Évora Freedom

Évora freedom

The Évora Livre tour is for those who like to feel free to choose their own points of interest to discover and explore a city in their own way. 

Drive to the Roman Temple, contemplate the Chapel of Bones or stroll through Praça Giraldo, sailing through the historic center of the city, considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

You can also venture outside the walls that delimit the old city and feel the calmer and more rural landscape that surrounds the city. Everything at your own pace.

Évora is a city you will not want to miss, with friendly and helpful people and wonderful cuisine. In this 1-hour experience you will be able to stroll in a comfortable and quick way through the city, covering all points of interest in the city in a fun way. 

Share Your Experience

Autonomy, Privacy and Customization

In this 1-hour self-drive city tour in Évora, your independence and privacy are guaranteed. Do you wish to change your route and take an alternative road? Don’t worry, your tour is customizable! Go wherever you want. Just you and yours, no one else to disturb!

sustainability

All of this on board of the fantastic Renault Twizy, a little and funny 100% electric car made for 2. With this totally sustainable and eco-friendly vehicle we have managed to save tons of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, making the city and our world cleaner places. That is why we were considered the best “Sustainable Tourism” StartUp in the world in 2020, for the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

technology

The Twizy is equipped with a lot of technology that provides you all the comfort and independence you need in this experience. Free WiFi and USB charging points for your smartphones, a GPS guide with several points of interest in the city, and an amazing video camera installed on top of the car that allows you to livestream your entire experience via social media. At the end of the tour we also give you a digital record of your urban road trip to later remember.

safety (covid-19)

For your safety, and in accordance with DGS and WHO standards, we have implemented extraordinary measures to protect you from the Covid-19 pandemic. Live Electric Tours has adopted all published and approved standards so that you can enjoy your tour in a completely protected way. Our cars are disinfected at the beginning and end of each tour. This procedure is performed by our team, which complies with all the rules established for this purpose. We remind you that all of our tours are completely private, so you will not have contact with other people, except the friend/relative which is with you at the car. Interactions with our team will be reduced to a minimum, occurring only at the beginning and end of each tour, with all the security measures adopted.

you choose where to begin

Live Electric Tours deliveries the Twizys wherever you want!

You can pickup the vehicles for free at one of our 4 partner hotels: Hotel do Espinheiro; Évora Hotel; Hotel M'ar de Ar Muralhas; e M'ar de Ar Aqueduto.

If you are not hosted or can not go near one of these 4 partner hotels, please write the address of your accommodation inside Evora and our team will be there at the schedule time your city tour begins.

Additional Information

If you exceed the defined duration of your tour, there’s an extra cost of 20 euros per additional hour.

• Rental of a Renault TWIZY (capacity: 2 people)
• Civil Liability, Personal Accidents and Car Insurance
• Tour with GPS guide 
• Free Wifi in the vehicle
• Livestreaming of your experience to share with friends and family via Social Media
• Digital recording of the whole experience to later remember 
• Pick up and drop off of the vehicle at your accommodation (extra 20€) - Free for the 4 partner hotels
• Vehicle Briefing Before Start

EVORA

Nestling with dignified repose in the heart of Portugal's sun-baked Alentejo province, Évora is one of the country's oldest and most enchanting cities. Rising to prominence under the Romans, the town was also occupied for some 500 years by the Moors. Medieval Évora thrived as a center of learning and the arts, and was patronized by a succession of Portuguese kings. Its numerous churches and monasteries stand as testament to a devout and pious legacy.

The melding of such diverse cultures and religions coupled with an abundance of different architectural styles prompted UNESCO to declare Évora's old town a World Heritage Site. Conveniently, this precious hoard of monuments and museums is clustered together within the city walls, and can be easily explored on foot. Similarly, Évora's lively market town atmosphere is best appreciated by following the narrow cobblestone lanes that snake away from the brooding cathedral to pass gurgling fountains and flower-flecked squares. Along the way, colorful handicraft stores and family-run cafés busy themselves under granite-wrapped arcades. Restaurants, meanwhile, serve some of the tastiest gastronomy in the land.

ROMAN TEMPLE

At the highest point of the city where Évora’s ancient forum once stood is what could be Portugal’s greatest Roman monument.

This Corinthian temple was built in the 1st century and would likely have been devoted to Diana.

Up close you’ll notice the difference in materials; the fluted columns are made from granite while the bases and capitals are marble that was brought here from Estremoz, 40 or so kilometres to the northeast.

This monument has survived so well because its walls were filled in during medieval times when it was turned into a small fortress, before being restored in the 1870s.

SAINT FRANCIS CHURCH

The church that hosts the Capela dos Ossos also needs to be seen, not least as it was a place of worship for royalty.

This is made clear at the portal, which is was sculpted in the Manueline style in the first decades of the 1500s.

Amid the decoration is an armillary sphere, which was the emblem of King Manuel I, and a pelican, signifying King John II. The nave has monumental dimensions (it is the largest church interior of this kind in Portugal), and you should raise your eyes to the groin vaults in the ceiling.

A peculiar thing about the choir is that the opposing stalls were made in different times; the ones on the right are 16th-century Renaissance, while those on the left are 17th-century Baroque.

CHAPEL OF BONES

This chapel attached to the Church of São Francisco isn’t one for the squeamish.

It’s an ossuary, with walls, arches and supporting pillars lined with bones and skulls in cheerful arrangements.

These are the remains of several thousand monks, recovered from several crypts and cemeteries in the 16th century.

