Our primary aim is to promote the Knights Templar City of Tomar, and the Knights Templar region of Portugal. The Knights Templar Region contains some of the most intact and important Knights Templar sites in the world.
Our primary aim is to promote the Knights Templar City of Tomar, and the Knights Templar region of Portugal. The Knights Templar Region contains some of the most intact and important Knights Templar sites in the world.
As well as its History, Castles, Abbeys, and other historic sites the Knights Templar Region has much to offer. We are shortly going to post links to other activities you can participate in, in the meantime, contact us for further information.
You can see a 6-minute video about Tomar and the Knights Templar Tours below or you can watch it on YouTube. We have now made public our 12-minute film about the amazing Festa Dos Tabuleiros. You can see it on www.youtube.com
You can also watch some short video clips about the Tomar region on our Tours Page.
The main attraction which draws people from all over the world to Tomar is the Knights Templar Castle and its UNESCO World Heritage site The Convent of Christ. But there is much more to Tomar than the Convent.
The Historic centre of Tomar is a joy to visit. Particularly on a sunny day when the street cafes are full of locals and tourists enjoying a coffee or an ice cream. Sitting in the Praça da República, (Republic Square,) in front of the elegant Town Hall, opposite the 15thcentury Igreja de São João Baptista (Church of St. John the Baptist) built by King Manuel I by the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar is a magical experience.
Three blocks from the square is the location of the 15thcentury synagogue. The synagogue is an evocative reminder of the influence the Jews of Tomar had in the Discoveries of the New World.
Ten minutes walk from the Historic centre is the church of Santa Maria do Olival which was built in the 12th Century for the Portuguese Masters of the Knights Templar Order. Santa Maria do Olival was the Pantheon church of the Portuguese Masters. It was chosen, during the Portuguese Discoveries, as the mother church of all the churches of Africa, Asia and the Americas. Nowhere does the mystery of the Knights Templar seem so real as in Saint Maria do Olival.
Today a walk in Tomar’s narrow streets, a coffee in a pavement café, a browse in the shops, seems to take you back in time to an era when life was a little bit slower and quality of service mattered more than the speed of delivery.
Tomar is a great place to try the rich red Portuguese wines and a wide variety of Portuguese traditional dishes. Tomar town has a wide variety of restaurants serving great food All of them are extremely good value for money and some of them are astonishingly inexpensive. In the surrounding region, there are some great restaurants offering fantastic cuisine and often in the most beautiful surrounding, you would wish to be in. Once you have tasted the food and wine in Tomar, basked in the sun and strolled around the historic streets you will know why you have to keep coming back. The number of our clients with special dietary requirements is increasing, there are a number of restaurants in Tomar that offer vegetarian and vegan options as well as allergen-free dishes. For more advice or information about any requirements please contact us at templarstomar@aol.com.
Like all beautiful places Tomar has a river, the Nabão, running through it. To stand on the old bridge and throw bread into the river to be competed for by shoals of huge fish and numerous varieties of quacking ducks or watch a heron catch a wriggling silverfish is a timeless delight to be savoured.
In the region surrounding Tomar is a huge variety of pretty little villages with cafes and restaurants. Nearby the banks of the River Zêzere host many river beaches ideal for swimming or diving or canoeing. In summer the water temperature reaches 27C and there is no salt and no chlorine in the water. The local fresh-water fish, the Achigã, is a great sport for fishermen and delicious when grilled.
Within a radius of one hour by car from Tomar, you can access the most important historic sites in Portugal. You can visit the incredible golden beaches of the Silver coast. You can attend Festivals and medieval markets and tournaments. You can take in the amazing Golegã Horse Fair in November. You can eat great food and drink fabulous wine. You can play golf on some of the best Golf Courses in Europe. Once you have done this you will want to come back to this wonderful part of the world.
For more information about Tomar, its attractions, restaurants and hotels follow the link to www.travel-in-portugal.com/Tomar/ or the Tomar Council website at www.cm-tomar.pt which is in Portuguese but can be easily translated by Google Translator. You can also watch a 6-minute video in Portuguese at www.youtube.com
Every four years Tomar holds the Festa Dos Tabuleiros, Festival of the Trays, event. Its origin goes back centuries, to Roman times. The ten-day festival is one of the most spectacular Festivals in Europe despite being hardly known outside of Portugal.
The historic streets of Tomar are thronged with hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Festival culminates with the amazing Parade of the Trays. This is when 700 women walk through the decorated streets carrying the elaborate Tabuleiros on their heads. If you haven’t seen it you really need to try to get to Tomar to witness the breathtaking spectacle. The next one will be in 2023.
Every three years out of four Tomar hosts the Festa Templária, the Knights Templar Festival. This is a three-day event and includes the spectacular Parade of Knights. Hundreds of local people dressed as Knights Templar parade through the streets in a torch-lit parade. Led by mounted knights on horseback it is a truly amazing sight. The next Festa Templária will be in 2022. We run special tours throughout the Festival.
There is much, much, more to be said about Tomar and the Knights Templar region. But why not visit it for yourself. We are always happy to advise you. Contact us at templarstomar@aol.com. Telephone or WhatsApp UK (+44) 7711 997 147.
