Worth saying up front, because it confuses everyone: Moura and Mourão are different places. Mourão is in the Évora district, on the shore of the lake. Moura is in Beja, forty-five minutes south, and it's a bigger town.
It's worth the detour for three things that don't exist on our side of the water.
The castle, and what's inside it
Within the walls are the keep — with a view over the whole town and the plain beyond — the ruins of the old Moorish alcazaba, and the clock tower.
And there's something almost nobody expects: a bullring built inside the castle grounds, its terracing cut into the earth. Seeing it wedged between medieval walls is one of the stranger and better sights in the region.
It's also inside the castle that the spring rises which gave its name to Água Castello, one of Portugal's best-known naturally sparkling waters.
The Mouraria
The old Moorish quarter, of narrow lanes and whitewashed houses. It's the part of town you walk with no particular destination, and the part that explains the name.
On Largo da Mouraria is the Casa dos Poços, with three well-heads on show, about the history of water in the town — the thread that ties everything here together: the wells, the baths, the sparkling water, the lake.
The baths and the garden
Jardim Doutor Santiago is Victorian in style, with the thermal establishment beside it, still in use. Next to it stands the Fonte das Três Bicas, a monumental marble fountain.
It's where you stop for a coffee, and where you notice Moura runs to a different scale: there are avenues here.
The beach
Praia Fluvial do Lago, at Moura's nautical centre, is one of the six Blue Flag beaches on the lake and the newest — it opened in June 2024. It has floating pools, which is what sets it apart.
Guide to the Alqueva lake beaches →
Fitting it in
Half a day covers the essentials, but it's 45 minutes of driving each way, so in practice it's a full day out. Morning at the castle and the Mouraria, lunch in town, afternoon at the beach if it's summer.
Common questions
How far is Moura from Mourão?
About 45 minutes by car, 35 kilometres around the southern side of the lake. Despite the similar names they are different towns in different districts: Mourão is in Évora, Moura in Beja.
What is there to see in Moura?
The castle, with its keep and a bullring inside the walls; the Mouraria, the old Moorish quarter; the Jardim Doutor Santiago with the thermal baths beside it; and Praia Fluvial do Lago, which holds a Blue Flag.
Is it worth it with children?
Yes, if you pair the castle with the beach. The climb up the keep pays for itself in the view, and the beach has floating pools. Half a day covers both.
