Moura's origin is steeped in a legend of tragic love. Salúquia and Bráfama were star-crossed lovers from rival villages near the town of Moor (Moura). Salúquia, a Moorish maiden, and Bráfama, a Christian shepherd, defied their families’ enmity to meet in secret. Tragedy struck when their clandestine love was discovered, leading to their deaths in the hills. Locals say their spirits still linger, blessing young lovers who visit the site. Moura reportedly derives its name from Salúquia’s Moorish heritage, reflecting the region’s historical blend of Christian and Moorish cultures. Today, the legend colours local festivals, songs, and storytelling traditions.

In 1232, Moura was conquered by Christian forces led by King Sancho II, and the town was later controlled by the Order of Avis, a military-religious order. The town became strategically important due to its proximity to Spain, leading to frequent battles and fortifications. Today, Moura is a quiet yet historically rich town known for its olive oil, wine, and warm Alentejan hospitality.

Towering above the town, Moura Castle is the sort of place that makes you walk a little slower and breathe a little deeper. Poking around sun-baked ramparts makes a great starting destination for your Moura visit. Built on the foundations of earlier Roman and Visigothic structures, the medieval fortress was shaped most dramatically during the Moorish occupation, later reforged by Portuguese kings after the Reconquista. It’s a layered cake of Iberian history — only with better views and fewer calories.

Wandering through the Castle of Moura, you’ll find sturdy walls that seem determined to outlast the sun, the Torre de Menagem (keep) standing nobly even in ruin, and quiet corners where the legend of Princess Salúquia still drifts like desert perfume.

Mosteiro e Igreja de São Domingos

Found inside the walls of Moura Castle the Mosteiro e Igreja de São Domingos. This 16th-century Dominican monastery blends Gothic and early-Renaissance styles, with a simple stone façade leading into a cool interior of gilded chapels and quiet corners. Wandering its cloister remnants, you can almost hear the rhythm of monastic life echoing through the arches.

Torre do Relógio de Moura (clock tower)

In one corner of the castle's ramparts stands the Torre do Relógio de Moura (clock tower). This historical monument dates from the 16th century, and the upper part is a more recent 19th-century addition. Take advantage of the free entry and climb to the top to be awestruck by the great views over the town of Moura and the surrounding region.

Out of all of Moura's churches, Igreja de São João Baptista is the grandest. From the outside, the church looks like a medieval ship moored permanently in the town square: a long, three-aisled rectangle with chapels attached like thoughtful side cabins and a square bell tower that seems determined to outlive every visitor. The manuline, trilobed stone portal — festooned with twisting columns, leafy capitals, and armillary spheres — is the sort of doorway that makes you stand a little taller before stepping inside.

Once you cross the threshold, the Gothic arches stretch ahead like a gentle procession, each bay a reminder that medieval builders had both devotion and astonishing patience. The interior of the Igreja de São João Baptista is a delightful mixture of solemnity and decorative exuberance: patterned azulejos, allegorical Virtues, and pillars adorned with leafy carvings, all softened by the Alentejo light slipping through narrow openings.

Wander toward the chancel, and you will be rewarded with a gorgeous Manueline star-ribbed vault, a stone canopy that looks half celestial chart, half architectural daydream. Side chapels hold old tombs, painted panels and devotional objects that smell faintly of beeswax and centuries.

3 Rua de Arouche, 7860-033 Moura, Portugal. | 38° 08' 37.3" N | 07° 26' 58.7" W

Wandering into Mouraria, the Moorish Quarter of Moura, feels like stepping into a sun-baked novella where every alley whispers a rumour and every doorway has a story. This is Moura at its most atmospheric – a maze of whitewashed houses, cool shadowy lanes, and azulejo-trimmed corners that seem purpose-built for getting deliciously lost.

Historically, the Mouraria is the town’s oldest neighbourhood, shaped by centuries of Moorish occupation, Reconquista dramas and the legendary tale of Salúquia. Here, the past isn’t a museum exhibit – it’s the air you breathe. You’ll find remnants of Islamic architecture, medieval passageways and houses that still follow traditional courtyard layouts, giving you a rare glimpse of Alentejo’s multicultural heritage.

Attractions in Mouraria are blissfully unscripted. One moment you’re photographing a crooked chimney, the next you’re sipping a dangerously pleasant Alentejo wine at a tiny tasca where locals debate olive harvests with philosophical flair. Be sure to look for the Portas da Mouraria, the evocative gateway into the quarter, and wander up to hidden viewpoints offering postcard-worthy vistas over Moura’s rooftops and the rolling olive-grove landscape.

Things to do? Stroll, snack, and surrender to serendipity. Explore the artisan workshops, admire hand-painted tiles, or follow the scented trails of jasmine and grilled petingas coming from family kitchens. The Mouraria is best enjoyed slowly – a proper Alentejo pace, where time obeys no clocks.

The village of Barrancos is located on the left bank of the Guadiana river bordering Spain. The land here is unforgiving, the warmest and driest in Portugal. The schist soil is ideal for the cork plantations that dominate the area. Black pigs feed on the acorns and form an important feature in the region's cuisine, most famously Presunto (dry-cured ham). Agriculture is the main source of income and the region remains undeveloped. Bullfighting is still practised here and forms the highlight of the summer festivals.

Walls seven metres tall encircle the village and harbour several old buildings and churches of interest within. A local dialect is spoken here called Barranquenho which is a blend of Spanish and Portuguese. The region was wrestled from the Moors in 1167, by Gonçalo Mendes da Maia and the populace inhabited the nearby fortified village of Noudar. By the early 19th-century constent threats from Spain had ceased and Noudar was totally abandoned in favour of Barrancos. Today the Castelo de Noudar still overlooks the Spanish border formed by the Ardila river in the valley below. The area is now popular with walkers and rural tourism.