This was the first monastery we visited on our road trip to Coimbra. It certainly was not a disappointment as the day was ideal for these rural small town monasteries. The royal pantheon is noteworthy and the details on these tombs are really superb. These sarcophagi with their stories finely carved on their exteriors are memorable.

There are some unique elements to Alcobaça that stand out. The kitchen (later addition) is so huge that at first I was not sure this is actually what it was. The Cloister of Silence is really special, the carvings and statuettes are finely detailed. It was fairly obvious which cloister columns have been repaired. Certain columns looked almost new, while others were heavily weather-worn. 

While there are plenty of monasteries on the world heritage list, its so hard to place sites like this on the OUV spectrum. What makes a beautiful and historic monastery more valuable than another? I am certainly wary when considering new nominations that are already over-represented. Yet, Alcobaça was inscribed in 1989 and like many world heritage inscriptions during that first decade its really a worthwhile site to visit.