Tomar Tourism Office

Tomar is a small city on the Nabão river in central Portugal, and its fame rests on one of the most remarkable monuments in the country, the Convento de Cristo. The tourism office in the town is where most visitors start, and it is worth knowing what it can help you to plan. It provides maps, brochures, and information in several languages, and its staff can advise on opening times, ticket arrangements, guided tours, accommodation, and transport, which is useful because some sites have different hours through the year and the services can change.

The main reason to come is the Convento de Cristo, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the hill above the town. It began in the 12th century as the headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal, founded by Gualdim Pais in 1160, and after the Templars were dissolved it became the seat of the Order of Christ, which played a leading role in the age of discovery. The complex includes a Romanesque round church, the Charola, based on the Templar tradition of circular churches, and a Manueline nave and window of extraordinary richness, carved with ropes, coral, and seaweed. Cloisters of different periods, built over four centuries, complete the ensemble. A visit takes two or three hours.

Below the convent, the town has its own attractions. The old centre has a pedestrian square with a statue of Gualdim Pais, a church with a Manueline portal, and narrow lanes with shops and cafés. A small museum is housed in a 15th-century synagogue, one of the few medieval synagogues in Portugal that survive, and it tells the story of the Jewish community. The river runs through the town, with a leafy park on an island and an old wooden waterwheel, and the Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes, a wooded park, rises on the hill behind. Every four years Tomar holds a spectacular procession, the Festa dos Tabuleiros, in which young women carry tall crowns of bread and flowers.

The tourism office is in the town centre, easy to find on foot, and a good first stop to pick up a map and plan the day. Hours vary with the season and can change, so check before going. The town suits history readers, families, and travellers exploring the central region, and makes a good day trip from Lisbon or Coimbra.