Set within a beautiful landscape of olive and cork trees – unfortunately the dirt road almost impinges onto the site – stands the Cromeleque dos Almendres (Almendres Cromlech). This huge, spectacular oval of standing stones, 15km west of Évora, is the Iberian Peninsula’s most important megalithic group and an extraordinary place to visit.
The site consists of a huge oval of some 95 rounded granite monoliths – some of which are engraved with symbolic markings – spread down a rough slope. They were erected over different periods, it seems, with basic astronomic orientations and were probably used for social gatherings or sacred rituals back in the dawn of the Neolithic period.
Two and a half kilometres before Cromeleque dos Almendres stands Menir dos Almendres , a single stone about 4m high, with some very faint carvings near the top. Look for the sign; to reach the menhir you must walk a few hundred metres from the road.
