Óbidos is like its signature ginjinha (cherry liqueur): a candy chocolate-clad deal with with a cherry on prime. Wrapped in crenelated partitions, the well-preserved hilltop medieval village is a storybook tangle of azure- and canary-hemmed whitewashed properties, church buildings and monuments. It’s one in every of Portugal’s prettiest and hottest locations, with many vacationers taking the brisk one-hour bus experience for a day trip out of Lisbon.

But Óbidos’s anecdotes are arguably greatest savored slowly. Bibliophiles can lose themselves within the pages of this UNESCO Metropolis of Literature. All will really feel regal when slumbering within the Vila das Rainhas’ – that means City of the Queens – old-world citadel. And people who enterprise past the partitions will encounter Óbidos as a coast-caressing municipality, not merely a medieval marvel. Complemented with a crowded calendar of visit-worthy festivals, Óbidos’ greatest experiences are as tempting as a field of goodies.

1. Be impressed by azulejos earlier than portray your individual

Óbidos doesn’t waste any time in dazzling. Between the double-doorway Porta da Vila, the city’s tower-like entrance gate, a wealthy welcome of baroque blue and white azulejos (hand-painted ceramic tiles) flank the balcony’s oratory devoted to Óbidos’s patron saint, Nossa Senhora da Piedade. Extra magical ceramics await within the city’s show-stealing sacred centerpiece, Igreja de Santa Maria, its partitions clad with Seventeenth-century tiles, inspiring the native embroidery work.

Suitably impressed your self, head to sidestreet Casa dos Azulejos, the place Maria Daniela creates impeccable azulejos utilizing the tin-glazed, majolica methodology. Discover a reward, or, higher nonetheless, pre-book a workshop to be taught one in every of Portugal’s most influential artwork types from a grasp, crafting a much more memorable memento of your individual design. 

Detour: Discover ample (and infrequently amusing) ceramics in Caldas da Rainha, a as soon as royalty-revered spa city, a short prepare experience north. Residence to Bordallo Pinheiro Factory, named for and based by one in every of Portugal’s most famous ceramic artists with a penchant for cabbage-styled pottery, the manufacturing facility retailer’s costs are often a cut price in comparison with boutiques. 

2. Meander down medieval alleyways

Getting misplaced inside the partitions of compact Óbidos is difficult, nevertheless it’s a delight to attempt. And whereas an amble alongside well-trodden Rue Direta, the primary thoroughfare linking Porta da Vila to the citadel, will give your digital camera and carteria (purse) a exercise, it’s admittedly turn into moderately touristy. To see why the Portuguese voted Óbidos one of many Seven Wonders of Portugal, snake your means throughout the city, detouring to each bougainvillea-veiled nook.

En route, Óbidos’s historical past unfurls throughout Queen-linked church buildings. First bestowed to the Queen Consort by King Afonso II in 1210, Óbidos continued to be a (moderately extreme) conventional royal wedding ceremony reward till the nineteenth century. Igreja da Misericórdia, Queen Leonor’s church within the former Jewish Quarter, is particularly value a look to admire the azulejos and adjoining tower earlier than crossing below the Arco da Cadeia, a jail within the Center Ages, now an appointment-only home museum. 

Detour: Past the partitions, Queen Isabel-founded Igreja de São João Baptista, housing an undersized sacred artwork assortment, and baroque Santuário do Senhor da Pedra are value a short detour.

3. Fulfill your candy tooth with bitter cherries and chocolate

Given almost each different doorway alongside Rua Direita is garnished with an indication for Ginjinha de Óbidos, the city’s signature darkish purple cherry-infused aguardiente (firewater), it could be virtually prison to not fulfill your candy tooth cravings. Particularly because the small, sippable shot is usually served in a chocolate cup.

Dip into any bar or store – long-standing, bottle-dangling Bar Ibn Errik Rex is a characterful decide – and order it easy, in chocolate, or com ginja (with bitter morello cherry) in case you really feel just like the alcohol-infused fruit floating inside. Whereas the historical past of ginjinha is slightly hazy – it’s usually accepted {that a} Seventeenth-century monk brewed the primary batch – you may see the method on a tasting-ending manufacturing facility tour at Ginja Mariquinhas in Gaeiras.

Planning tip: Come for Óbidos’s International Chocolate Festival through the first few weekends in March for a good sweeter go to. Or, stroll the two-hour, out-of-town Rota dos Ginjais path to witness close by Sobral da Lagoa’s morello bushes in bloom, often from mid-April till mid-Could.

4. Spend an evening in Óbidos Fort

Constructed by the Moors and later transformed right into a royal palace – a marriage reward from King Dinis to Queen Santa Isabel – the hulking, multi-turreted Castelo de Óbidos is as storied as they arrive. Sadly, for these eager to poke round inside, its newest incarnation is as a Pousada, the countrywide group of heritage lodges, limiting entry to company solely.

Take into account slumbering within the historic quarters for an evening in case your schedule permits. Staying in a pousada (upmarket inn) is one in every of Portugal’s best experiences, particularly in case you snag the split-level, uncovered stone, four-poster mattress suite. Rooms apart, the armored statues, azulejos and regal canvases all embellish the Óbidos expertise. Romantics may even get married right here, following within the footsteps of Portuguese royalty. 

Planning tip: Should you’re tight on time however eager for a glimpse inside, make a reservation for lunch within the citadel’s wooden-beamed, azulejo-lined dining room. Attempt to request a desk within the cubbyhole home windows for a panoramic view framed by twisted rope-like Manueline columns.

