, dusk along the Água de Prata

Early morning. Start at the Roman temple while the light is low and the square is empty. Step next door into the cathedral, see the apostles carved around the portal, and climb onto the roof before the sun gets high; the view over the plains is the best in town.

Mid-morning. Walk down to Praça do Giraldo for coffee under the arcades, then on to São Francisco and the Capela dos Ossos. The church's wide Gothic nave is worth as much time as the bones.

Lunch. Sit down properly, Alentejo style: pork with clams, migas or açorda, with sericaia to finish. Many places close between lunch and dinner, so do not leave it late.

Afternoon. In the heat, visit the university and its tiled classrooms, or rest. When it cools, follow the Água de Prata aqueduct to the houses built into its arches.

Evening. Return to the square, then walk back up to see the temple columns lit after dark.

Porco preto, migas and sericaia in Évora

Eat Alentejo pork, bread and olive oil in Évora: carne de porco à alentejana with clams, migas fried with garlic, açorda bread soup with a poached egg, and porco preto from acorn-fed black pigs. Convent desserts include sericaia, a cinnamon egg pudding served with Elvas plums, plus pão de rala and bolo podre.

The Alentejo is bread, pork and olive oil country, and Évora is the best place to eat it. Carne de porco à alentejana pairs fried pork with clams and potatoes. Migas are fried breadcrumbs with garlic, usually served with pork, and açorda is a bread soup with garlic, coriander and a poached egg. Look also for dishes made with porco preto, the black Iberian pig raised on acorns in the cork oak country around the city.

Desserts come from the convents. Sericaia is a cinnamon-dusted egg pudding often served with Elvas plums; pão de rala, bolo podre and mel e noz are other old recipes.

Chão das Covas Café serves regional cooking and closes on Mondays, as do many others. O Parque dos Leitões is the place for roast suckling pig, and Botequim da Mouraria is a small mid-range spot on Rua da Mouraria. Order a red from the surrounding Alentejo vineyards with any of them.

The Almendres stones, Monsaraz and the Alentejo seasons by car

A car opens up the Alentejo. The Almendres Cromlech, a field of standing stones among cork oaks west of the city, takes half a morning and is best early or at sunset. The walled hilltop village of Monsaraz looks over the Alqueva lake, and Estremoz is a marble town with a Saturday market. Wine estates across the region offer tastings by appointment.

Timing matters more here than almost anywhere in Portugal. July and August average highs of 33 to 34°C with almost no rain, and heatwaves go well beyond that, so drive and walk early and stay indoors through mid-afternoon. Spring is the best season: April and May run at 21 to 25°C and the plains are green. October cools to 24°C but brings the first heavy rain, around 80 mm, and winter nights fall to about 5°C.

Late June brings the Feira de São João, the city's big summer fair. In 2027 Évora is European Capital of Culture, so expect a year of events and busier hotels.