Photo: Anitsircana · CC BY-SA 3.0 · editedCastelo de Óbidos
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Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · edited
Why go
- Walk the battlemented walls around the historic town.
- Discover the castle Dinis gave to Queen Isabel as a wedding gift.
- See the medieval fortress that dominates Óbidos, with part of the village enclosed within its walls.
Don't miss
- Garden terrace and belvedereExplore the castle’s outdoor terrace and belvedere.Castle grounds
Know before you go
- The visitable castle grounds are open daily, 09:00–17:00.
Tips for your visit
- Combine the castle grounds with a walk through Óbidos’s historic centre.
- The walled enclosure has four gates and two smaller posterns; Porta da Vila is a notable entrance.
Best time to visit
- The annual Medieval Festival takes place in July, with costumed processions, performers, jousting and a craft market.
Interesting facts3
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1,565 metres
The enclosing walls run for 1,565 metres and reach 13 metres high in places.
Castle of Óbidos - Wikipedia -
79 metres
The castle stands 79 metres above sea level.
Castle of Óbidos - Wikipedia -
Queen Catherine of Austria built a 3-kilometre aqueduct to bring water from the mountains of Usseira to Óbidos’s fountains.
Castle of Óbidos - Wikipedia
History
The castle is a National Monument. Its hilltop site was settled by Lusitanians and Romans before Muslim rulers fortified it. Afonso I’s forces captured the settlement’s defences in 1148; the conquest was completed under Sancho I, whose building works accompanied the 1195 charter. Dinis’s works shaped the present castle.
- 4th c. BCLusitanians settled the area; Roman settlement followed in the 1st century.
- 8th c.Muslim rulers fortified the hilltop settlement.
- 1148On 10 January, forces led by Afonso I took the settlement’s defences by ruse.
- 1195Sancho I’s building works included converting the Albarra tower into a jail. The settlement received its charter; the castle was not fully conquered until this reign.
- 13th c.Dinis restored and enlarged the old dungeon and built barbicans beside the main gate. The present castle dates from his reign.
Show all
- 1246The castle and settlement resisted forces loyal to the Count of Bologna, earning Óbidos the epithet “very noble and ever loyal,” later used on its coat of arms.
- c. 1325Dinis had the keep built.
- 1375A tower was built during Fernando’s reign.
- 1481–1495Queen Leonor chose the settlement and castle as her residence after her son’s death.
- 1513Manuel I granted the town a foral and improvements followed at the town and castle.
- 1755The Lisbon earthquake badly damaged the castle and medieval buildings; most were later restored.
- 1932Consolidation, rebuilding and restoration work began.
- 1948–1950The castle precinct was converted into Pousada do Castelo.
Sources: Castle of Óbidos - Wikipedia · Óbidos - Wikivoyage (see) · Castelo de Óbidos · Château d'Óbidos - Wikipedia · Castelo de Óbidos - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026
- Website
- castelo-obidos.pt/
- Phone
- 00351960009055
Questions and answers
What stood on the hill before Castelo de Óbidos?
An earlier fortified settlement occupied the hilltop, probably over a Luso-Roman site.
How old is the present Castelo de Óbidos?
It dates to the 13th century, during Dinis’s reign.
Why was Óbidos called “very noble and ever loyal”?
The title honoured the town’s resistance to forces loyal to the Count of Bologna.
When was the keep at Castelo de Óbidos built?
Dinis ordered its construction around 1325.
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