The town of Óbidos is located on a hill and is still encircled by a fortified wall. The well-preserved mediaeval look of its streets, squares, walls and its massive castle have turned the picturesque village into a preferred tourist attraction in Portugal. If visiting, it is compulsory to try the local cherry liquor known as ginjinha - you may drink it by a chocolate cup, that tastes very well at the end.
Midway between the royal towns of Coimbra and Lisbon, the castle in Óbidos was a regular stopover for the royalties. During one such stay, in 1282, the queen Dona Isabel fell completely in love with the whitewashed hilltop town inside medieval walls. Consequently the king, Don Dinis, gave it to her as a gift. Since then and up until the 19th century, every portugese queen got Óbidos as a wedding gift - what make it one of Europe's most romantic medieval villages are its incredibly picturesque cobblestone streets lined with colorful houses filled with geraniums and bougainvillea, Gothic doorways and windows, whitewashed churches, flowerpots and dazzling tiles - all encircled by the walls of a 12th century castle . Scaling its 13m (45ft)-high medieval walls is the best way to admire this picture postcard-perfect place.
All of Obidos has been declared a national monument. The main street " Rua Direita " leads from the town gate (decorated with 18th century tile panels - azulejos) to the main square Pra c a de Santa Maria . It has a beautiful fountain, a 15th century pillory, the Town Museum (with exhibits ranging from archeological finds to 15-17th centuries sculpture and paintings), and Santa Maria Church . That's where 10-year-old King Afonso V married his 8-year-old cousin Isabel in 1444, with an interior entirely faced with tiles and containing the tomb of Joao de Noronha, the castle governor who died in 1575. Closeby is Misericordia Church (with a fine Baroque doorway), while outside the walls is the Amoreira Aqueduct , built at the behest of Catherine of Austria in 1575. Every July a Medieval Fair recreates the Middle Ages with medieval music, knights, witches, and theater performances, and during the International Chocolate Festival in November, Obidos becomes the world's chocolate capital with incredible chocolate sculptures. The best way to experience the romantic atmosphere of the village is to stay overnight when most visitors are gone Pousada de Obidos . You'll find yourself filled with medieval romance when you step outside and find the walls floodlit and the narrow alleys brightened by the moonlight.