Óbidos (altitude: 70m/230ft)is probably included in every tour of western central Portugal. Because of its prettiness and general attractiveness the whole town has been declared a national monument. This also means that in order to preserve the original townscape there are no big hotels in Óbidos, although there are several small, deluxe
establishments inside the old walls. The number of beds is therefore extremely limited, and it is almost impossible to get a room here in the summer months without early reservation. In earlier centuries the Lagoa de Óbidos, a big lagoon with a narrow opening into the sea and now more than 10km/6mi northwest of Óbidos, reached almost to the little town. This Atlantic dimension made Óbidos strategically important and it was therefore strongly fortified in Moorish times. Already a place of great attraction in the Middle Ages, Óbidos was frequently chosen as the queen's dowry, and it was a favorite residence of St Isabel and other queens and kings of Portugal. Queen Leonor lived here for several years, mourning her only son who had been killed in a riding accident.
Townscape
The old town center is surrounded by walls 13m/45ft high, battlemented and reinforced by towers, and laid out on the lines of an acute angled triangle. Within the walls is the picturesque old town full of interesting corners and alleys with handsome patrician Renaissance and Baroque houses, most of them covered in flowers. Nowadays Óbidos is obviously a place for tourists and artists, so that there is a correspondingly large number of antique shops and selling points for arts and crafts, including locally woven carpets, together with commercial art galleries.
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