The idea behind this Franciscan chapel, built when counter-Reformation spirit was running high, was to remind worshippers of the transitory nature of life.

In case there’s any doubt about this message, there’s an inscription at the entrance in Latin, reading ” We bones, that are here, for yours await”.

EVORA CATHEDRAL

Don't be put off by Évora cathedral's rather austere complexion. Its weathered granite façade has after all endured the elements since 1204, and the heavy-set structure can't help but resemble a fortress, a look accentuated by a pair of imposing asymmetrical bell towers. Those with an eye for architecture will notice the melding of the Romanesque with the Gothic, but everyone will gush at the stunning 14th-century sculpted Apostles that wrap themselves around the building's main portal. Inside, even whispering sounds too loud, but the mood of secluded gravity is lifted somewhat by the 18th-century high altar and polished marble chancel. A more dazzling backdrop is the treasury, which doubles up as a museum of sacred art brimming with rare and priceless artifacts fashioned out of gold, silver, and other precious metals. The top draw, though, is the roof from where a memorable Alentejo panorama can be admired.

EVORA UNIVERSITY

Portugal’s second-oldest university is in Évora, and was founded in the 1500s by both Pope Paul IV and the future King Henry I, who was a cardinal at the time.

For its first 200 years it was a Jesuit college, before this order was expelled from Portugal in the 1750s.

There’s a lot to get through here, but you have to survey the elegant arcades and galleries in the main courtyard.

And don’t miss the chance to see some of the classrooms, as these are decorated with azulejos that vary according to the fields taught.

You might notice Aristotle teaching Alexander the Great or Plato instructing his followers.

GIRALDO SQUARE

Évora's handsome central square is the city's bustling hub, a favorite meeting place where locals mingle with tourists. Probably named after Geraldo Sem-Pavor (the Fearless), the outlaw who ousted the Moors in 1165, the square hosts a lively weekend market, but is a shopping destination in its own right, with several boutiques situated under the graceful arcades that line Giraldo's eastern flank; nearby Rua 5 de Outubro is lined with shops that sell handicrafts and curios, from copperware to carved cork. In summer, restaurants set tables across the esplanade, and the colorful scene is café society at its most ebullient. It's a far cry from the beheadings and Inquisition burnings witnessed in darker, medieval times. Fortunately, today's entertainment is likely to be animated street theater or a live music concert staged under the shadow of the 16th-century Igreja de Santo Antão.

EVORA MUSEUM

Modern and kid-friendly, Évora Museum does away with the stuffy and cramped. Instead, this delightfully engaging cultural and educative draw is spacious, light and airy, and superbly designed to showcase a collection of regional treasures housed in what was once the residence of bishops and noblemen. Yes, this is a former palace building dating way back to the 16th century, and the city's history is all here under one roof. It's worth spending time mulling over the exhibits. For instance, the art gallery features an extraordinary 16th-century Flemish polyptych, a fantastically detailed painting of 13 panels executed in vivid Technicolor, and this kind of brushwork requires serious study. The main core of the museum is its collection of archaeology, and its Roman sculpture pinches all the glory - a giant 2nd century AD column rises up like a rocket as if to emphasize the period.

CONVENT AND CHURCH OF THE LOIOS

This convent is from the 1400s and was built over the ruins of a medieval castle.

A few of the monastic buildings, including the refectory and monks’ cells have been turned into a pousada (heritage hotel). You can go in to explore the church, which is far richer than its facade makes it seem.

That is because the exterior had to be remodelled after the devastating 1755 earthquake.

The ceiling of the nave has masterful Gothic rubbed vaults, and walls festooned with blue and white azulejos.

The church also has the tombs of the Counts of Olivença, most notably Rodrigo Afonso de Melo who was chief guard to King Afonso V.

SILVER WATERS AQUEDUCT

The whimsically named Aqueduct of Silver Water caught the imagination of Portugal's greatest poet, Luís de Camões, who described the majestic 16th-century watercourse in his epic Os Lusìadas, published in 1572. The structure is still regarded with awe, the tallest arches of the surviving nine-kilometer stretch reaching a height of 26 meters and visible throughout the city and beyond. Over the years, shops, warehouses, and other commercial premises have been constructed within its arches. There are even some houses snuggled between its walls. The most interesting examples can be admired in and around Rua do Cano. But for some truly imposing views of the aqueduct, visitors should follow the well-signposted trail that begins just outside the city walls.

EVORA WALLS

As soon as you arrive in Évora, stop by the tourist office, which will give you a handy map of the best spots to take in the city’s fortifications.

As they appear now, these walls, towers and gates are from the reign of King Afonso IV in the 1300s, but their origins and course go back to 3rd century, and you can also spot Moorish traces from the early middle ages.

The area contained is more than 10 hectares and the walls are about two kilometres in length, so there’s plenty to see.

A good starting point is the Jardim Público a few paces from the Capela dos Ossos, where a length of the ramparts creates a picturesque barrier in the park.

REGIONAL GASTRONOMY

You can dine like an Évoran and sample some traditional Alentejo fare, which is rustic, satisfying and intended to nourish generations of rural workers.

Açorda is a kind of paste made with garlic, olive oil and vinegar and served with poached egg over slices of bread.

Migas com carne de porco is leftover bread, soaked in water, garlic and spices and combined with braised pork.

Alentejo is also known for its desserts, like sericaia, a kind of egg pudding flavoured with orange zest and cinnamon, or pão de rala, literally bread pudding traditionally made at convents, with lemon zest, spices, ground almonds and eggs.