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Traveling to the South

Indicates a Pousada location.

We had packed our bags and were preparing to check out of the Hotel Lisboa Plaza. Our reservation with AVIS had stated that they would deliver the car to the hotel at 10 AM. At 10:15 the AVIS agent arrived. He apologized for being late and said that the problem was that all the cars were to be delivered at 10AM. It only took a few minutes to complete the paper work and finish loading the car.

I'm not sure if AVIS still does the car delivery to the hotels. I know that on the past few trips, I have had to go to the office to pickup the rental car.

Soon we were on our way. Up the Avenida da Liberdade, around the Marquês de Pombal Circle, follow the Av. Joaquim Antonio de Aguiar past the Amoreires Shopping Center and on to the 25th of April Bridge heading south for Setúbal. I noticed that the bridge traffic was still pretty heavy coming into Lisbon. I've found that if you leave Lisbon going south after 10:30, the bridge traffic is not bad.

One of most spectacular sites that you will see as you cross the river is the Cristo Rei. It is a statute of Jesus Christ, which was modeled on and is a replica of the famous statue in Brazil. I've always wanted to take a picture of it but to date I've not succeeded. If you have time, stop and visit this site and also take an elevator ride to the top of the statute.

It was only a short ride, about 25 miles. I was concerned about finding the Pousada São Filipe once we arrived in Setúbal. A friend from Sintra had really increased my anticipation. He said: "There is only one way up to the Pousada, but don't worry it's on the highest point of town, and you can always see it".

Amazing without any trouble at all, we were pulling up the entrance of the Pousada. At least that is what the sign said in the parking lot. All that I saw was a little arch entry in an old castle wall. I went in the entrance and up the stairs in a long winding hall. I emerged onto the ramparts of the old castle. Then I saw the sign restaurant and lobby. I went in and we were soon checked into our room. They even sent a porter down to bring up the luggage.

Entrance to Pousada de São Filipe

It didn't take long to adjust to the beauty of the setting. They had built the Pousada on the top of an old fortress's ramparts. You can sit in the terrace café and look out over the beauty of the estuary of the Sado River with Tróia in the background. The Spanish built this castle at the end of the 16^th century to defend the kingdom of Portugal. Guests stay in the former guards quarters. Since there are only 14 rooms, reservations are usually necessary. On our second visit to this Pousada, we were even more impressed. They have made considerable efforts to improve its beauty. A new coat of paint and new furnishings have made it more attractive. I complemented the manager, Carolina Marafusta, and she said that more improvements were planned. Sitting in our room, I again marveled at the picture post card view. The whitewashed buildings of Setúbal with their orange tile roofs on the left, the Sado river estuary with the ferries and ships and the yellow sandy beaches of Tróia on the right.

Pousada de São Filipe

The view that I mentioned above is even more impressive at night. I took the below photo to try and capture it. It's not what I really wanted, but I'll include it because perhaps it can bring back memories of those that have been here and dream of returning.

View from the Pousada at night

We spent a lot of time enjoying the beauty of the Pousada. I didn't realize how much we had enjoyed it until I counted the number of pictures that we had taken. There is also a little chapel in the castle that has some beautiful Azulejos pictures on the walls.

Azulejos in the Chapel

After a wonderful dinner at the Pousada, we spent the rest of the evening sitting on the  the Pousada's patio snacking and enjoying the views of Setúbal, the estuary and Tróia. It really is a very peaceful place to relax. Pousada São Filipe

When you are in Portugal, you might consider staying in the Setúbal area. The new bridge, which connects Montijo with the Lisbon area, is now open. You could also consider driving either to Barreiro or Seixal parking and then taking the ferry or public transportation to the Lisbon.

Setúbal

The town of Setúbal is very nice town and one of the few towns that I didn't get lost in. It is the third largest city in Portugal. The more time that we spend in Setúbal the more that we have come to enjoy the beauty of this town. It is really a nice little town. It is well worth taking a few hours to just leisurely walking around the quaint colorful streets, windowing shopping and enjoying the scenery.

Street in Setúbal

You don't have the congestion of Lisbon but you do have a lot of quality shops and other attractions. It is just a nice way to enjoy a pleasant day.

