Very well preserved medieval castle and walls, with a nice view of Vila Viçosa. Inside the walls you'll find nice green area to walk, old cemetery and church, a castle open for visiting. Here was the home of one of the most influential portuguese families. Definitely worth a visit a visit if you're in the region.

Beautiful castelo with resourceful museum, cozy small town with good restaurants. There is an interesting palace too and all are very nearby to Spanish border.

Nice castle in the village. Very original

Small (but nice) castle with a museums and a great view of the village in the end. No photos allowed inside. The visit is not guided or in a group.

Picturesque inside walls village. Needs better care from municipality, preserving the walls, gardens and art. Deserves a visit, though. Before eating at Restauração it's even better.

Very well refurbished monument with nice hunting museum and panoramic view over the city of Vila Viçosa

Interesting museum with friendly helpful staff. Ancient roman artifacts are very good but sometimes displayed rather dimly. The hunting weapons collection is superb but not to everyone's taste. The trophy displays not only include some mind-numbling examples of the worst form of the art; but also prove the damage that can be caused by over privileged royal families can do when let loose on African wildlife. If you're in the area well worth the entry fee not just for the collections on display, the excellent view from the ramparts but the fact that in 35 degrees it's deliciously cool within its heavy stone walls ;)

You can visit inside only with guided tours! And guess what: at least in the day we arrived they had guided tours only in Portuguese!!! So we suffered a one hour tour with no any trial of the guide to explained even once what we see. They were kind enough to give us a booklet in English so we can read during his explanations, but it was really not a hint of what he was talking for one hour!!! And also 0 explanations in English in the rooms. What a pity since the palace looks very impressive but 0 explanations makes this visit of intermediate value for English speakers…

I really enjoyed the guided tour here. The palace is an important part of Portuguese royal history and is still very well decorated and preserved so you really get a sense of what it was like. A must-see if you are doing a palace/castle tour of Portugal.

Exceptional hotel. Wonderfully friendly staff. They went out of their way to accommodate a special request of mine and the energy is old world charm mixes with grounded serenity. Lovely and beautiful bathroom with one of the comfiest bathtub ever. Can highly recommend this gem of a place.

This palace is very well kept we can almost imagine old kings and queens living there. Fantastic narration of Bragança dinasty. Was the place where last Portuguese king slept before regicide.

We were staying at the Pousada Convento de Vila Viçosa, and stayed till 14:00 on Tuesday because when we arrived on Monday the Ducal Palace was closed until Tuesday at 14:00. We had heard the Ducal Palace had one of the most beautiful and well preserved interiors of any of Portugals many palaces. We paid our entrance fee, and were told that the guided tour would be only in Portuguese. We got a two page flyer in English. And no photography! The door to the Palace only opened when the guide went in. We stayed with him for the first room… but he went on-and-on and the story in English on the flyer was only one paragraph. So we started walking ahead to the next room, and the next… following the flyer. Then my wife needed to use a restroom and traced back her steps while I waited. She said the door we had entered through was locked.. so she banged on the door until someone opened it and guided her to the restrooms. Meanwhile the guide caught up and I saw another person return two non-Portuguese speakers to the group whilst telling them off. When my wife returned we moved ahead of the group again… and when we got close to the end of the tour an English speaking person in the same uniform as the guide caught up with us and told us we needed to return to the group. I explained we did not understand Portuguese and had not been told of the requirement to stay with the guide. We were then basically told these were the rules… and we explained that we were on vacation and as harmless 65 year olds we were not that bothered with their rules, so we asked her to please escort us out… which she did. I cannot add photos from the inside. If you want to follow a guide around for 60 minutes through 15 exhibits be my guest. I think this place needs to rethink it’s customer friendliness!

Absolutely gorgeous. We had a great tour guide that was just fantastic. We were with a group of about 20 people and we were all enthralled. We had a tour guide that was a professor at the university and he was the bees knees. We learned about Catherine of Braganza who married King Charles II. When she moved to England they weren’t big showerers…and she introduced regular bathing. She’s also the reason that the Brits have a tea time every day and use a fork (seriously!). And why they added scones and marmalade to tea time. She imported oranges from Portugal for her marmalade and saved the bitter oranges for people she wasn’t very fond of. And she would have pop up parties all the time so she could figure out who her husband was sleeping with (obviously that young lady wouldn’t be in attendance). Highly recommend!!

Nice Palace, but at the entry they explained in perfect English that they only do Portuguese tours… should have the comments here I guess. Since they explained it in perfect English we thought maybe the guide will tell us something but no. The guide was very friendly to the Portuguese guests, but ignored us totally. Like we didn’t exist. Literally: if we would have wanted we could have taken some objects and put it in our backpacks and he wouldn’t have noticed it. Maybe a tip for some other non Portuguese visitors… The upside of being totally ignored: we could take pictures as much as we liked. The guide didn’t notice this either…

Not an amazing example of architecture or art but with some history that is worth looking into.

