Borba Guide: The Best Things to See & Do

Mention Borba to anyone in Portugal and the first thing that they’ll say is “wine.” While Borba does have some small historical attractions, such as churches and old castle walls, they’re nowhere near as impressive as those in Elvas, Vila Viçosa, or Estremoz.

Although it isn’t as immediately interesting as some of the other towns nearby, Borba does have some interesting buildings and architecture dotted around. You will have to look a lot harder for it, though.

What Borba does have is wine…and marble. For some reason though, people (both locals and visitors) are much less interested in the marble than they are the wine. Borba’s wine festival, Festa do Vinho e da Vinha, takes place every year in November and is always a popular event. In contrast, there doesn’t seem to be a marble festival.

Of course, Borba refers to the wine region rather than the town itself. It’s one of 8 subregions of the Alentejo DOC along with Portalegre, Évora, Redondo, Videgurja, Granja-Amareleja, and Moura.

There are only a small number of wineries in Borba, but many more are dotted around nearby. If you’re interested in trying Borba wines, Borba is one of several towns in the region that you could use as a base from which to explore the vineyards in the area.

If you get the chance, it’s also worth visiting a vineyard that makes talha wines. This is a unique Portuguese wine that’s made in a large clay pot, something that’s typical to the Alentejo and dates back as far as Roman times.

Handpicked accommodation in Borba

• Monte da Fornalha – Situated just a few kilometres outside of Borba, and featuring an outdoor swimming pool, this is one of the best-reviewed accommodation options in Borba.
• Casa de Borba – Situated in the centre of Borba, this 16th Century home has been carefully renovated into a charming historical hotel.
• Horta do Laranjal – Charming rural guesthouse with swimming pool.
• Cova Do Pisão – Rural guesthouse with swimming pool, situated around 5 km outside of Borba’s town centre.

There are really only a handful of accommodation options in Borba. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try looking at accommodation in one of the nearby towns like Estremoz, Vila Viçosa, or even Évora.

Airbnb also has a few options, although most are located outside of the town centre.

Wine tours & experiences in Borba

The following vineyards are located inside Borba town centre itself:

• Adega de Borba – Offers wine (and olive oil) tastings. There’s also a restaurant a wine shop on-site.

Getting to Borba

Renting a car

The easiest way to get to and from Borba, and almost anywhere in rural Portugal, is by car. There are plenty of car rental companies at both Lisbon Airport and Faro Airport, the two nearest major airports. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to hire a car in the Alentejo, several car rental companies have outlets in Évora.

By train

There is no train station in Borba. The nearest train stations are in Elvas and Évora but, overall, this part of the Alentejo isn’t very well-connected by train. If you want to get around by public transport, bus (see below) is normally the easiest way.

By bus

Long distance buses connect Borba with most other major towns and cities in Portugal, including Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. Tickets can be purchased from Rede Expressos.

There are normally direct buses to Lisbon, but most other destinations will usually require a change in a larger city like Évora or Lisbon.

Local buses are run by the Rodoviária do Alentejo and connect Borba with nearby towns like Estremoz, Elvas, and Vila Viçosa.