Almourol castle is one of the most evocative in Portugal: it stands on a granite islet in the middle of the Tagus, in the municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha in the Ribatejo, and with its crenellated walls and towers reflected in the water it looks like something out of a fairy tale.
History and legends
There was already a fortification on the islet in Roman and then Arab times. After the reconquest, in 1171 the castle was rebuilt by the Templar grand master Gualdim Pais, who also founded Tomar, as part of the Tagus defensive line against the Moors. It lost its military importance when the frontier moved south, and in the nineteenth century it was restored in a romantic spirit. Many legends surround it, such as that of a Moorish princess in love with a Christian knight, and in the sixteenth century the writer Francisco de Moraes set part of his chivalric romance Palmeirim de Inglaterra here.
The visit
The castle is reached by a short boat crossing from the jetty opposite, at Tancos. You can visit the walls, with ten towers, and the keep, with views over the river. On the bank is a small Templar interpretation centre. Opening times vary with the seasons and the river level.
Constância
A few kilometres away, Constância is a charming village of white houses rising in tiers where the Zêzere river meets the Tagus. Tradition holds that the poet Luís de Camões lived here for a time; he is remembered by the Casa-Memória de Camões and the Jardim-Horto Camoniano, a garden of plants mentioned in his works. On Easter Monday the festival of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem includes the blessing of boats.
Getting there
Almourol is about an hour and a half from Lisbon by car, on the A23 motorway; Almourol station, on the Beira Baixa line, is close by. The castle combines well with Tomar, Golegã and Santarém.