Alenquer is a hillside town and municipality in Portugal’s Lisbon District, with around 9,000 people in the town itself and about 44,000 in the wider municipality. Set roughly 35 km north of Lisbon, it has Moorish roots and was taken by Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, in the 12th century during the push towards Lisbon. The town is known as the “vila-presépio” — the “crib town” — because its houses climb the slope in an amphitheatre-like layout, especially striking from the valley below. Alenquer is also part of the Lisboa wine region, with vineyards, wine estates and rolling countryside around the town, while nearby Serra de Montejunto adds viewpoints and walking routes. The compact centre has churches, old streets and remnants of the castle, and it works well as a quiet base for exploring wine country north of Lisbon.

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