Visiting the Convento de Cristo: opening hours, the six days it closes, and the one closure that catches Templar pilgrims
The hours, in the operator’s own words
Both lines below are quoted from Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, which runs the convent. Where anything else on the internet disagrees with them about a practical fact, they win and it loses.
| Season | Open | Last entry |
|---|---|---|
| October to May | 9h00 – 17h30 | 17h00 |
| June to September | 9h00 – 18h30 | 18h00 |
Verbatim: “Outubro a maio 9h00-17h30 (última entrada às 17h00)” and “Junho a setembro 9h00-18h30 (última entrada às 18h00)”. Hours move; the operator’s own page is the authority on the morning you go.
The half hour between last entry and closing is the part people misread. It is not a grace period in which you can see the place. It is the time the staff need to walk a very large building empty, and the convent is large in a way that photographs do not convey: a round twelfth-century oratory, a nave, eight cloisters, dormitory ranges and a terrace. Arriving at last entry buys you half an hour inside a site that takes hours (how long you actually need).
The six days it is closed — and why one of them is worth a warning
The operator lists them as “1 de janeiro, 1 de março, Domingo de Páscoa, 1 de maio, 24 e 25 de dezembro”. In English:
- 1 January
- 1 March — and see below
- Easter Sunday, which moves
- 1 May
- 24 December
- 25 December
1 March is the trap. The Templars began building this castle on 1 March 1160, and that anniversary is exactly the day a certain kind of visitor plans a pilgrimage around. The doors are shut. I am not going to tell you the closure exists because of the anniversary, because the operator does not say why it closes and nobody I can cite does either. What I can tell you is that the two dates are the same date and that people get caught by it every year.
Restoration: what is honest to say, and what is not
Parts of the site are under conservation and restoration work and are closed while it goes on. The scope changes, so this site does not print a list of what is shut on any given morning — the operator’s own page is the only thing worth believing on the day you are reading it.
Seven reviewers across five different listings say the same thing in their own words, which is why this site treats it as a live condition rather than a footnote. Michele: “Right now, they’re starting renovation and enhancement work.” Diana: “parts of the Convent were under renovation when I went.” Lorenzo, who still called it “one of the most beautiful visits we had in Portugal”: “the Convent was partially closed to visitors due to renovations.” Italo and Angie raise it on the ticket listing too.
And two of them give a different cause from the operator’s. Mónica: “the Convent of Christ is under construction due to the recent storms.” K, on a private tour, describes “some areas of the site that were under repair due to a bad storm a couple of months earlier” and a guide who “really wished he could have showed us”. Conservation work and storm damage are not the same thing and they will not end on the same day. Neither reviewer is the operator, and the operator’s pages we have read describe conservation. This site does not merge the two causes, and it does not print a list of what is shut under either of them, because that list changes and the operator’s is the only one worth having.
The Templar castle in the title, and the two reviewers who say it was shut
The platform’s ticket listing is called “Tomar: Convent of Christ and Templar Castle Tour Ticket”. The castle is in the name of the product. Two of its reviewers say they did not get it.
Italo Rodrigues: “we purchased the experience that included a visit to the Templar Castle, which was already closed at the time we bought the experience, and you should be aware of this.” Angie, who gave it five stars anyway: “The castle is currently shut... but the convent more than makes up for it — huge, interesting, amazing church.” Michele, on the same listing, puts it a third way: “The adjacent Templar castle, unfortunately, can’t be visited inside.”
That is three reviewers and no operator. Museus e Monumentos does not say the castle is closed on any page this site has read, so this site does not say it either. What it says is that three people who bought the ticket wrote that it was, and that Alina, reviewing a different listing, describes climbing at the castle — “a steep staircase to climb to visit the walls”, with “breathtaking” views and “no ballustrades anywhere”. They went at different times and got different answers. Check before you pay for a castle (the ticket listing, reviewed honestly).
What the ground is like underfoot
The convent is at the top of the hill and the last part of every approach is uphill, whether you walk from the station or park by the gate (getting there, and the 1.3 km). Inside, the surfaces are old. Alina’s review is the most useful description of it anyone has left: “It is important to have the appropriate shoes — the hike at the castle is short but there are uneven surfaces on the path with many tree roots and it can get slippery.” Edward, on a two-hour walking tour, thanked his guide for being “mindful of the treacherous step throughout the tour”. Wear something with a sole.
On step-free routes, lifts, parking and whether any vehicle runs up the hill from the town, this site says nothing, because the operator does not publish it and a guess about access is worse than a blank. Ask the operator’s own page directly if you need a definite answer.
One more thing a reviewer raised, and it is about Mondays
Ruby, on a private day out of Tomar, wrote that “important buildings as part of the tour are closed on Mondays” and recommended taking that tour on another day. Read her whole sentence, though, because the next one matters: “Fortunately, the Convent of Christ was open so we spent extra time in there.” Monday is not on the operator’s list of closed dates for the convent. It appears to be a problem for the other stops on a multi-site itinerary, not for this building (what each listing actually gets you into).
Cheapest with a guideTomar: Walking Tour to Convent of Christ Small Group & Tickets
The ticket itselfTomar: Convent of Christ and Templar Castle Tour Ticket
Priced per partyTomar: Knight's Templar Castle and Convent of Christ Tour
Next: how long to allow, what to see and in what order, and whether it is worth the trip from Lisbon.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Convento de Cristo opening hours?
Nine in the morning every day it opens. From October to May it closes at 17h30 with last entry at 17h00; from June to September it closes at 18h30 with last entry at 18h00. Both lines are quoted from the operator, Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, which is the authority on the day you are reading this.
Which days is the Convento de Cristo closed?
Six dates a year: 1 January, 1 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 December and 25 December. Easter Sunday moves. The 1 March closure is the one that catches people, because 1 March 1160 is the date the Templars began the castle.
Is the Templar castle at Tomar open?
The ticket listing sold on the platform has “Templar Castle” in its title, and three of its reviewers — Italo Rodrigues, Angie and Michele — say the castle was shut when they went. The operator’s own pages do not say so, so this site attributes it to them and tells you to check.
Is the Convento de Cristo under restoration?
Yes. The operator states that parts of the site have restricted access for conservation work, and seven reviewers across five listings describe finding parts of it closed. Which parts changes from month to month, so this site names none of them and sends you to the operator instead.
How late can I arrive at the Convento de Cristo?
Last entry is 17h00 in winter and 18h00 in summer, half an hour before the doors close. That half hour is not a viewing window — it is the time it takes to clear a building with eight cloisters in it. Arrive with hours, not minutes.
Do I need to book ahead for the Convento de Cristo?
Not for admission itself: the ticket is sold at the door for about fifteen euros and the platform charges the same for the same thing bought in advance. Booking ahead matters for a guide, because the small-group and private walks are the ones with limited places.