Óbidos is a walled village so well preserved that it looks arranged for the camera, which does not make it any less lovely. White houses trimmed with blue and yellow climb a hill inside the medieval walls, and a castle on the summit has been turned into a hotel. The story goes that in the thirteenth century King Dinis gave the town to his queen Isabel as a wedding present, and for centuries afterwards it belonged to the queens of Portugal. The tradition made it a place of royal favour, and it kept its walls and its charm through the centuries.
The best thing to do is walk the walls, a narrow ledge with no railing and a long drop, and look out over a patchwork of vineyards, orchards and the glimmer of the lagoon to the west. The Lagoa de Óbidos, a shallow tidal inlet separated from the sea by a sandbar, was once a harbour for the town and silted up over the centuries. Now it is a haven for birds, kitesurfers and weekend swimmers, and the beach at Foz do Arelho, at its mouth, is a pleasant place to end a day.
The local drink is ginja, a sour cherry liqueur served in a small chocolate cup, which you drink and then eat. It is sold from little stalls near the gate and is sweeter than most riders would choose, but it is part of the ritual. Also look for the town's bookshops, which have been set up in a former market and a church, since Óbidos was named a UNESCO City of Literature.
Practicalities are straightforward. The town is a magnet for coach parties, so aim for early morning or late afternoon, and park outside the walls. Fuel is available at stations on the main road just below the village, and the nearby Caldas da Rainha, a spa town with a ceramic tradition, has a wider choice. The cobbled streets inside the walls are steep and slippery, so leave the motorcycle outside.
The surrounding roads are rolling, wooded and quiet, leading south toward the Atlantic coast and the surf towns. With the lagoon on one side and the vineyards on the other, it is an easy and varied half day.