Alandroal is a small Alentejo town east of Évora, close to the Spanish border and the Guadiana. It is not polished, and that is part of the appeal: the streets are whitewashed and slow, the castle sits right in the town, and the surrounding countryside is a dry pattern of olive groves, cork oaks, marble quarries, and reservoir water.
The reason to come is the frontier landscape. Castle of Alandroal anchors the town, while Castle of Terena and the fortified Boa Nova Sanctuary make an easy rural loop to the south. Farther east, Juromenha Fortress looks over the Guadiana toward Spain.
Alandroal is best with a car or bicycle and a willingness to move slowly. This is not a place of long opening hours and dense sightseeing, but the castles, empty roads, and Alentejo light make a good day if you are already in Évora, Vila Viçosa, or Elvas.