Extraordinarily grand and elegant.

Quiet

(Translated by Google) Nossa Senhora da Conceição Sanctuary and Castle (Museum of contemporary art). Its main church is located within the walls of the Vila Viçosa castle. The exact date of construction is not known, but a renovation was carried out in 1569 (mid-16th century, therefore) in marble from the region. The image of N Sra proclaimed Patroness of Portugal offered by D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, means that no king from this time on will place any crown on her head, as N Sra becomes queen. Pope John Paul II visited this Sanctuary during his visit to Portugal in May 82. (Original) Santuário Nossa Senhora da Conceição e Castelo (Museu Arte contemporânea). É igreja matriz fica dentro das muralhas do castelo de Vila Viçosa. Não se sabe a data certa de construção, mas é feita uma reforma em 1569 (meados sec XVI, portanto) em mármore da região. A imagem de N Sra proclamada Padroeira de Portugal oferecida por D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, faz com que mais nenhum rei a partir desta altura coloque qualquer coroa na sua cabeça, pois N Sra passa a ser rainha. O Papa João Paulo II esteve neste Santuário aquando da sua visita a Portugal em Maio de 82.

(Translated by Google) A nice church, close to the castle, so it's worth stopping by. (Original) Ładny kościół, blisko zamku więc warto wstąpić.

(Translated by Google) Sanctuary housing the image of Our Lady of the Conception, brought by Saint Nuno de Santa Maria or Don Nuno ‘Alvares Pereira, who was crowned by King John IV and considered the patron saint of Portugal. A wonderful church that has undergone alterations over time, but is in excellent condition. (Original) Santuário onde está à imagem de Nossa Senhora da Conceição trazida por São Nuno de Santa Maria ou D. Nuno ‘Alvares Pereira, que foi coroada pelo rei D. João IV e considerada padroeira de Portugal. Uma igreja maravilhosa que foi sofrendo alterações ao longo do tempo, mas est em ótimo estado.

(Translated by Google) A beautiful church. During Holy Week, the images are covered, as tradition dictates. Pay attention to the collection boxes. They are old and very pretty. (Original) Um belo templo. Na semana Santa as imagens ficam cobertas como reza a tradição. Preste atenção às caixas de esmolas. São antigas e bem bonitas.

A very nice museum with many pieces to see and great staff. You can find antiques and samples of marble along with the mining history.

Our family (kids, adults, grandparents) all enjoyed learning about the marble extraction process and marble industry in this small but interesting museum. We were especially appreciative of the kind guide providing a short tour for us despite our arrival before the museum technically reopened from lunch break. Her insights really added to the experience and made our visit! Thank you!

Unfortunately nothing in English or French so we walked around looking at the displays but learned nothing. After we walked up to the quarry. We are off season and a weekday, maybe they have someone on weekends.

Interesting history of the marble mining of the area.

Ana gave us a tour of the museum and quarry in English. My wife and I were the only ones in the place, but it was extremely informative

Great museum

Top

Remarkably tasty food. Had the sauteed shrimps with garlic for the starter, followed by the roasted goatling leg. Both really good. Pork cheeks didn't disappoint either. It wasn't necessarily cheap, but totally worth it given the quality and generous portions. Great find.

We had no idea where to eat in Vila Vicosa having arrived late in the day. We passed so many closed venues then we stumbled on this wonderfully welcoming restaurant. The owner, Manuel, and his staff were wonderful. The wine suggestion was perfect a local drop and the food was so much more than we expected. Beautifully prepared, fresh and tasty. Thank you. We highly recommend!

Exceptional service and amazing food! A must-stop every time I visit Alentejo. Highly recommended the beef on hot stone + Red Sangria

Very lovely restaurant serving the best Alentejo typical food. The decoration is contemporary with a touch of Alentejo's typical decorative motives. The personnel is very attentive and warm. The food is amazing. Try the codfish and the stakes 😋

We go to Restauração regularly when we stay in Vila Viçosa. One can have there all type of meals. The menu includes a variety of dishes, from snacks to main courses. Very good quality and good value for money.

At the first I was not comfortable with the menu outside and the "turistic" feel it gave to me. It looked like something for the turists and not portuguese food. I was wrong. It was a very good and tasty experience. We ate "plumas with migas", Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo, Secretos and veal, all amazing! So tasty and full of portugal! The wine was good too and the starters....very good. We just found the TiMaria dessert to sweet and the portion was so big that we did not finish. The owner (i think) is really kind and welcoming and the staff is kind. I'm coming back for sure.

Good location, OK service, good looking menue .. probably the most expensive meal we've had on this trip and the quality just was not there, did not live up to the expectations, not very enjoyable, clearly overpriced. Over €80 for 3 people, and we did not have any alcoholic drink!

A familiar feel to an amazingly sophisticated alentejan choice. Great house wine and perfectly prepared typical dishes.

