We recently visited Évora, the city that is named the Capital of Alentejo and also that is is considered to be Cultural World Heritage by UNESCO.
We went there to discover if moving to Evora is a good idea or if the city is just a wonderful place to visit.
After spending 3 nights, 4 days in the region I put together 5 of my reasons why I would move to Evora and 5 reasons why I would definitely not move to Evora. I don’t know if these are reasons enough for you to not move to Evora, but maybe they will help you to make a first assessment.
We stayed at The Noble House Hotel and we had a very pleasant stay there. We loved the breakfast and the cosy atmosfere.
why I would move to Evora
It is so different to Algarve
And I mean this in the best way possible! Fist, it’s more… Portuguese! You get a total different vibe from the people. The streets are a wonder to explore, even in the more obscure parts of the town. Moving to Evora it was for sure on my mind after the days spent in that region.
I would move here for the food and the winery only!
The food is amazing and very diverse! Of course you find your typical Portuguese restaurants but you also find modern, very good and affordable bars and restaurants.
We ate at 4 restaurants while staying in Evora. One was a Portuguese restaurant – we said that we have to try it. We didn’t like it. We liked it more than in the Algarve but it’s still a no for us.
The second was a touristy place right in the big square, where they served “Portuguese food” but in a touristy reinterpreted way. We liked that, but it was a little pricey – hence the touristy tag.
The third one was a Hamburgeria – where Flavius was allowed to eat a tower hamburger with no less than 4 big slices of meat. I ate something small with Brie cheese. We had the time of our lives eating the best French fries we encountered in Portugal – they were not frozen, from the supermarket, they were cut fresh by hand! Do you know how rare you find this in Algarve? Not even at the 5 stars hotels!
The forth and last place was practically a bar where they made their own bear. The food was very good also and I liked the music too.
There were all sorts of restaurants in Evora, if you fancy something more posh, just across the street from the Hamburgueria, you could eat (at a very decent price) at a recommended by Michelin Guide restaurant. We actually considered going there, instead of the Hambugueria, but Flavius won.
If moving to Evora is not on our plans in the foreseeable future, for sure we will be back in the area for the food.
Things you can do around Evora
Oh, the things you can do around Evora! We had a blast exploring the area.
We went to a famous winery, Adega Cartuxa and explore the ground for a couple of hours. It even started raining and that made the experience even more wonderful. They also have wine tours, but you have to book in advance, and a Coffee Shop that was not open in off season.
What we liked is that they serve wine by the glass, and you can take glass and go into the vineyard and explore. You could return at any time and fill your glass with different types of wines – they have a dispenser. We found the experience magical!
In another day we discover the river beaches nearby – I never saw a river beach until visiting Evora.
You could also do cork tours and see the Almendres Cromlech. These are megalithic structures that dates back to the 6th millennium BC. You can visit several locations and learn about the megalithic universe of Évora.
We have visited 2 locations only and we fond it to be very different. You can see the 2 pictures from the locations below.
Lower cost of living and of property
I think you kind of got the idea that this place, because it’s rather remote, has a low cost of living. Also you can get a lower price on property, especially if you look for a remote quinta near Evora.
With all that fear, it’s much easier to stay at home in our comfort
zones than to break out and travel.
Other places you might like to move: Property you can buy in Algarve Portugal with 75.000 euro
Why I would not move to Evora
Very remote, far from the airport
The airport is the one in Lisbon and as you know, very crowded. Actually they are going to build another airport soon, but the specific location of it, it isn’t decided yet.
So, after you land in Lisbon you need to also get to Evora. For us this would have meant at least a night spent in Lisbon. Otherwise, to drive after our long flight, it’s not to pleasant or savvy.
Not much to see in Evora but around Evora
We did enjoy visiting Evora, for 2 or 3 days, taking it slow and exploring this beautiful town. But after a few days, you run out of things to see. This is that moment when you go outside Evora, and discover a lot of things to do and see.
Not close to the sea
This is more of a personal preference, but I have always dreamed to live near the ocean. Not 5 km or 10 km away, but right near it, to be able to walk in the morning and see it.
A little quiet for us
If I would want to live in the countryside, I would definitely take a look at this area! It’s beautiful! But I think after a while we would have liked a little hassle and bustle, more than Evora can offer. Again, I think Evora is very suitable for a quiet, peaceful living, so if you are looking for that, you must make a visit in this area.
In a word, if you are looking for that idyllic country living, Evora it’s a great area to look. But if you want more of a busy life, maybe move into a larger place and just visit Evora in the weekends, like we do!
Is city, lots to do, eat and visit
We found good accomodation
Some things to do in the area
You need a car to get here
Behind the quiet facade, Portugal is a very dangerous place to live in. Portugal robbed me 130K euros and six years of my life!
At first glance, Portugal has the facade of a more or less developed country paid for by EU taxpayers, but underneath it is really a 3rd world country and the most undemocratic and dangerous one to live in. Unfortunately, having joined the EU, it fools people into thinking it’s a trustworthy country, but nothing could be further from the truth, as you can read on my blog at poortugalsham()com where I share my terrible experience and shocking conclusions of what it’s like to live nine years as an expat in this utterly corrupted and dysfunctional society, run by crooks for crooks and full of horrible and dishonest people everywhere who end up being conniving with the corrupt who usurped their democracy.