Obidos

The town of Óbidos is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall. Óbidos remains a well-preserved example of medieval architecture; its streets, squares, walls and its castle are a popular tourist destination. The castle now houses a hotel.  Legend holds that Obidos was founded in 308 BC by the Celts.

As the streets of Obidos are very narrow, cars are parked outside the walls -- we were able to park right next to the very cool preserved aqueduct. Originating in Usseira, the aqueduct it is 3 km long. Queen Catarina commissioned its construction In the 16th century, . The water was carried through a great number of high arches which crossed extensive vineyards and orchards and came to provide water to the town's main fountains.

The Castle of Obidos has walls that date back to at least the 8th century AD with parts of the walls actually include some of the fortifications of the original settlement that may date back to the 4th century BC.  A interesting part of the town tour is that normally you can walk the entirety of the walls of Obidos although parts of them were closed during our visit to allow for restoration work.

The castle sits high on the hill allowing for fantastic views over the town and the surrounding countryside.

 The walls of Obidos are quite scary in spots as they are 30-40 feet above ground and generally do not have safety railings.  It was an interesting proposition trying to pass other tourist you meet on the walkway.