Hotels in Elvas

Elvas is one of Europe's great fortress towns, a garrison post on the Portuguese side of the border with Spain, a short drive from Badajoz. Its star-shaped bulwarked walls, outlying forts of Santa Luzia and Nossa Senhora da Graça, and the long Amoreira Aqueduct earned it UNESCO World Heritage status, and walking the ramparts is the main event.

Inside, the old town is a compact, whitewashed Alentejo grid of steep lanes leading to the Praça da República and the former cathedral, and the town is famous for its candied Elvas plums. It is a small, quiet place with little nightlife, Alentejo summers are fiercely hot, and many visitors treat it as a day trip from Spain or Évora rather than an overnight stop, so accommodation choice is limited. Stay inside the walls near the Praça da República so the fortifications, restaurants and evening walks are all on your doorstep.