Day 1
You will arrive at Lisbon Airport where you will collect your car rental and drive to your hotel in Tomar approximately 1 hour & 30 minutes away.
Day 2
Tomar, the original headquarters of the Knights Templar Order was founded by Grand Master Gualdim Pais whose statue dominates the town’s square to this day. A must see is the Convento de Cristo and its Castle complex declared a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. Legend being that Gauldim Pais laid the first stone in 1118. This is where Gauldim Pais at the age of 70 along with his fellow knights defended the town from the Muslim army for 6 days without surrender. The oldest part of the convent is the Charola (the round church) modelled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Once you have viewed the convent and castle, walk down through the Sete Montes Woods to the historic centre where you will see the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Chapel. Take a walk along Tomar’s pretty narrow cobbled streets to Igreja de Santa Maria do Olival constructed as the pantheon for the leaders of the Knights Templar and where Gualdim Pais is buried. The Praça da República is another must see with the town hall at one end and the Igreja de Sâo João Baptista at the other with the statue of Gualdim Pais at the centre. If you have time, you can visit the Museu dos Fósforos a museum which holds an extensive collection of 40,000 matchstick boxes!
Day 3
Today we recommend visiting the magnificent Castelo de Almourol set atop an islet in the middle of the Tagus River, once the border between Islamic & Christian Portugal. This castle paid a crucial part in the defensive line controlled by the Knights Templar and a stronghold used during the Portuguese Reconquista. Although it is unclear when the present-day castle was established, its structure and the site on which it is constructed is believed to have its roots date back to the Lusitanians who were conquered by the Romans. It was later remodelled by subsequent invading forces including the Alans, Visigoths and Arabs until finally falling into the hands of the Knights Templar whereupon Gualdim Pais set upon rebuilding the structure. The castle eventually fell into ruin with restorations only starting in the 1940’s and 50’s when it was established as an ‘Official Residence’ of the Portuguese Republic.
A short 10-minute drive away in the village of Vila Nova Da Barquinha is the Almoural Templar Interpretation Centre and Library. This small museum is made up of two corridors divided between the history of the order of the Temple at a local, national and international level. There are also some artifacts of the time on display.
Day 4
Drive to Castelo Branco to your hotel, on the way we suggest you visit both Pombal and Soure or at least one.
One hour’s drive from Tomar lies the city of Pombal where you will find Castelo de Pombal a former Roman, and later Arab fortress donated to the Knights Templar by King Afonso Henriques around 1128. Reconstruction of the fortress began around 1155 and was finished by the end of the century. Towers were constructed and walls reinforced and once finished an inscription was carved over the door in honour of Gauldim Pais. The village of Pombal was later donated to the Order of the Christ in 1353, however the castle eventually lost its military importance during the modern era, and was attacked by French forces during the Napoleonic Peninsular War. French troops commanded by General Ney caused severe damage to the castle during the peninsular invasion in 1811, the castle was eventually left to ruin until the 1940’s when attempts were made to restore and recuperate the site.
Half an hour’s drive from Pombal you will find Castelo de Soure, part of a network of castles built to protect the city of Coimbra and strategically placed by an old Roman road that connected the cities of Olissipo (Lisbon) and Bracara Augusta (Braga). The castle was donated to the Temple Order by D. Teresa, daughter of D. Afonso Henriques in 1128. The master at the time, D. Gualdim Pais with his vast knowledge and experience in the wars with Islam in the Holy Land set about building a very strong keep with a ramped base and added two square towers (one still stands today) to the structure. In 1319 during the reign of D. Dinis, Castelo de Soure became the headquarters of the new Christ Order where it remained with them until 1834, this subsequently led to the development of the village of Soure.
From Soure you will drive to Castelo Branco just under two hours away.
Day 5
On your first day in Castelo Branco, we recommend you visit Monsanto where human presence has been recorded since the Paleolithic era. The village of Monsanto is nestled on the slope of a steep hill with its buildings carefully crafted to blend in with the natural landscape. Many of the houses have been directly built into giant boulders which were used to form part of the walls and roofs of houses as well as pens to house livestock. The village’s network of ancient streets, alleys and lanes will take you on an uphill journey to reach the ruins of the Castle which is perched on top of a hill. D. Afonso Henriques conquered Monsanto from the Moors and in 1165 donated it to the Templar Order, which under the orders of D. Gualdim Pais, a castle was constructed. The castle was constructed by 1171 but by 1172 it was donated to the Order of Santiago. All that remains now are some defensive structures and the ruins of the Igreja de São Miguel
On your return to Castelo Branco visit the ruins of the Castle constructed by the Templars in the 13th Century to extend the defensive line with Tomar, Almourol, Zêzere, Pombal and Monsanto. The Castle included four main gates the Golden Gate, the Gate of Santiago, the Traitors’ Gate and the Pelame Gate. During the Peninsular War the castle was left to ruin with even some residents removing stones from around the castle to construct their own homes. Eventually in 1835 by order of the municipal council the arches from the gates were removed and used to construct the Ponte da Granja. Later following a storm and a landslide the eastern and northern corner of the tower were destroyed.
Day 6
Drive down from Castelo Branco back to Lisbon which should take approximately 2.5 hours. The rest of the day can be spent at your leisure discovering Lisbon.
Day 7
Drop off your car back at Lisbon Airport before your flight home.
