In the center of Portugal, on a hill and surrounded by a fortified wall, is the town of Óbidos, which has not changed since the Middle Ages. Declared a “National Site” of Portugal, charming Óbidos is a popular tourist destination and is considered one of the most picturesque towns in the country. It is a traditional and graceful Portuguese town with narrow streets, sometimes like a maze, white houses decorated with bougainvillea plants, historic buildings and an impressive medieval castle that has guarded the area for centuries.

In the 13th century, the king gave his bride Obidos as a wedding gift. After that, the kings of Portugal followed suit and they too gave the town to their wives on their wedding day. This tradition continued until the 19th century and Óbidos was nicknamed the “House of the Queens” (Casa das Rainhas). Over the years, the royal houses supported the town and many of the impressive buildings found there were built with the help of the Portuguese monarchs. This royal patronage ensured the preservation of the special and wonderful character of the town.

Óbidos is an ideal place for lovers of literature. It has plenty of bookstores, even one inside a church and another that sells both books and fish!
The town was declared by UNESCO “And as a city of literature (City of Literature) and every year an international literature festival is held there.

The medieval market that takes place every year in Óbidos is a journey into the past. It is a colorful and happy festival in the spirit of the Middle Ages with diverse performances in costumes from those days such as soldiers, knights, nobles and merchants. In addition, you can watch a costume parade and visit the traditional handicrafts fair. The food and drink are also in the medieval style and are sold in dozens of “taverns” and stalls scattered throughout the market. The International Chocolate Festival is an annual event that takes place in Óbidos. Every year a theme is set that leads the festival when the narrow streets of the town turn into a fascinating showcase of chocolate and sweets. Confectioners and chocolatiers from around the world participate in the festival and the visitors delight the palate with a rich variety of chocolate and more chocolate of different types. You can also watch competitions and chocolate sculptures, participate in various activities and stay with a sweet experience.

The Óbidos region is famous for its Ginjinha cherry liqueur. It can be tasted in bars and stalls throughout the town when it is sold in cups made of chocolate.

The Rua Direita is the main street of Óbidos. It has restaurants, cafes and shops with traditional handicrafts.

Some of the prominent sites in Óbidos:

Porta da Vila Porta da Vila

The castle in Óbidos   Castelo de Óbidos

Igreja de Santa Maria Church

The municipal museum Museu Municipal de Óbidos

Tourists who want to go on an unusual vacation and experience the heritage of Portugal, Óbidos is the right place. Since the town is located in the center of Portugal at a distance of about 87 km north of %9d-%d7%a2%d7%9c-%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%a1%d7%91%d7%95%d7%9f/”>Lisbon and about 180 km South of Porto, it can be defined as a good place in the middle, to stop there and go back in time to the Middle Ages.

The town has a selection of accommodation such as hotels, vacation homes, villas, guesthouses, apartments, camping.

 Castelo de Óbidos

The town of Obidos