Barragem de Alqueva

Two decades ago, a river was asked to hold its breath. The Alqueva dam closed its gates on the Guadiana in 2002, and in the heart of the Alentejo a sea appeared — the largest artificial lake in Western Europe, 250 square kilometres of water fringed by cork-oak hills, olive groves and white villages.

A new sea for the Alentejo

The lake reaches across five municipalities, its 1,100 kilometres of shoreline hiding quiet coves, fishing piers and river beaches. A whole village, Luz, was moved stone by stone before the waters rose; its story is told in the new village’s museum. Today Alqueva is as much about the night as the day: the lake and its surroundings form the Dark Sky Alqueva reserve, the first Starlight Tourism Destination in the world, where the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye and observatories open their telescopes to visitors. The great lake lies beside the hilltop village of Monsaraz and within easy reach of the city of Évora.

What to see

• The dam wall and the open water of the Grande Lago
• Boat trips and canoeing from Amieira and Monsaraz
• The Museu da Luz, on the submerged village
• The Dark Sky observatories and night walks
• Sunset over the lake from the Monsaraz castle

Practical information

Alqueva lies about two hours from Lisbon and one from Évora. Spring and autumn are ideal; summer days are hot and the nights superb. Book stargazing sessions and boat trips in advance.

Image credit: Barragem de Alqueva by Vítor Oliveira — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.