Experience the best of Évora District

Évora District lies in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. Its capital, Évora, is a walled city whose historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Roman temple with granite columns stands near the cathedral, the Chapel of Bones is lined with human skulls and bones, and the university was founded by the Jesuits in 1559. A 16th-century aqueduct strides into the city on tall arches.

Outside the city, the Almendres Cromlech, a circle of standing stones older than Stonehenge, stands among cork oaks about 15 km to the west. Monsaraz is a medieval hilltop village over the Alqueva reservoir, and the marble towns of Estremoz and Vila Viçosa have castles and palaces. Alqueva, one of Europe's largest artificial lakes, is also a dark-sky destination.

Alentejo cooking is simple and rich: açorda, a bread soup with garlic, coriander and egg; pork with clams; black pork, ham and sheep's cheese; and olive oil and robust red wines. Summers are very hot and dry, so spring, with green fields and wildflowers, and autumn are the best seasons. Winters are mild and can be wet.