Castelo de Vide

Castelo de Vide climbs a hill on the flank of the Serra de São Mamede, whitewashed with granite door frames and flowers on every wall, around a thirteenth-century castle built by Dinis to hold this stretch of the Castilian frontier. The Judiaria below the castle is the reason it matters historically: a well-preserved medieval Jewish quarter of narrow lanes and Gothic doorways, with a building identified as a synagogue - one of the oldest surviving in Portugal - now a museum. Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 came here in numbers, and were then forced to convert or leave by Portugal in 1496. The town's springs feed the Fonte da Vila, a Renaissance marble fountain in the lower square, and the water was the basis of a spa. Marvão, on its crag, is visible across the valley and the two are always visited together.

What you actually see

• The Judiaria - a medieval Jewish quarter with Gothic doorways and an early synagogue.
• The castle - a thirteenth-century frontier fortification above the town.
• The Fonte da Vila - a Renaissance marble fountain fed by the town's springs.
• The whitewash - lanes of white houses with granite frames and flowers.

When to go

March to June and September to November. Half a day. Summers here are hot, though less so than the Alentejo plain below.

Honest expectations

Steep cobbled lanes throughout - hard walking. The synagogue museum is small and keeps limited hours. Accommodation is modest. The town is quiet to the point of empty outside the season.

Nearby

Marvão is across the valley; the Serra de São Mamede park surrounds both.