Castle of Aljezur – Algarve, Portugal
High above the town of Aljezur sits a 10th century Moorish castle – the Castle of Aljezur. This off-the-beaten-path castle that was occupied during the Bronze and Iron Ages and became part of the defensive system of Silves during the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 16th century, the Castle of Aljezur was abandoned. In 1755, the castle suffered through a major earthquake, and in the 1940s, the walls were partially restored to what we see today.
Castle of Aljezur Location
We were on our Portugal road trip through the Algarve and happened to see this castle as we were driving through the countryside and decided to swing on up and check it out. If you’re driving up here, you’ll have to navigate through some somewhat narrow, winding roads. On the way up here, you’ll pass a museum and an old church, which I thought was cool.
Castle of Aljezur – Cost
This castle is free to visit and does not appear to have any operating hours. There are no facilities once up at the castle.
Visiting the Castle of Aljezur
From a distance, the Castle of Aljezur looks quite interesting and well-preserved, but unfortunately, once you’re there, you’ll see that it’s basically open ruins. Because of this, visiting the Castle of Aljezur will only take you a few minutes of your time to explore.
We drove up the steep road to the castle and parked. There is a small parking lot for the castle at the top, but you’ll still need to walk up a short but steep path to the castle. If you don’t want to drive up to the castle (or don’t have a car), you can walk to this from the town.
There are a few information boards to read up on some of the castle’s history (written in Portuguese and English), but they are faded and beaten down by the weather, needing maintenance. There are few towers still standing and most of the walls are intact but that’s really about it. Inside the castle, you’ll find grass and some piles of rubble. This is definitely an off-the-beaten path attraction, but worth a quick stop if you like castles. Plus the views of the town below are great!
So unless you’re just passing through and happen upon this castle (like us!), I wouldn’t make a special trip out here just to see it, as there just isn’t much left. But if you’re in the area, drive on up to the castle and at least check out the great views of the rural town of Aljezur, Portugal below.
Have you ever visited the Aljeezur Castle in Portugal?
Great guide! I appreciate how honest your are about whether or not to make seeing this castle a priority. It’s a shame that the signage hasn’t been maintained. Either way, I’ll swing by next time I’m in the region just for those views of the town.
I have been to Algarve so many times and never heard about this place! You found a great gem – and wrote an amazing article about it. Well done! And this comes from someone who spent almost 4 years in Lisbon!