Aqueduct of Pegões

The Aqueduct of Pegões is one of the more impressive pieces of Manueline-era engineering in central Portugal, and far fewer visitors bother with it than with the convent it was built to serve. Constructed in the late sixteenth century under the orders of Philip I of Portugal (Philip II of Spain), the aqueduct stretches across a shallow valley west of Tomar, its long double file of arches striding through farmland and forest for roughly 6 kilometres. The highest section reaches about 30 metres.

The best approach is to walk or cycle along the road that runs beneath the aqueduct from the edge of town. Up close the stonework is massive and matter-of-fact, without the decorative ambitions of the convent above — this is infrastructure, built to last, and last it has. In several places you can see where the channel on top narrows and the aqueduct adjusts its course to follow the gradient. The whole walk out and back takes about two hours at a gentle pace.

Few tour buses make it here, so you will likely have the aqueduct to yourself. Bring water and something to sit on; there are trees for shade but no facilities.

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A story
The aqueduct was built in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries specifically to supply water to the Convent of Christ, which had grown so large that existing springs near the hill were no longer sufficient. At its longest stretch it runs for about 6 kilometres across the valley, supported by arches of varying height that follow the terrain — in places the structure rises to 30 metres. It was a significant engineering undertaking for its time, and it still carries water today.