Grutas de Alvados

Under the limestone hills of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, half an hour from Fátima, a whole hidden world opens between two quarry towns: the show caves of Alvados and Santo António. Alvados, discovered by quarry workers in 1964, is the quieter and more intimate of the pair, a chain of huge chambers and lakes dressed in stalactites that unroll towards the deepest point of the mountain.

A quiet rival to Mira de Aire

While the great Grutas de Mira de Aire draw the coaches, Alvados keeps the atmosphere of a discovery: the air at a steady 17 degrees, the rooms with their curtains of stone, and long, still lakes that reflect the lighting like black mirrors. The guided visit runs some 350 metres through the chambers, past formations the locals named after the shapes they see — the Sleeping Beauty, the Statue, the Lake of Wonders. A few kilometres away, the town of Porto de Mós and the castle of the same name wait on the return, and the sanctuary of Fátima is 20 minutes by road.

O que ver

• The Lake of Wonders and the great chambers
• The stalactite curtains and stone figures
• The constant 17-degree air and the quiet
• The village of Alvados and its quarry heritage
• The nearby castle and town of Porto de Mós

Practical information

Alvados lies in the municipality of Porto de Mós, 15 kilometres from Fátima and about an hour and a half from Lisbon. Visits are guided, roughly 45 minutes, and in low season you may need to arrange them at the Santo António caves office next door. Bring a light jacket.

Image credit: Grutas de Alvados by Filipemigu — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.