iCliGo: Elvas

Elvas Portugal

Elvas is a Portuguese city in the Portalegre district, in the Alentejo region. Elvas sits on a hill just 8 km from the Guadiana River, which is the de facto 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 that supplied water and reaches a height of 40 m. The abolition of border controls with Portugal through the Schengen Agreement has given new momentum to this border city. Elvas is currently a city in constant development. Because of its short distance from the city of Badajoz, people from Elvas and Badajoz often live as if they were in a single city: the Portuguese usually go shopping in Spain, while people from Badajoz visit Elvas and enjoy its gastronomy. Elvas is a city where music performances are 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 highlights of the music calendar are Youth Week, the Iberian Seafood Festival, the great Feira de São Mateus (the largest 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 one of the largest in Europe.

Recommended airport

Lisboa Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)

Nearby destinations

Elvas, Portugal

Elvas Portugal