Almourol Castle - Tomar - Pegoes Aqueduct - Mafra

Route: Lisbon - Almourol Castle - Tomar - Pegoes Aqueduct - Mafra - Lisbon
Duration: 11 h
The first stop of our tour will be at Almourol Castle.  In the middle of the River Tagus, the enigmatic Almourol Castle is one of the most emblematic monuments of the Christian reconquest. Its history reminds us of the Reconquest of the Portuguese territory during the Middle Ages. When the Christians arrived here in 1129, the castle already existed under the name of Almorolan, having been incorporated immediately afterwards into the land that was placed under the protection of the Knights Templar, whose Master at that time was Gualdim Pais. According to an inscription at the entrance to the castle, its reconstruction work began in 1171. After we will drive to Former seat of the Order of the Knights Templar, Tomar is a city of great charm for its artistic and cultural wealth, whose greatest expression is in the Convent of Christ, one of the chief works of the Portuguese Renaissance. The Templar chapel was built in the 12th century, like the castle, which was at the time the Kingdom’s most up-to-date and advanced military set-up, inspired by the fortifications of the Holy Land. It was converted into a Chancel during the restoration works ordered by King Manuel I in the 16th century, when the complex gained the architectural splendour, kept intact to this day, which earned it World Heritage Site UNESCO status. Also you will see Convent with precious details, such as the depictions on the Renaissance portal, the unique symbolism of the Manueline Window in the Chapter Hall, the architectural details in the Main Cloister and the spaces connected to Templar rituals. During the way to  historic centre you will see  the small Renaissance jewel  Nossa Senhora da Conceição Chapel. The surrounding streets are lined with traditional shops, including the oldest café where the delights of the local pastries can be appreciated: almond and squash queijadas (cheese cakes) and the traditional Fatias de Tomar (Tomar slices). You can visit to  Convent of São Francisco, the Museu dos Fósforos (Match Museum), the former Convent of Anunciada, Museu da Levada, the old 15th century Synagogue, currently the Abraão Zacuto Luso-Hebrew Museum, devoted to this distinguished 15th century astronomer and mathematician, the Convent of Santa Iria, and a little further along, the Church of Santa Maria do Olival, which houses the tombs of several Knights Templar, including that of Gualdim Pais, the first master, who died in 1195. The next short stop will be at The Aqueduct of Pegões which was one of the main public works built in the 17th century in Portugal its around 6-km long and constituted by 180 arches with maximum height of 30 metres.  This monumental work was designed by the distinguished architect Filipe Terzi, in order to supply water to the Convent of Christ - linking the Convent with the village of Pegões on the outskirts of Tomar, where there were four natural springs. After we will drive to last point of our tour city of Mafra which is famous for its imposing Palace-Convent, the largest edifice in Portugal, built by order of King Dom João V in the 18th century. The king, who still had no children three years after his marriage to Dona Maria Ana of Austria, promised the Franciscan firars that he would build them a convent in the Mafra area if his prayers for an heir to the throne were answered and after born his daugther, this grandiose monument was built, (including a convent for 300 friars, a basilica and a 666-room royal palace), in a record time, from 1717 to 1730. After we will return to Lisbon.
Price: per person