One of the places we wanted to visit during our May 2024 trip to Portugal was the Cromlech of Almendres. The Cromlech is a prehistoric site containing just under 100 menhirs in a double circular formation, shaped a bit like a figure of eight. The stones were not all placed at the same time as they were moved and rearranged over 3000 years beginning in 6000 BC and continuing through 3000 BC. Named Almendres because of their shape, Almendres means almond in Portuguese. Menhirs is the term for stones that stand up and were purposely put where they are back in prehistoric times. You can find them throughout Western Europe and I did see some on my trip to Italy in 2021 which you can click here to view my post on this.
Location
Located about a half hour east of Evora near the village of Nossa Sra.de Guadalupe.
Getting There.
Getting to the Cromlech of Almendres was no easy feat, although it is a scenic part of Portugal to drive through. We drove from Evora and for once google maps was our friend. Although we were doubting google maps, the directions were spot on. We were quite skeptical as we had to drive on dirt roads, very unimproved at times. A 4-wheel drive would have been nice but we did okay in the rental Toyota Camry. After what seemed like forever we made our destination.
One thing that we noticed were the cork trees in this area. The cork is harvested by removing the bark from these trees every 9-10 years. It is pretty interesting to see the trees bare where the bark has been stripped.
We also saw many stork nests in this area. These nest can be quite large and plentiful propped on top of poles! There were typically a few Storks in each nest. These were fun to see.
The Menhirs
Once we arrived at the parking lot, we had a very short walk to the Cromlech. Much to our surprise and disappointment, the Cromlech shockingly had a fence around it. This must be recent restriction as the You-Tube we viewed from last year shows visitors walking the grounds and through the stones. We were able to stand on a hill and see some of it, but you can not roam around the ancient stones.
The apparent reasoning is that too many people have been visiting, therefore, stepping on the ground which is feared to cause erosion around the Menhirs. So it makes sense to keep people away from the Cromlech. A bit disappointing as we were hoping to walk through the Cromlech but we also totally understand and support the conservation efforts. Considering these Menhirs have been around since between 4000 and 5000 BC it is amazing they are still here and standing! As matter of fact, the Cromlech of Almendres is older than Stonehenge in England.
This group of menhirs is one of the largest groups in Europe, as a matter of fact, it is the largest in Portugal. This Cromlech dates back to 6000 BC. There are theories as to what the purpose of erecting Menhirs were, but no one seems to be sure. It may possibly have been a spiritual center or maybe they had some astrological significance.
The area here is very peaceful and serene. Since it was a hot day we didn’t linger too long. It was actually surprising we saw as many people as we did, considering how off the beaten path this is. It was by no means crowded but still surprised me with the number of people that made the trip.
Menir Dos Almendres
Our next stop was the Menir Dos Almendres. We had passed the sign on our way to the Cromlech and decided to stop and check it out being that we were there. The walk, although short, was longer than the walk to the Cromlech and it was getting very hot. I have to say, it was a bit of a let down for me as my first thought was, “Is this it?”. Had it not been so hot, I probably would have been a bit more interested in this. Regardless of the heat, Steve still found this all very interesting as he loves to ponder how these ancient people moved these massive stones and arranged them without modern equipment.
A Menhir is a prehistoric stand alone stone which usually tapers towards the top. It would have been purposely positioned where it is. This particular Menhir is about 12 ft high. It possibly has some connection to the Cromlech. What was cool about this monument is that you can walk around and see the stone close up. For size comparison,I am 5’1″
Conclusion
All in all this was an interesting little side trip. The Cromlech of Almendres was the more interesting of the two and from my understanding the best prehistoric site in Portugal. It was fun to drive through the countryside to see these ancient stones.
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Check out my other Portugal Posts!
Evora Portugal and the Chapel of Bones, May 2024
Arraiolos Castle, Portugal May 2024
Knights of Templar, Portugal May 2024
Exploring Obidos, Portugal, May 2024
A Moliceiro Ride in Aveiro, Portugal, May 2024
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences. We do not receive compensation for recommending any hotels or restaurants. Nor are we sponsored by any business and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon and Viator which we do receive a small commission from if you buy or book through one of our links.
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Very cool!!
It actually was!
The word “Cromlech” sounds Welsh or Scottish (not Portuguese). Do you know how it got that name?
I used the English word for this posts. In Portuguese it is Cromeleque.
Fascinating, I haven’t read much about the ancient history of Portugal.
It was interesting and we would have went to more sites if it wasn’t so hot that day. A fun stop though. Thanks for reading! Lori
Very interesting site! The Cromlech of Almendres looks nothing like what I expect of Portugal, with the enigmatic Menhirs and the storks perched up above. Thanks for taking us on this journey with you!
I too was surprised at the Menhirs and when I saw a you tube on thee Cromlech of Almendres I just had tp gp! The storks were pretty fun to see. There were so many nests in the area. Thanks for stopping by! Lori
How interesting! What a great side trip. Fascinating to think what these types of sites were used for and how they were constructed.
It was interesting! Imagine moving those rocks and put them in a certain place and form!
The storks remind me of the heron nests in Vancouver…so much bird, so little next. Too bad about the fence. Over tourism seems to be creating these kinds of conundrums around the world and locals are growing resentful to all those who come and help fund the economy. Glad you managed to see them Lori. Have a great Monday. Allan
It was disappointing but still interesting. Great way to see the countryside of Portugal! Have a good week!!
I have been looking forward to seeing these stones up close and am so disappointed to hear about the fence. They were my reason to visit Evora next month.
Hopefully it was just temporary? I know o was very disappointed as well but I understand.