Monasteries of Central Portugal: UNESCO Heritage Sites
Portugal has 14 cultural world heritage sites, of which I planned and visited 9 of them in a span of 6 days. I have this thing for UNESCO World heritage sites. Therefore I always plan my itinerary so that the road trip is through these sites.
Of the several day trips one particular day itinerary is most memorable to me. I covered 3 Monasteries of Central Portugal: Monastery of Alcobaca, Monastery of Batalha and Convent of Christ in Tomar, in one single day road trip. It is called the monasteries route.
Monasteries of Central Portugal
The Monastic Triangle has Monastery of Alcobaca, Monastery of Batalha and Convent of Christ in Tomar in its three corners. These 3 sites are centrally located in Portugal. You can approach them from Lisbon by road. Each one of them is grand and it is like a voyage through history of Portugal as you tour through these monasteries.
Monastery of Alcobaca
Travel distance from Lisbon to Alcobaca is 122km which can take 1 hour 30mins along Highway A8.
Alcobaca Church is famous because of the monastery. It is a beautiful medieval structure, the facade has designs like icing on a cake, only they looked old and worn out. During 17th and 18th centuries the original Gothic facade was altered.
The doorway and rose window exist from the time it was built. Interiors are even more impressive with many parts to tour. I just melted at the sight of Gothic vaulted ceiling there.
Interior of Monastery of Alcobaca
Explore some important parts like the cloisters, seven dormitories, a library, and a huge kitchen. The kitchen is most noteworthy here. And the gigantic tiled chimney in center too is impressive. Some of the cloister rooms are open to public.
There is a story of a thin door on one wall: the monks apparently had to fit and pass through in order to gain access to the dining room. Don’t miss to see it and assess yourself may be!
Alcobaca Monastery is the burial place of many Portuguese kings and queens. Monks resided here from 1178AD and dedicated their lives to religious meditation, creating illuminated manuscripts.
The ornate tombs of King Pedro and Ines, who became queen posthumously, are the most photographed objects inside the church. The tombs are built with their feet facing each other.
Monastery of Batalha
Travel distance from Alcobaca to Monastery of Batalha is 22 km, which takes 24 min via N8.
Batalha Monastery is a mix of 2 architectural styles: Gothic and Manueline. The construction went on for 2 centuries (1388 to 1533) by 15 architects and under the reign of several kings. Yet, the dream monastery couldn’t be completed.
Must see sights within Monastery of Batalha
Within the church and monastery there are several interesting sights. The arch over the door is decorated with statues of twelve apostles. The stained glass window here is the largest in Portuguese Gothic architecture.
There are a series of tombs in the Founder’s Chapel to the right of entrance. It contains the tombs of King Joao I and his Queen Phillipa, their stone effigies depict entwined hands.
There is one more couple tomb, that of D. Duarte and his wife Leonor, laying hand in hand in one of the chapels in the monastery.
The Square Chapter house in the Royal Cloister is a beautiful place to walk through. It is the lace like work in limestone that holds your attention. They seem like snowflakes, only difference that they are of stone and large in size.
This part of the tour takes up much of your time, and chances are you will want to linger on, not wanting to come out. Tour time will be 2 hours and more till you are content.
Convent of Christ, Tomar
Travel distance from Batalha is 45 km via IC9, which can take 45 min to drive approx.
The monastery of Tomar, also called the Convent of Christ is no less than a masterpiece! There are a total of 8 cloisters in Convento de Cristo. Must photograph sight is the famous chapter house window in west facade, made by Diogo de Arruda in 1510-1513. A detailed ‘halt and see tour can easily take 3 hours.
UNESCO says… Tomar in Portugal got World Heritage Site status because:
“Originally designed as a monument symbolizing the Reconquest, the Convent of the Knights Templar of Tomar (transferred in 1344 to the Knights of the Order of Christ) came to symbolize just the opposite during the Manueline period – the opening up of Portugal to other civilizations.”
Summer opening hours: 1 June to 30 September, 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. In winters it closes by 5.30 p.m.
