Museu Berardo, Estremoz

Do you like Portuguese tiles? Do you like Portuguese wine? If you're a fan of both of these, you're in for a treat if you visit Museu Berardo! It's located in the beautiful old town of Estremoz (home of pink marble, a great restaurant scene, our favourite antiques market, and some wonderful vineyards - we'll write a more detailed post soon!), around 1.5 hours drive south, into the Alentejo.

The owners of Bacalhoa, one of Portugal's premium wine producers, has taken over a previously-abandoned grand palace and set up what is considered the largest and most important private collection of tiles in Portugal, spanning the 13th to the 21st century.

Over three different floors of the palace (which is worth a visit, even without the tiles!), you can explore tiles from across a range of styles from Spain, Portugal and beyond, each room with written material to give useful context; and guided tours are also available.

And it's not all just about the tiles - during our visit we were offered a refreshing taste of sangria after we got round the first floor, and then at the end we enjoyed a short wine tasting with a member of the Bacalhoa staff, all included in the very reasonable entrance price of €3.50.

If you can combine a visit to the museum with a visit to the Estremoz market on a Saturday morning, we think you have a fantastic day of Portuguese culture ahead of you.

Museu Berardo Estremoz

Largo dos Dragões de Olivença, nº 100

7100-457 Estremoz