How to Get Around Alentejo

A car is essential. The Alentejo is empty, the sights are spread across hundreds of kilometres, and public transport between villages is minimal.

Getting in: Lisbon is the gateway — Evora is about ninety minutes by motorway, Beja two hours, the coast around two. Faro in the Algarve serves the south.

Buses connect the main towns several times a day and are cheap; rail reaches Evora and Beja but is slow and infrequent.

Driving is a pleasure: empty straight roads, good surfaces, and long distances between fuel stations, so fill up when you can. Some motorways are electronic-toll only, which hire companies handle with a transponder.

The coast: the Rota Vicentina walking route runs along the cliffs in stages with baggage transfer available.