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- 3 Monuments of Monastic Triangle in Central Portugal
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- Convent of Christ Tomar
Road Trip Itinerary along Monasteries of Central Portugal
You can start from Lisbon. Lisbon is capital of Portugal and well connected with rest of the world. Emirates Airline have several flights connecting Lisbon to other major cities of the world.
Start early in the morning so that by 9 you are at Monastery of Alcobaca. Though I did this tour in a day, one can always linger on a bit more and tour it covering the monasteries in 2 days.
- Lisbon to Alcobaca – 1 hour 30 min
- Alcobaca Tour – 2 hours (9AM to 11AM)
- Alcobaca to Batalha – 24 min
- Batalha Tour – 2 hours (11.45AM to 1.45PM)
- Batalha to Tomar – 45 min
- Spare an hour for lunch
- Tomar Tour – 2 hours (3.30PM to 5.30PM in winters)
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A beautiful blend of architectural styles this one is. The tall arches and the lovely interiors definitely makes me want to get in there and capture it all for myself. Nice to know that this is a final resting place for a lot of royalties. Looks perfect for that.
I am wondering how much Europe spent building monasteries and cathedrals in a giant game of one upsmanship. I think Portugal has some of the pretties of the bunch. I love the Monastery of Batalha. So much work went into the building.
These three heritage sites in Portugal are just so damn beautiful. I am highly impressed by Monastery of Batalha and its architecture. 2 centuries to complete it is really a huge time. The Convent of Christ too looks like a must visit. Great pictures.
It is always a pleasure to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites! I love the Monastic triangle, all three monasteries seem totally worth going to! Convent of Christ and Monastery of Batalha have such beautiful architectures and the Alcobaca has amazing interiors. I can’t wait to get to Portugal!
I am yet to visit Portugal, and with 14 cultural world heritage sites, I should really get myself there pronto.
The monasteries really are spectacular and well worth you making the trip to all of them I can see. I particularly love the Gothic and Manueline mix of the architecture of Balalha. Really is stunning.
You did pretty good if you managed to see 9 of these heritage sites in only 6 days. I love these medieval monasteries. They look so majestic and have so beautiful architecture! I’ve never been in Portugal and was not aware that it’s home so many world heritage sites. I’d love to visit them too someday.
What amazing architecture marking the “the opening up of Portugal to other civilizations.” I think it’s very special. Churches are historical sites indeed!
I’m starting to plan out a trip to Portugal in October and wasn’t aware of these monasteries! They look gorgeous and I love that you mapped out the route and time frames for me, thank you!
Amazing compilation of monasteries of the medieval times. Interesting to note that Monastery of Batalha went on for 2 centuries! One can easily see the similarity between these structures and St Pauls ruins in Macau.
I’m amazed it’s even possible to cover 3 heritage sites in one day. I also had no idea that people could be crowned posthumously. What a fascinating history and culture!
Such a great timing! I am planning a trip to Portugal in this summer and I just started searching for the country and places to visit. I am going to add this to my list.
Portugal has so much to offer and it’s amazing that you were able to see so many heritage sites in only six days! We loved discovering the monasteries but did not have a chance to visit the Monastic Triangle. That will definitively be for our next trip! This is making me look forward to our next trip!!
9 UNESCO world heritage sites in 6 days! That is awesome and must have indeed been a great experience. The monasteries of Portugal have an intriguing aura about them that makes it so interesting to visit or read about them. Of this lot I find the Monastery of Batalha to be really magnificent.
We will be in Lisbon this November. I will make sure we do this full day tour of the Monastic Triangle of the Monasteries of Alcobaca, Batalha, and Tomar. It takes about 10 hours total!
Beautiful sites. It’s amazing you can visit 3 UNESCO in a day! I’ve only been able to visit Porto, Lisbon & Sintra But hope to get back to Portugal soon for a road trip up the coast!
I definitely need to go back to Portugal, I last went when I was 19 and it’s a little bit blurry. So many great photos of great architecture.
I’ve travelled a lot around Portugal but I’ve usually been there with a focus on food and I haven’t seen any of these Monestries! Just a good excuse to go back again;)
We haven’t ventured that far out of Lisbon but we can see that Portugal has so much more to offer. Yes, the facade of the Alcobaca is very impressive, sounds a really interesting road trip.
