For Portuguese people Aljubarrota conjures up a fierce sense of national pride, a 1385 battle where they defeated an odds-on favourite Castilian force and established the foundations for the Portuguese golden age. We thought the entry fee to the modern interpretation centre here, 2km south of Batalha, was steep until we saw the audiovisual, a no-expenses-spared blood-and-thunder half-hour medieval epic (available in English) that brings the whole thing to vivid life.
The display on bones is also fascinating – one skull still has the tip of an arrowhead in it. The battlefield itself is freely accessible and has some English explanations, but to really understand what went on here, you'll want the audioguide (€3) from the interpretation centre.