5. Relish golden hour from atop the mighty Moorish partitions

Should you suppose Óbidos is postcard-pretty from Rue Direta, wait till you see it from above. Schlep your means up the stone stairs close to the citadel or Porta da Vila onto the Eighth-century, Moorish-built fortified walls to circle a lot of the village, peering down upon the labyrinth of whitewashed streets, little courtyard gardens and photographing the verdant panoramas spilling down the slopes. It’s significantly magical round sundown as golden mild bathes the vineyard-dressed panorama. From above, you can too higher respect the mighty Sixteenth-century Aqueduto da Usseira, constructed below Queen Catherine of Austria’s watchful eye.

Planning tip: Whereas closely restored within the twentieth century, the ramparts haven’t any guardrails, which could be daunting on an usually over 20m-high (65ft) wall. Should you’re touring with kids or uncomfortable with heights, take further care. Both means, it’s advisable to descend earlier than darkish.

6. Admire native artistry, from canvas to embroidery

Look no additional than the Figueira household to grasp how art-inspiring this city is. Baltazar Gomes Figueira, born in Óbidos on the flip of the Seventeenth century, and his daughter, Josefa, who adopted the city’s identify as her creative surname signature, had been two of Portugal’s most prolific baroque artists.

A lot of Josefa’s work is on show in Museu Municipal, with a number of notable work by father and daughter inside Igreja de Santa Maria – the church whose tiles have impressed the motifs and pair of stickwork patterns utilized in Óbidos embroidery because the Fifties. Enquire on the Espaço Ó cultural hub about workshops to be taught the craft from native artisans, or go to Oficina de Barro to find verguinha, an ancestral Italian clay-weaving method imported to the city.

7. Discover your subsequent good e book on this Metropolis of Literature

With ample books in stunning areas, bibliophiles have lengthy been drawn to Óbidos, designated a UNESCO Metropolis of Literature in 2015. Should you’re trying to find a brand new novel, peruse the dozen-odd livrarias (bookstores) or al fresco e book change spots round city. Livraria de Santiago, housed inside a former church, and barn-like Livraria de Mercado are two of the biggest inside the partitions.

Livraria Artes e Letras, simply outdoors, hawks some vintage titles in an outdated wine cellar. New e book secured, spend an evening at the Literary Man, a transformed convent lodge the place the widespread areas, Japanese restaurant and gin bar are lined with book-stacked cabinets.

Planning tip: Be part of fellow bookworms at April’s Literature and Travellers Competition (LATITUDES) or Óbidos International Literature Festival (FOLIO) hosted in September or October.

8. Rejoice medieval recollections or a castle-backed Christmas

Are available July, and there’s no have to think about medieval Óbidos. A lot of the month is devoted to the Mercado Medieval, a mammoth occasion that transports the city again to the Center Ages. Costumed reenactments, jousting, flame-hurling dancers and all-encompassing medieval merriment, together with mead and roasting meats, engulf the entire walled village, making it one of many best times to visit.

Desire a (hopefully) sunny, castle-backed Christmas market? December’s ticketed Vila Natal is a nice spot of festive cheer, as twinkling lights and projections illuminate the towers and market stalls, and crafts and kid-friendly performances annex the realm fronting the citadel.

Planning tip: Should you’re in Portugal over Easter, go to Óbidos throughout Semana Santa (Holy Week) for a style of the medieval expertise through the torchlit procession.

9. Retreat to a bird-sheltering, lagoon-backed seaside

Most guests hardly ever make it past the walled village, however the municipality of Óbidos is greater than its medieval marvel. The district stretches west, encompassing the bird-haven lagoon – boat journeys depart from close to Covão dos Musaranhos – and a sweep of sand alongside the Costa de Prata (Silver Coast). Linger for some time, and also you’ll uncover a laid-back, locally-loved destination excellent for a seaside getaway.

Discover kitesurfing and SUP colleges on the lagoon’s southern edge, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the sensational swirling sands and cyan waters of Praia do Bom Sucesso seaside. Birders will relish the Ecovia da Lagoa, a lagoon-circling path now visited by flamingos throughout winter’s migration.

Detour: Óbidos is near many different Central Portugal coastal highlights. Peniche, the gateway to the protected Berlengas Islands, and Nazaré, residence of the world’s greatest rideable waves, are inside a 30-minute drive.

10. Chow down on a caldeirada de peixe paired with provincial wines

With Portugal’s largest coastal lagoon, the Lagoa de Óbidos, on its doorstep, caldeirada de peixe, a effervescent fish stew of peppers, tomatoes and the seasonal native catch – maybe bass, eel, bream, clams and mussels – is the local dish to attempt. You’ll nonetheless discover fisher communities and huts dotting the crustacean-heavy lagoon, amassing their catch utilizing conventional, small bateira boats.

To savor it lagoon-side, e book Covão dos Musaranhos and request the caldeirada a day forward. Attempt to pair it with an Óbidos DOC (Managed Denomination of Origin) wine, or to ensure a neighborhood sip, e book a tasting at Quinta Do Sanguinhal, a family-run, century-old vineyard.

Detour: Mix wine and artwork on the wholly sudden Bacalhôa Buddha Eden, a 10-minute drive south. Set on Quinta dos Loridos’ wine property, this huge oriental backyard pays homage to Afghanistan’s destroyed Buddhas of Banyan, accomplished with a typically perplexing array of “terracotta warriors,” lake-crowning pagodas and sculptures. Pre-book wine tastings prematurely; buy backyard tickets on arrival.