Óbidos, Portugal, is less than an hour north of Lisbon, making it a perfect day trip from the country’s capital. A visit to Óbidos is always on our list of recommendations for friends who travel through the area, and they are always happy they visited this charming village

The History of Óbidos, Portugal

Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, Óbidos has a long and complicated history. In 1148, the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, took control over the area from the Moors. Later, In 1228, King Dinis I gifted his wife, Elizabeth of Aragon, the castle as a wedding gift.

The village survived the earthquake of 1755, although it did experience damage to the castle walls, which were repaired in the early 1900s.

The main entrance to Óbidos, Portugal

Right through this entrance way, you will often find people singing or playing an instrument.

Archway in Óbidos, Portugal

When you first go through the entrance, you will pass an archway and a balcony decorated with blue and white tiles dating back from 1740. These tiles hold an inscription in honour of Our Lady of Sorrows.

As you progress through the village, you can choose to climb the steps (there is no railing so proceed with a lot of caution) and walk around the castle walls from above.

Overlooking Óbidos

If you brave walking up the steep staircases (which do not have guard rails), you will see tons of views like this. You can walk a big portion of its parameters by walking along the edges and see the entire village from up above and from many different views.

Stroll through the cobblestone roads of Óbidos

You can also choose to forego climbing the walls and casually stroll through the roads. Óbidos is rich in history, beautiful, and peaceful and is currently home to less than 3,000 inhabitants. It also has many restaurants, pastry shops, and coffee shops. There are also many vendors selling Ginja, the famous cherry liquor in Óbidos, in dark chocolate cups. Every time we return to North America, we’re sure to bring bottles back for our friends.

Enjoy the many unique houses in Óbidos

While many of these houses have been converted into tourist rentals, you can still find a few that remain familial homes. They are very interesting to discover as they are often seemingly wedged next to castle walls and on narrow corners.

Steps through the village of Óbidos

There is a lot of walking in Óbidos. These are typical steps, others are a little steeper. It’s important to wear comfortable foot wear, sunscreen, and drink tons of water when visiting. If you want more detailed information about what to pack for your trip to Portugal, check out our free packing list.

When you walk through the village, you will see other interesting buildings, such as the Santa Maria Church, which is right in the Village’s Centre:

Flowers in Óbidos

There are so many beautiful spots with flowers all over Óbidos. These are a couple of examples of flowers draped over the walls of houses. You can often walk along the roads and see a tree in full bloom with vibrant colours poking out from many corners.

A mini-castle inside the big castle

This mini-castle is always closed, but we always love to see it when we walk by. Can’t you picture someone in medieval clothes standing on that balcony, looking out onto the village square and smile to themselves listening to the church bells ring?

What do you need to try in Óbidos?

While there are many freshly-baked sweets sold by outdoor vendors that are usually quite good and affordable. The restaurants are a little hit and miss. We’ll do a roundup of our consistent favourites in a future post, but for now, we will tell you about what you should try.

The famous Ginja

These three shots of Ginja were for three people lol. This sweet cheery liquor goes very well with dark chocolate.

You can easily find people at outdoor stands selling cups of chocolate and pouring ginja inside it (pictured below). This usually sells for 1 €.

Our go-to lunch in Óbidos

There is often a lot of heavy meals served at lunch in Portugal, and we’re always on the lookout for healthier options. We won’t recommend the place we’ve been to before, because quite honestly, the service and wait times and overall ambiance has severely declined in the last couple of years. Just know, that there are many places to eat in Óbidos but to always check the hours of operation as many close on random days during the week – even during the peak season.

The place near this one is called À Janela (the window) and serves amazing wood-oven pizza. We don’t have any pictures of our meals there, probably because we were so hungry that we just started to eat without pausing to snap a photo first.

The City of Literature

Óbidos is currently known as the City of Literature for all its bookstores and book events. In fact, each October, Óbidos is home to the Folio Festival, a literary festival with author talks and craft workshops.

Literary Man Cafe in Obidos, Portugal

Located right outside the castle walls, this hotel/restaurant is a little hard to find, but so worth it when you do find it. This is one of its main rooms on the main floor, just past reception. You can just go in, order a drink, and read from their many selection of books. Check their website for details on dinner and shows. They’ve sometimes had fado performances at night.

One of many library/bookstores inside Óbidos

There are many bookstores inside these castle walls. There is even one on the main street that is merged with a grocery store. They often have readings there as well.

In general, at many of these bookstores, you can find old books on Portuguese history, but also contemporary novels written by Portuguese authors and a few others. It’s been difficult to get books written in English, but you can always grab one of their very sturdy and pretty bookmarks to take home with you!

Let us know in the comments if you’d like a more information on the village of Óbidos.

-Isabel & Marilyn

Save this post!

Share this post: