This wealth makes Portalegre for the natural heritage and nature conservation, with considerable environmental quality.

The town of Portalegre is the capital of Portalegre district, with about 15,800 inhabitants. Soothes of a municipality with an area of ​​446.24 square kilometers, is divided into 10 parishes.

Portalegre was inhabited in prehistoric times and is of Roman origin, with beautiful houses from the Renaissance and the Baroque period.

It was John III which raised Portalegre to city status in May 23, 1550.

On July 18, 1835, Portalegre becomes the capital of the district.

For lovers of the human manifestations, Portalegre has several interesting buildings:

- Castle of Portalegre – located in the parish of the Cathedral, city and county Portalegre.  Great place from where was possible to defended  Alentejo front  Castile. It creates an interesting chromatic contrast with the dark and the walls white lime houses

- The Cathedral – This is a temple dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, which  construction began May 14, 1556

- The Municipal Museum – has a considerable estate especially coming from two ancient convents of Portalegre, Santa Clara and St. Bernard, as well as private donations;

- The House Museum Jose Regio – In this poet’s collection there is a place of choice for the simple things in popular art, where coexist sacred art pieces from rural everyday

- The Municipal Library, The Santa Clara Convent- Is the second oldest monastic establishment of Portalegre. Its foundation dates back to the second half of the fourteenth century, more specifically the year 1376.

Recommended activities in Portalegre

To enjoy the natural heritage is at all advisable to carry out walking routes in the Natural Park running through the county. There are several walking routes:

- The Carreiras route of pedestrian ;

- The Reguengo route Pedestrian

To carry out both routes, there are flyers with the route explanation despite it is marked on the ground.

There are also viewpoints from where you can enjoy the rich landscape:

- The Mirador de Santa Luzia, located in the Sierra de Portalegre, 670 meters;

- The Penha Viewpoint, located in the Serra da Penha;

- Pico de S. Mamede, located 1025 meters above sea level, the highest point of the Portuguese mainland, south of the Tagus. Here you can enjoy the Dam Apartadura, the village of Marvão, the Serra da Estrela and part of the Spanish Extremadura. Very interesting from the perspective of geology, has limestone and quartzite, greywacke and shale, which provides different soils;

- The Viewpoint of  Nossa Senhora da Lapa, a small church carved in the rock with an amazing view of the Natural Park .

Get Back view of the Arc of Miradeiro – the building consists of a straight inlet port in turn flanked by slightly protruding and two solid shafts, quadrangular shape.

Built with granite stones.

The walls had the beginning of its construction in the reign of Sancho II, having been made between the 17th and 19th centuries. They have an area of ​​300 hectares and a perimeter ranging from eight to six miles, the largest system bulwark fortifications of the world.

Inside the walls, the city includes large barracks and other military buildings, churches and monasteries. While Elvas vestiges dating back to the 10th century, its fortifications dates from the time of Portugal´s  Restoration of Independence from in 1640.

The fortifications were designed by the Dutch Jesuit priest John Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best example of military fortifications of the Dutch school that survived to the present day. In the complex is included the Amoreira Aqueduct, which was intended to allow to resist  prolonged sieges.

In a dominant position on the so-called Mount of Graça, was part of the defense of Square-strong Elvas and City – Border Headquarters of Elvas and its Fortifications – rated from the day June 30, 2012 as World Heritage by UNESCO.

The good strategic position of the place became evident during the War of Restoration, when the Spanish troops occupied the site during the siege of the city of Elvas in the year 1658 that preceded to the Battle of Elvas lines in January 14, 1659.

In 2014, the Fort Our Lady of Graça was part of a new project of the Ministry of National Defense, created with the support of Turismo de Portugal, called Military Tourism, presenting historical itineraries based on Portuguese heroes.

The Fort of Our Lady of Grace, officially termed as Fort Conde de Lippe is  located in the parish of the Alcáçova, about a mile north of the city of Elvas, Portalegre District.

Has 8.5 kilometers long with 843 arches, more than five arcades and towers that rise up to 31 meters high, is considered the largest aqueduct of the Iberian peninsula.

In 1498, the only source of drinking water  in Elvas was the a well that was a legacy of the Arabic occupation. During the 15th Century it was not enough due to the population  increase.

That same year, King D. Manuel authorized a tax to help improve water problems and maintain the medieval well.  But did not  help at all and emerged the idea to build the aqueduct from Amoreira to Elvas.

Its construction took place from 1529 until the date of its opening on June 23, 1622.

Designed and directed only by Portuguese (the architects of Casa Real Francisco Arruda, Afonso Alvares and Diogo Marques) and erected only by Elvenses (people from Elvas) is an unique work of its kind in size, grandeur, beauty and elegance.

The Aqueduct Amoreira is  located in São Brás and São Lourenço, Elvas municipality, Portalegre District.

Built  in 1356 by D. Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira, first Prior of Crato and father of  Nuno Alvares Pereira, the Holy Constable. According to some historians was D.Nuno’ s birth place.

In 1232 King Sancho II gave the town of Crato to the Hospitaller Order. It was in 1340 that the headquarters of the Hospitaller Order was changed from Leca do Bailio or Belver to  Crato. Immediately  D. Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira decided to found a chapel in the town.

As soon as the Order began to grow the Monastery was build and  became the Order’  motherhouse  in Portugal, founded in 1356.

In the 16th century the Hospitaller Order came to be called the Order of Malta, a name that still preserves.

Is located in Flor da Rosa , Crato municipality, Portalegre District.

The cave paintings dating from the third millennium BC and represent human and animal figures and hand drawings in colors ranging from red to yellow.

The most decorated shelter, and first of all to be discovered in 1914, is the Gaivões which includes the “story” of a pastoral scene, “perfectly contextualizável the typology of agro-pastoral society” installed in the region for five a thousand years.

Four cores have been identified:

1-Shelter with cave paintings of Vale de Junco or Lapa dos Gaivões

Located in the middle of a pine forest, here are anthropomorphic and zoomorphic reproduced silhouettes, hand drawings and other signs, mostly in red ocher tones, but also in other chromatic series, from yellow to black.

2-Shelter of Pinho Monteiro, in Herdade do Monte
3-Lapa dos Louções
4-Church of the Moors - Igreja dos Mouros

The Picnic Park of Ribeira da Venda has a river beach area next to the pond and a children’s pool (free admission).

As support services you can find the picnic area with barbecues, toilets and changing rooms, playground, fitness circuit and even the Snack Bar and Restaurant with terrace.

This seems to be a magical place design by nature!

An extend sandy beach, where the River Tagus can find a place to rest on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Its an unique environmental experiment.

Despite of all the quietness and pure nature it offers the following services:

- Easy Pedestrian access from the surrounding public roads;
- Organized parking and reserved seats for vehicles at the disposal of persons with disabilities;
- Pedestrian access through accessible route to the area of sunbathing and as close to the bathing area;
- Treadmills on the beach and in other cases a paved path, steady and continuous;
- Adapted Sanitary facilities
- A first aid station
- Life Guard

Visitors can watch all the tools required for wine production used in the past, such as the wooden spindle, single piece crafted in wood holm oak, among other pieces offered by the village as well as cereals and utensils used in bread making.