Évora's cathedral, the Sé (daily 9am–12.30pm & 2–5pm; €1 or €1.50 including cloister, museum €3, combined ticket €3; entrance on Largo Miguel de Portugal), was begun in 1186, about twenty years after the Reconquest of Évora from the Moors. The Romanesque solidity of its original battlemented towers and roofline contrasts sharply with the pointed Gothic arches of subsequent and less militaristic additions, such as the porch and central window. The interior is more straightforwardly Gothic, although the choir and high altar were remodelled in the eighteenth century by the German, Friedrich Ludwig, architect of the palace-monastery at Mafra. The cathedral museum (closed Mon) is stuffed with treasures and relics, the prize exhibits being a reliquary studded with 1426 stones and a carved statue of the Madonna, whose midriff opens out to display layered scenes from the Bible. You also shouldn't miss the marvellous Gothic cloister, or the terrace (closed Mon) above the west entrance where you can take an unusually close look at the towers.

Immediately adjacent to the Sé is the former archbishop's palace, now the Museu de Évora, unfortunately closed for renovations for the forseeable future – archeological excavations are holding up progress. Its important collection centres on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Flemish and Portuguese paintings assembled from the city's churches and convents, reflecting the strong medieval trade links between the two countries. While the museum remains closed, representative selections of its art works are on display in the Igreja de Santa Clara, across town down Rua Serpa de Pinto (Tues– Sun 9.30am–12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm; €1.50).

From the cathedral, a couple of other sights warrant a quick detour. In nearby Largo da Misericórdia, the Igreja da Misericórdia (Mon– Fri 9am–12.30pm & 2–5.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm; free) sports wooden Baroque bas-reliefs and fine azulejos, while at the end of the street in Largo da Porta de Moura there's a pretty, but well-worn, Reniassance marble fountain.

A quick stroll from here will take you to the Antiga Universidade, whose beautiful courtyard is entered from Rua Cardeal Rei. Founded in 1559 by Cardinal Henrique, the future "Cardinal King", the university was closed down by the Jesuit-hating Marquês de Pombal during the eighteenth century, but since reopening in the 1970s it is now one of the liveliest corners of the city. You are free to wander in and view the brazilwood ceiling, azulejos and double cloister of marble columns.