I also have a thing for UNESCO World Heritage Sites! In Portugal, the Convent of Christ in Tomar certainly is a masterpiece. I would love to explore the 8 cloisters. This is definitely a road trip worth doing.
Sounds like a very interesting and doable road trip, and I do love exploring monasteries. The architecture is great, love your pictures!
These monasteries look fascinating! Like you, I love exploring Heritage Sites. For some reason, I didn’t have a burning desire to visit Portugal and always thought Spain is a lot more exciting. After seeing more posts on Portugal like yours, I really re-evaluate and really give Portugal a try soon!
Monasterio dos Jeronimos in Belém is also a Unesco site, right? I also had all the Unesco sites on my wish list during my trips until I lost the count, lol. If I remember well, I read your detailed post about Alcobaca and it looked a very interesting monastery to see. I would like to visit that one
All of these sites look amazing, but the monastery of Tomar-wow!! Thanks for sharing this road trip itinerary. Sounds like a great way to see the monasteries, and I think I’d do it over a couple of days.
All of the buldimgs are amazing. I do t even know which one to favour.. I think the best thing to do is visit all. There is so Mich to see and do in Portugal i must admit.
Overal, an interesting and informative post
thanks to your post I get information about the monastery batalha in the famous portugal country with the football star. it turns out its place also has a meal of the Portuguese kings. wow thank you for the information
Beautiful monasteries. Amazing captures 🙂
Portugal has 14 cultural world heritage sites !! Amazing . I am not aware how many sites are in India ? But It will be very hectic to cover 3 sites in a day in India . But the interiors of the Church is very attractive . All the pictures in the folder are really very beautiful !!
All of them look amazing. Nice captures.
Magnificent buildings and sculptures, very nicely captured and narrated.
Some beautiful architecture. We have recently returned from Lisbon and loved Portugal. We would love to return and explore further afield. Highly recommended for those who haven’t yet visited
Very informative post Indrani. And thanks for the details of planning a day trip from Lisbon to all 3 sites. The monastery of Tomar looks the most interesting to me. Will definitely put this on my list if and when i go to Portugal.
It’s crazy how much heritage sits they have in Portugal! I am inlove with the inside decoration of the monasteries especially with Monastery of Alcobaca. Would like to visit it one day.
These monasteries are really gorgeous, the architecture is so lovely. Are they still active places of worship or just historical sites now?
The facade and interiors are equally designed and detailed. Such an amazing work of art. It is a perfect destination indeed. Would feed the mind and the senses!
Wow, these heritage sites are marvelous. I am particularly taken with the Monastery of Batalha, the intricate carvings, the overall architectural design is impressive. And you’ve seen 9 out of 14 sites in only 6 days. That’s a feat I must say. Hopefully, I’d get to visit too. Would definitely make time for the Batalha.
Wow, portugal has been on our list for so long but never managed to go there. Soon!! Love how you’ve described the places and your wonderful pics!
Amazing day must have been for you.. I can so relate… This was same for me going around Bukhara and Samarkand..
The Monasteries look really magnificent. UNESCO World Heritage sites have this special aura of charm which renders them so endearing. Portugal is one of the most fascinating countries that is steeped in a rich cultural heritage and history. Loved reading this post.
All the monasteries you mentioned are imposing structures and have a unique story backing them. I liked the story of the Tomar, the most though the other ones are good too. May be I”m too spoilt for choice. However, I would love to read up more on all the monasteries or watch a documentary on them (if there are any). Thanks for triggering my mind through your post. 🙂
What a fascinating read. I have read extensively on the history of the Knights Templars, but never knew of this site. Thanks for sharing!
You may want to visit right away looking at these awesome photos! Thanks for these!
Thanks for the detailed information of how to get from place to place by bus. I only saw Lisbon so far in Portugal and will definitely check out Alcobaca and Batalha on my next trip to Portugal!
Thank You
As you said, pictures of the interiors are awesome! The delicate details on the wall are amazingly beautiful! Nice photographs and the slide shows too!