From Lisbon: Évora and Monsaraz Day Tour with Wine Tasting

We ended up being the only two people in the tour, so we had the tour guide and vehicle to ourselves. The ride was very comfortable. Our tour guide Paulo was very easy going and funny. He was very knowledgeable about the different places we visited. Evora was a lovely village and we enjoyed the church of bones. Monsaraz is a very authentic tiny village inside of a castle. The views from outside of the castle walls are spectacular!!! Overall, we really enjoyed this excursion. The only negative for me is that there is a lot of driving. I have back pain and this was difficult for me.

Plans came together quickly after realizing how limited the train schedule was, and a rental car would be a pain. We literally decided at 6:30 am to take the tour and our group took 4 of the remaining 5 seats. We lucked into having two guides so the 7 of us could split into two groups. They broke up the several lengthy travel times by explaining local agriculture including nesting storks, vineyards, and how cork is peeled off the tree trunks. (Had we rented a car I'm sure all that would have been missed.) Evora is easy to reach from Lisbon and our lesson in history covered the ruins of a Roman temple, Capela dos Ossos, and adjoining church. In Monsaraz we chose The Taverna Os Templarios for an unforgetable lamb and potato stew overlooking the valley. The tour ended in Monsaraz at the Ervideira Wine Shop where we sampled 6 or 7 different local wines. Keep your sweater handy, it's windy up in Monsaraz. Left as scheduled at 8:20; back by about 17:30, with gift shops in both locations.