Beja Castle

A castle in the middle of the city

In Beja, in the capital of the Alentejo district of the same name, one of the city's best-known monuments can be found in the middle of the city centre: Beja Castle. It would be impossible to be more "centred", which is what makes this building "special", as most castles are usually built on higher ground, less close to the city centre, which allows for better surveillance of the city. The castle is also modest in size, in fact this one consists mainly of a keep, almost 40 metres high, which is considered by some to be the highest military tower in the country.

The construction of Beja Castle

Beja Castle is a Gothic fortress whose construction began in the early 13th century, shortly after the Christian conquest of the city. However, it was not completed until the 14th and 15th centuries. Next to the castle, visitors can also see the walls that once surrounded the city. According to Beja's town council, 28 towers and their respective ramparts remain today.

Although the construction of this fortification began in the 13th century, the reality is that there are traces on the site dating back to prehistoric times, being mentioned in the writings of Ptolemy and Polybius, in the middle of the 2nd century BC. In addition, there are reports that it was the place that Julius Caesar chose to formalise peace with the Lusitanians in 49 AD. The fortification withstood the following eras, from the Suevi to the Visigoths, as well as the Muslim occupation.

Over the years, history has made a point of passing through Beja, and the castle remained standing, undergoing renovations and extensions until the 17th century, mainly in the context of the war to restore Portuguese independence. Many wars, destructions and reconstructions followed, today the building is still standing.

In 1910, as happened in many other places in the country, Beja Castle was considered a national monument, and decades later the site was the subject of an intervention by the Direção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN). At that time, the gates of Évora were cleared and consolidated, and the roof of the alcazar was rebuilt. In addition, in the following decades, a long campaign of consolidation of the walls was undertaken, as well as the restoration of the keep, the current main attraction of the castle.

Practical information

Opening hours of Beja Castle

Beja Castle is open from Monday to Sunday, from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 6pm. The Keep, however, closes at 5.15pm. It is closed on 1 January, 25 April, 1 May and 25 December.

Entrance fees

- Individual ticket: € 2,00

- Guided tour: € 1,00/per person

Access to the city of Beja

Getting to Beja is also easy: the train connects the capital of the homonymous district directly to Lisbon, as well as to other Alentejo towns such as Casa Branca and Évora. By road, the city is served by the IP8 road.