Day trip Sítio, Alcobaça and Batalha - Portugal / Temporarily unavailable

We start our day tour in Sítio da Nazaré, a district of the fishing town of Nazaré in Portugal. Throughout the centuries, pilgrimages were organised to the Sítio from all corners of the world. Not just because this place offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. It has everything to do with Nossa Senhora da Nazaré (Our Lady of Nazaré).

The statue of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré is about 25 cm high and depicts the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus. The statue is painted in a dark colour and that is why it is nicknamed "the black Madonna".

Feel free to ask our expert English-speaking guide to tell you the legend!

In the Sítio, as we call it, you will find many stalls with goodies, all kinds of souvenirs and knitted, almost 100% woollen cardigans and sweaters of good quality at very favourable prices.

From here our day tour takes you to the North Beach of Nazaré (Praia do Norte) which is world-famous in surfing land. The undersea ravine creates towering waves. In January 2013, Garrett McNamara broke his own world record here by surfing a 30m wave, about the height of a 10-storey apartment building! Maybe, there are still enthusiasts (or daredevils) who want to try this… We’re not one of them.

The next stop on this day trip is the town of Alcobaça. Its name is derived from the rivers Alcoa and Baça. In itself, the town was not so special in earlier times. Until the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, decided to have a church built there, which later evolved into a Cistercian monastery: the Santa Maria de Alcobaça. The masterly Gothic style church is one of the largest in the country and is home to the tombs of Pedro I of Portugal and his murdered mistress Inês de Castro.

Our guide will certainly tell you the rather morbid story ...

The square around the church and monastery of Alcobaça is immense. Here, you will certainly find an outdoor terrace to enjoy a lunch or snack. Would you like a bit more? Then ask our guide where the best dishes are served. Of course, you can also bring a picnic!

After lunch, we drive through the centre of Portugal's ceramic industry to Batalha, the architectural highlight of this day tour.

It all started with the Portuguese victory over Castile at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. To commemorate that victory, a Dominican monastery was founded in Batalha, about 15 km away. The official name you ask? Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória.

The building is one of the best and original examples of late Flamboyant Gothic architecture in Portugal, blended with the Manueline style, and its architecture contrasts sharply with the simplicity and clean lines of the Cistercian Abbey we saw in Alcobaça in the morning. The Batalha Monastery also served as a burial church for the 15th century Portuguese royal Aviz dynasty.

It took more than a century, seven kings and fifteen architects to get the job done. But was the building completely finished? There are still those "unfinished chapels", right? Indeed. The Capelas Imperfeitas are proof that the building was never really finished. Nevertheless, this distinct octagonal structure is simply beautiful. Very special, to say the least.

You’ll be spoilt for choice and our guide has a lot to tell you!