Batalha is a town in Central Portugal. It can be reached by car from Lisbon, Portugal, in around one and a half hours by taking A1 to A15. Porto, Portugal, is only two hours away by car. Tourists may stop in Batalha when traveling between Lisbon and Porto to experience its rich history and well-known monastery. Other worthwhile destinations within an hour of Batalha are Obidos and Nazare. Batalha is an excellent stopover when traveling between destinations in and around Central Portugal. Tourists often visit Batalha to experience the UNESCO World Heritage site, Batalha Monastery. Officially known as the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory (Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitoria), Batalha Monastery was completed in the 1500s. Its exterior Gothic architecture is impressive, along with the interior chapels housing the tombs of past Portuguese royalty. Batalha Monastery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. between April and mid-October), and tickets start at €10. Senior citizens, young adults aged 13-24, and people with disabilities can receive a 50% discount on the ticket price. Additionally, children 12 and under enter free of charge. Visitors should allot between one and two hours to fully explore Batalha Monastery. Arriving in the morning is ideal because there is a fantastic lunch spot only a few steps away. Restaurante Burro Velho is a Portuguese restaurant located next to Batalha Monastery. Burro Velho offers an impressive menu featuring fresh fish, steak, and other Portuguese fare. They also have a full bar of wine, beer, and cocktails. Reservations are encouraged as it can get quite busy during lunchtime, which runs from noon to 3 p.m. Monday - Saturday (Burro Velho is closed on Sundays). You will not be disappointed in penciling in Burro Velho as your restaurant of choice during a day trip to Batalha. After lunch, another destination worth visiting is only a three-minute walk from Burro Velho. Batalha has a museum called Batalha Municipal Community Museum (MCCB) or Museu da Comunidade Concelhia da Batalha. MCCB focuses on the history of Batalha, with exhibits spanning from before the prehistoric era to the present day. You can learn about the first humans roaming around Batalha, the construction of the Batalha Monastery, and much more at MCCB. Be sure to visit MCCB Wednesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Note that MCCB is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. during days of operation.
In summary, Batalha is a fantastic place to visit in Central Portugal. While Batalha only has a few noteworthy places to visit, it can provide a full day of activities. Here is a summary of the highlighted places to visit for a memorable time in Batalha. Day Trip to Batalha Itinerary Morning - Batalha Monastery (Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitoria) Lunch - Restaurante Burro Velho Afternoon - Batalha Municipal Community Museum MCCB (Museu da Comunidade Concelhia da Batalha) Rome is a wonderful city to visit. It is a place overflowing with beautiful architecture, authentic cuisine, and rich in culture. You could easily spend a whole week in Rome exploring the many neighborhoods and historic sites. I have been to Rome multiple times and have not seen everything. I have a few tips and suggestions when visiting Rome for only a few days. Navigating the City Rome has a transportation system that can be difficult to navigate. It is a large city that makes traveling by foot very long and arduous. The bus system is extremely tough unless you speak the language and know where to go. In my experience, there are no maps on the bus to let you know what stop to get off. I recommend purchasing a ticket before you get on a bus if you do not want an ugly stare from the driver. Taxis and Ubers are great options to get you to and from dinner or around the city quickly. The taxi cabs are regulated with accurate meter pricing. For our last trip, I arranged a car service to pick us up from the airport and take us to an Airbnb. Prices for a car service were around 50 euro and well worth it. Coming off a long flight, I did not want to try finding my Airbnb nestled in the small streets of Trastevere. Where to Stay I find Trastevere a very charming, quintessential Italian neighborhood. It is filled with great restaurants and cobble stone streets perfect for la passeggiata (an evening stroll). The neighborhood is situated across the Tiber River, out of the bustle of tourist areas. Landon and I stayed here in an Airbnb. We had a great experience with our host and found it was not too challenging to get around. If you are strapped on time, I believe staying near the Spanish Steps would be a good option. The area is more touristy, but easily accessible to everything. Sightseeing: Visiting the Vatican I have been to the Vatican/Sistine Chapel four times. However, this past time was by far the most educational and memorable. We booked the Pristine Sistine tour through Walks of Italy. You get early entrance into the Sistine Chapel before the crowds. You are in there with about 50 people who have similar tours booked. This is nothing compared to the normalcy of hundreds of people in there at the same time. We also witnessed the morning prayer by a Cardinal of the Vatican. It was an extremely special experience. As you would expect with a small group tour, the guide gave an excellent explanation of the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. In all, it was well worth the money and waking up early. Sightseeing: Colosseum
You can book tickets for the relatively new underground tour. These sold out fast for us, so only Landon went on the tour. I had previously done the guided tour through the Colosseum. The normal guided tour is certainly worth the fee. If you chose not to accompany your travel partner to the Colosseum, I recommend going across the street and wandering the Monti neighborhood. This area has some great vintage boutique shopping. Hello everyone, Ashley here providing a guest post this week. I am excited Landon asked me to guest write about Italy. Before I dive into the details, let me share a little about myself. I am originally from the Pinehurst area of North Carolina and have lived in Charlotte, North Carolina since 2003. I am a connoisseur of wine, a lover of socializing, and a travel enthusiast. When I’m not busy at the hospital, I am planning my next trip. To put it simply, I love to travel. I have visited over 13 different countries and have been to Italy four times. I am by no means an expert, but I have learned a few tips to share with you. Italy, oh Italy…. where do I even start. To say I love Italy is an understatement. The food, wine, people, scenery…it is just pure magic. It was wonderful to share this special place with Landon on our delayed honeymoon in 2019. When to Visit Italy Great times to visit Italy are during the spring (April - May) or fall (September - October). These months allow you to avoid the summer heat. I cannot say that there is a down time to avoid the crowds in Italy. These days, it seems that Italy is always crowded with tourists. How to Plan Your Time Travel to Italy with the mindset that you will be back. It is a large country and you cannot see it all unless there are no time constraints. I always recommend open-jaw tickets, flying into one city and out of another to maximize your time. Itinerary Ideas:
Here are a few examples of itineraries that have I done in the past. You can use these as a guide to plan a trip to different parts of Italy. 2 Weeks: Fly to Rome (3 nights in Rome) -> Rent a car and drive through Tuscany. A few home base ideas would be Siena, Pienza, Montalcino, Montalpuciano (spend at least 4 nights in Tuscany as a home base to travel around) -> Florence (2 nights) -> Train to Milan then to Lake Como (Stay in Bellagio, at least 3 nights to slow down and enjoy your time) -> train to Milan (2 nights in Milan) -> Fly home from Milan. 3 Weeks: Fly to Naples -> take a bus or hire a car to the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento/Positano 4 nights) -> train to Rome (at least 3 nights in Rome) -> Siena (3 nights, rent a car and travel throughout Tuscany) -> Florence (2 nights) -> Cinque Terre (2 nights, can do 3 if you plan to hike the towns) -> Venice (at least 2 nights with a side trip to Morano) -> Fly home from Venice. My lovely wife, Ashley, will be contributing new content on various travel related topics. We just got back from a 19 day trip to Italy, including a stopover in London, England. Ashley planned the majority of our long vacation. While this was my first visit to Europe, she has been multiple times in the past. I hope you are as excited as I am about her future posts.
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