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Once the wedding present of a queen, the preserved medieval town of Óbidos lying 100 km north of Lisbon is without doubt one of Portugal's most classic walled settlements. Walking the ramparts, visitors can enjoy views of windmills, vineyards and surrounding farmlands. In the residential area below, narrow cobblestone streets are lined with whitewashed houses sporting terracotta roofs. The shops are piled high with local handicrafts, while in spring the town is ablaze with geraniums, morning glories and bougainvillaea.

Nearby: Within easy reach of Óbidos is Alcobaça, a

town dominated by its 12th-century abbey. The restored monument houses the ornate tombs of Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro, the star-crossed lovers whom legend treats as the Romeo and Juliet of Portugal. Inside, visitors will find the exquisite Cloister of Silence. Of equal importance is Batalha, located 73 miles north of Lisbon and a short drive from Óbidos and Alcobaça. Its highlight is the stunning monastery built in the 15th and 16th centuries, a true masterpiece considered to be among the finest structures in Southern Europe. The tombs of King João I, his English wife Philippa of Lancaster, and their sons (including Henry the Navigator) are located here.

SIGHTSEEING

Resembling an open-air museum, this walled medieval town has been preserved to look like a picture-postcard, with its monuments, narrow winding streets and white-washed houses with windows and terraces full of flowers.
From Porta da Vila, the southern town gate whose interior is decorated with 18th century tiles, to Rua Direita, a street filled with small shops where visitors can buy traditional ceramics, wicker baskets, miniature windmills and hand-made embroidery and woollen articles, and to the 15th century royal castle that has been converted into an inn, Óbidos seems to go back in time to the days when the Court visited the town.

The massively-towered castle has now been converted into an elegant Pousada. It was the first one to be adapted and restored from a historical monument, itself a monument of national importance.
Carmo Church (Romanesque-Gothic)
Santa Maria Church Famous for being the site where the 10-year-old Afonso V married his cousin aged 8, also boasts exquisite 17th-century tiles and a fine Renaissance tomb

Misericórdia Church (15th-18th centuries) and São Pedro (18th century).
St. Martinho Church
Nearby, Senhor da Pedra Sanctuary.
Also worth seeing are the works of Josefa de Óbidos (a 17th century artist that lived most of her life here), displayed in the Municipal Museum

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