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Mertola castle, Mertola, Portugal
Mértola viewed from the opposite shore of the Guadiana, with the city wall and the medieval castle uphill, 10th November 2019
View of Mértola, Portugal
Photo by Reino Baptista
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EuropePortugalBeja

Mértola

Beja, Portugal · Europe

About Mértola

Mértola sits on the route: 30 minutes from Minas de São Domingos, 57km from Tavira.

Mértola is in Beja, Portugal, with about 7,300 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Minas de São Domingos, about 15 km away.

Mértola (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmɛɾtulɐ] ), officially the Town of Mértola (Portuguese: Vila de Mértola), is a town and municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2021, the population of the municipality was 6,206, in an area of approximately 1,292.87 square kilometres (499.18

Read more mi2): it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portugal. Meanwhile, it is the second-lowest population centre by density with approximately 5.62 persons/1 square kilometre (0.39 mi2) (second to the adjacent Alcoutim). The seat of the municipality is the town of Mértola, which had around 2500 inhabitants at the time of the 2021 census, located on a hill over the Guadiana River. Its strategic location made it an important fluvial commercial port in Classical Antiquity, through the period of Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Mértola's main church (the Church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação) was the only medieval mosque to have survived the period in Portugal. In 2017 Mértola started the process to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to Stay in Mértola

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Mértola?

Within an hour or so of Mértola: Tavira (57 km).

Are there any good drives near Mértola?

The nearest famous roads are EN125 Coastal Road and Estrada de Escarpa (N379-1), Serra da Arrábida.

Where is Mértola?

Mértola is in Beja, Portugal, about 15 km from Minas de São Domingos.

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Quick Information

Population
7,274
Continent
Europe
Country
Portugal
Region
Beja
Timezone
Europe/Lisbon
Coordinates
37.6430, -7.6611

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in Portugal

Police
112
Ambulance
112
Fire
112
Driving side
right
Full driving guide for Portugal

Tags

EuropePortugalBejaTown

Worth the detour from Mértola

1 notable place within an hour's drive.

landmark

Tavira

Genteel riverside town of churches and a Roman bridge, a relaxed base for the eastern Algarve.

57 km · about 65 min drive

Driving roads near Mértola

2 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.

  • 67 kmEN125 Coastal RoadThe classic east-west Algarve artery linking the region's beach towns, villages and clifftop detours.

Driving in Portugal

Drives on
the right
Petrol
~€1.78/litre
Motorway tolls
~€9.00/100km

When to drive here

April to October

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Mértola.

Almodôvar

🇵🇹 Portugal

38 km awayPop. 7,449

Castro Marim

🇵🇹 Portugal

51 km awayPop. 5,089

Ayamonte

🇪🇸 Spain

53 km awayPop. 20,883

Vila Real de Santo António

🇵🇹 Portugal

54 km awayPop. 11,560

Monte Gordo

🇵🇹 Portugal

54 km awayPop. 4,282

Tavira

🇵🇹 Portugal

57 km awayPop. 15,133

Isla Cristina

🇪🇸 Spain

58 km awayPop. 21,324

São Brás de Alportel

🇵🇹 Portugal

58 km awayPop. 11,153

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Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence