ALENTEJO GOLDEN PLAINS - GETTING AROUND

On foot

It`s quite easy to explore many of the cities, towns and villages in Alentejo Golden Plains on foot. It is possible to walk the whole length of a typical Alentejo Golden Plains town, from west to east or north to south, in less than a half-mile. The largest town in the area, in both population and area, is Beja. Although the town is a mile and a half wide, the `old city` is compact at just a third of a mile in diameter, and many of the sights we recommend that you see in Beja are located in this area.

By bus

None of the Alentejo Golden Plains cities operate their own public transportation systems. Rodoviaria do Alentejo operates daily bus service between the towns of the Alentejo, with Beja serving as the area`s main hub. Buses leave Beja several times a day for Alvito, Pias, Serpa and Portel, but not Moura. Relying on this bus service can prove tricky as many lines to the smaller villages only run between 6 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m., leading us to believe that many of these lines are commuter lines for people who live in smaller villages and work in cities like Beja. To check bus routes and pickup times, visit www.rodalentejo.pt (website in Portuguese only).

Rede Expressos (www.rede-expressos.pt, site in Portuguese and English) is one of Portugal`s best-known bus companies; on their website, they sell intercity bus tickets from Beja to various cities in the Alentejo region as well as to Lisbon, Faro, Castelo Branco, Badajoz, Huelva and Madrid. Bus trips from Beja to other Alentejo towns are priced at under €20 one-way; the Rede Expressos website routinely offers cheaper Internet-only deals.

Intercity bus stations are open for business in Beja, Moura, Portel and Serpa.

By taxi

All five towns and villages outlined by TripMasters in the Alentejo Golden Plains region offer taxi service. Prices are uniform across the region; fares begin at €4 and it will cost approximately €1 for each mile traveled. Beja offers five different taxi services, Alvito offers two local services, and Moura, Portel and Serpa offer one each. Like in many other parts of Portugal, taxi fares are marked up at least 20% after 9 p.m., all day on weekends, and during holidays.

NOTE: Do not assume your taxi driver will know how to speak English. Write out your destinations on pieces of paper and give the paper applicable to that specific trip to your driver before departing.

By bicycle

The southern reaches of the Serra da Ossa mountain range surround the cities of Alvito and Portel, and much of the city of Moura. In these cities, biking may be more difficult for novices due to the number of steep hills. In contrast, the valleys between Beja and Alvito and Beja and Serpa are rolling and flat, great for novices. Much of the land along the Guadiana River is also flat, making for a very scenic bike ride.

You can rent a bike from Go Cycling Portugal (www.gocyclingportugal.com); the Lisbon-based company employs English-speaking staff, online orders can be made completely in English, and on top of all that, the company will deliver the bike rental to you anywhere in the country. Expect to shell out €30-€50 per day depending on the type of bicycle rented.

By car

TripMasters recommends reserving a car during the booking process, as some sort of transportation is necessary to explore the entirety of Alentejo Golden Plains. A handful of our must-see sights are in rural areas and are unreachable by foot alone, and not every town is connected to neighboring towns by train or bus. If you choose this option, keep in mind that you will be picking your car up at Lisbon Airport when you enter the country, not in the Alentejo.