Really good food, including deserts. But what makes this restaurant stand out from the rest as the best in the area is truly the experience, the owner was extremely nice and helpful and definitely take his recommendations in consideration.

Small restaurant with great typical food from Alentejo. "Sopa de cação", " Migas de espargos", "Doce de requeijão" all so delicious! Menu for kids available. The owner is very very friendly and nice. A place to return and to suggest!

If you are in here for the day. Try this place out. Bacalao is a must. They offer you their inhouse wine which is pretty good. The host is amazing. Any doubts you have, ask him.

Well best place in town. Excelente food the wine is very good.

Great place! Excellent food! Really friendly staff!

A very good restaurant. Very friendly and the food is great. Great service.

Food and location were good but unfriendly staff made it a bit uncomfortable sometimes

Rude and uncomfortable food was meh

Best restaurant in Vila Vicosa. Friendly staff and plenty of choice on the menu. Even has additional 4 different specials each day. The lamb casserole was wonderful. Thoroughly recommend.

At least 4 stars. Nice and cosy restaurant with working heating, the latter being somewhat special around here. Very good food. Many typical Alentejo dishes. All dishes available in half portions; even then they are more than enough. Very affordable prices. Vast choice of home made deserts. Large choice of Ola ice-creams which makes life easier when dining with children. Open from 10:00 - 22:00. So if you are used to eat at six that's not a problem. Good place to visit with children. Friendly and attentive staff. Modern and clean toilets. Toilet for disabled. Large parking, wheelchair friendly. Entrance of restaurant wheelchair friendly. Definitely worth a visit!

Great place to dine! The dishes are amazing and the service couldn't be better. To top it all up the prices are great with the portion of food you get as they're really big! It does get busy so try and avoid peak times (1pm and 8pm) or call and book a table.

Just boring. Had a nice mixed salad. And black pork with fries and rice. Industial produced deserts... Nothing you need a cook for. The meat quality was good. That’s why I opt for 2 stars... otherwise i only gave one. The 3 tv screens do not fit to the idea of a restaurant with white table cloths.

Homemade recepies, flavourful dishes, plentiful portions, all served by friendly staff. Bring your kids and enjoy the sorroundings in the green heart of this beautiful.

Excellent food, nice service, fine price

No assumptions, simple and modest restaurant. Average food, modest price. Is a nice place.

Nice, reasonably priced restaurant, good food.

Great home made tomato soup.

Family food

(Translated by Google) A family restaurant with a local clientele, offering generous portions in a space that, despite not being very large, has two dining rooms. Few places like this remain, with the menu written on a blackboard that is passed from table to table. Good prices, attentive service, but perhaps a little slow, probably due to a lack of waiters in a packed restaurant. The Alentejana-style pork is very good. (Original) Restaurante familiar con clientela local, raciones muy abundantes en un local que pese a no ser muy grande dispone de dos comedores. Pocos locales como este quedan, con el menú escrito en pizarra que pasa de mesa en mesa. Buen precio, servicio atento pero quizás un poco lento, seguramente por falta de camareros en un local lleno. El cerdo a la alentejana muy bueno

(Translated by Google) A small family restaurant with reasonable prices; a third, soup, cod, and coffee were approximately €20. The food was generously portioned—I almost had trouble finishing the tomato soup—and it tasted homemade. (Original) Pequeño restaurante familiar, con unos precios ajustados; Un tercio, sopa, bacalao y café fueron20€ aproximadamente. La comida en raciones generosas, casi me costó acabarme la sopa de tomate, y se nota casera.

Very nice service, kind people, from the waiter to the cook, nice people indeed. However, I found the price really high to what comes on the plate. Tasty and done with love, but, simply expensive. 1L water more than 3 EUR? Fried Chicken ( tasty though ) with french fries 15 EUR? I think these values could be reconsidered, given the fact we're not talking of a restaurant in downtown Lisbon, where prices are much more accessible.

Fantastic and very local place in the heart of Vila Viçosa. We got the cheese board, the olives and cação and it was delicious. The wine is very recommendable as well. Maria was attentive, super kind and even gave us some local indications! 10/10

Simply prepare and graciously served. Our veal was perfectly prepared. One rarely sees such beautiful tomatoes. I’ve would’ve guessed that they were picked this afternoon. The epitome of farm to table dining.

We walked in at 10pm to get takeout for dinner. The staff was very helpful with translating some dinner items to English. We got the cod fish and octopus principal dishes—it was very delicious! All of the staff were very friendly.

Nice place in a side street, away from car and road noise. Super nice service, we had the shrimps and sangria and no complaints :)

Got the octopus and cod fish to-go. It was so good!!! Lovely family (I think) restaurant. Friendly people.

Best restaurant in Vila Viçosa. Great food but the owner Dona Bia is the best host you could ever wish for. Family run which makes it so charming