Travel Muse Magazine

Óbidos, Portugal is a shiny gem in the middle of Portugal for anyone who loves books, writing and really cool things. You don’t have to take our word for it – UNESCO agrees and granted it elite “Literary City” status, one of only 53 across the whole world.

Here are six points of interest, conveniently marked on the map below, every literary lover must check out in Óbidos, a medieval walled city, which is also home to a really cool castle too!

1. Culture – Casa José Saramago, the Óbidos Municipal Library  – The local library is named after the Portuguese writing hero José Saramago (the only Portuguese Nobel Prize winner for literature) and it is open to locals and visitors alike.
2. Historical – Sao Tiago Church aka Santiago Bookstore aka Livraria Santiago – Yes, it’s got a lot of names it goes by, but this is a must see. It’s not only Portugal’s largest bookshop in a church, but it’s also the shining star in making of this literary city. (Read about how it got started in 2012.)
3. Food – Óbidos Biological Market – Get your fresh produce paired with a book. Yes, this market has baskets of books alongside others of fresh local fruits and veggies.
4. Cafe – Livraria da Adega – A wine cellar turned bookshop, complete with cafe and wine bar. You’ll find me hanging out here when I’m in town, for sure.
5. Fun – Óbidos Book Exchange – The absolute perfect souvenir and it’s free! Óbidos’s official volunteer-run book exchange is just that, you get a free one and you give books to add to their collection that will go to somewhere else in the world. I call that an even exchange of luggage space. And it’s a good thing because my tote is going to be crammed with other books I buy in town while I’m at it.
6. View – The Literary Man Óbidos Hotel + Book & Cook Restaurant – This is the world’s largest literary hotel plus there’s a restaurant where you’re surrounded by books. If this isn’t heaven, I’m not sure what is!

Check out our map (above) to see where these lit finds are located in Óbidos, which is (just about middle of Portugal’s Atlantic coast) about an hour north of Lisbon and just under 2.5 from Porto, both of which also have some world-class places all book lovers must go! (More about that in a future post!)

As if that’s not enough, this post barely covers the bookish of Óbidos! There are two different literary festivals held here. Plus, when you’re looking for other cool things here, they also host a chocolate festival and a medieval festival too… and they’re also home of Portugal’s beloved cherry liquour: the ginja of the famed ginjinhas; an amazing lagoon; beaches… and the list goes on. Check out the city’s official tourism guide for more!