iCliGo: Elvas

Elvas Portugal

Elvas is a Portuguese city in the district of Portalegre, in the Alentejo region. Elvas stands on a hill just 8 km from the River Guadiana, which is in practice the border between Portugal and Spain. Its late Gothic cathedral, which also shows Moorish influences, dates from the reign of Manuel I (1495–1521). The city has an aqueduct, built between 1498 and 1622, which supplied water and reaches a height of 40 metres. The abolition of border controls with Portugal under the Schengen Agreement has given this border city new impetus. Elvas is now a city in constant development. Because it is so close to Badajoz, people in Elvas and Badajoz often live as if they were in a single city: Portuguese residents usually go shopping in Spain, and Spaniards visit Elvas to enjoy the city and its gastronomy. Elvas is a city where live music is very present, with concerts at the Coliseu José Rondão Almeida, as well as in Parque da Piedade, Praça da República, the Sports Pavilion, and Parque do Aqueduto da Amoreira. The musical highlights include Youth Week, the Iberian Seafood Festival, the great Feira de São Mateus (the biggest in southern Portugal), the May Fair, and almost monthly concerts at the Coliseum. Every two years, Elvas hosts the “Freedom Festival Portugal”, a trance music festival that is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Recommended airport

Lisboa Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)

Nearby destinations

Elvas, Portugal

Elvas Portugal