Óbidos hands its Christmas village to Pinocchio this year. Tickets open on 5 November
The Christmas village inside Óbidos's medieval walls runs from 27 November to 3 January under the theme Pinocchio and the world of puppets. Adults €12, children €8, family tickets from €36, with timed entry and limited capacity.
Óbidos Vila Natal, the Christmas village inside the walls of Óbidos, opens on 27 November and runs until 3 January. This year’s story is Pinocchio. The official theme is “Pinocchio and the world of puppets”, and the site map shows how literally they have taken it: there is a Geppetto’s Neighbourhood, a Master’s Workshop, a Great Fish, a Pinocchio’s Plunge, the Lame Fox and Blind Cat’s Lair and a puppet theatre.
There is also something called the Liar Hunt, which for a story about a growing nose is hard to beat.
When to buy
Tickets go on sale on 5 November. Until then the organisers are selling pre-sale vouchers. Entry is by timed session and capacity is capped, so for December weekends it pays not to leave it late.
What it costs
The official price list:
- general ticket (over 12): €12
- child (3 to 11): €8
- student (12 to 25) and senior (over 65), with proof: €11
- family, 2 adults and 2 children: €36; with 3 children, €42; with 4, €48
We did the sums. Bought separately, two adults and two children would pay €40, so the family ticket saves €4. With three children it saves €6, and with four, €8.
Opening hours
- Fridays, weekends and public holidays, 27 November to 3 January: 10am to 9pm
- Monday to Thursday, 30 November to 17 December: 10am to 6pm
- Monday to Thursday, 21 to 30 December: 10am to 8pm
- 24 and 31 December: 10am to 5pm
- closed on 25 December and 1 January
What’s inside
Beyond the Pinocchio set pieces, there is Father Christmas’s house, a post office for letters, a Parisian carousel, a mini Ferris wheel, a little train and the Christmas market. The most Portuguese touch is an exhibition of the Bonecos de Santo Aleixo, the Alentejo puppet tradition, which fits the theme perfectly.
If you are lining up weekends between now and Christmas, Portimão’s St Martin’s Fair fills the first half of November, before Óbidos switches its lights on.
Image: Óbidos Vila Natal