Praça de Bocage

While we were walking around one morning we found a wonderful market to explore. It is called the Antigo Mercado do Liviaments. It is a very large indoor market. It has rows on rows of vegetable stands, on either side of which are meat market after meat market and then in the rear is the largest collection of fish stands that I ever saw. The fresh catches of the morning fishes were being unloaded and sliced to fill each customers' order.

Antigo Mercado in Setúbal

Another day we were just driving around and we noticed a group of Portuguese school children on their way to school. We had noticed how wonderful these children looked in their colorful school uniforms before. So my wife jumped out of the car and took this nice photo.

School Children in Setúbal

We decided to drive out toward Sesimbra. Sesimbra remains a thriving seaport, though developers have arrived. Its lovely beaches are less spoiled then comparable ones in the Algarve, and it is still an active fishing area.

We took the coast road, which provided some outstanding sightseeing. There are also a number of beautiful public beaches along this road. As you drive alone this road that has been carved into the hillside, you notice below the water and the tiny beaches. Opposite are the buildings and beaches of Tróia the peninsula on the far side of the rivers mouth. The intensely clear blue sky adds that final touch to the magic of the whole scene. 

Beaches on the Arrábida Coast

We arrived at Serra da Arrábida. There we proceeded down a steep road. It went down through a primitive forest to a deep cove called Portinho da Arrábida. The road is very steep and narrow. Somehow we made it down. For safety sake, I would recommend leaving the car on the top and walking down. We had a very nice late lunch in one of the restaurants over looking the small bay. The scenery in the area was very beautiful and the setting was very restful. Since it was getting late in the day, we decided not to continue on to Sesimbra. Rather we drove up to Vila Nogueira de Azeitão and took the road that runs along the mountains back to the Pousada.

Coast road to Sesimbra

We were very impressed with the Setúbal - Sesimbra area. There are many things to see and enjoy in this area. It would be well worth staying for at least two or three days or more. As a case in point as of this latest writing, we have spent eight days in Setúbal area.

Click on the hotel button and then type the name of the city for more accommodations information.

Sesimbra

Well as I said above the Sesimbra area drew us back. On a recent trip, We decided to spend more time in this area of Portugal and see what we had missed. On our last trip, we stayed at the Pousada Sào Filipe so I decided to stay this time at the Pousada do Castelo de Palmela. This is a Pousada whose grounds take at least a half-day to explore. It is situated on the top of a hill in the confines of Palmela Castle whose fortress dates from Afonso Henriques in the 12^th century.

Pousada do Castelo de Palmela

On our first day we started out for Sesimbra. I drove down into Setúbal and picked up the coast road for the drive out. I remembered the views from the coast road before and it was just a nice or even better on this trip. There was hardly any traffic and we stopped many times just to enjoy the scenery. Finally I turned on the road leading down into the town of Sesimbra.

Beach at Sesimbra

Sesimbra is a thriving seaport and although some development has taken place, it is not as developed as Nazaré. It has a beautiful beach area that is very large and expansive. The main road runs along the beach area and there are pleasant shops or restaurants alone the road. The local fishermen were hard at work that day. They had their lines strung out all over the beach and road and they were busily untangling them and coiling them in to buckets. One group was putting new hooks on the line and keeping in time with a radio blaring, rock tunes. It was really fascinating to watch.

Fishermen at Sesimbra

Finally we decided to eat and we went across the street to a restaurant. My wife had her favorite grilled sardines - I don't believe it, but I counted 10 of them. That is a lot of sardines. I had Carne de porco á alentejana (pork with clams and coriander). All in all it was a very enjoyable meal and it was reasonable.

For more information on where to stay, where to eat visit us at SesimbraOnline.

On the way back from the beach in Sesimbra, I noticed a sign that was pointing to a Castle. I heard a little about a castle in this area so I following the signs. We, finally, arrived at a high point where the Castle was located. It was a spectacular site. You could view the whole area for miles. There was also a beautiful cemetery that had been constructed within the castle walls.

Castle at Sesimbra

That night we explored Palmela castle, which we found, had a wonderful tile gift shop plus some other shops of interest.

The next day we set out to see Cabo Espichel, which is a cape at the end of the peninsular. The girl at the desk in the Pousada suggested that maybe we should visit the winery in Azeitào. We had spent 3 days in Porto and driven past all the major wine lodges in the country without ever going in one, so I decided that maybe now was the time for a visit. We took the free tours of the house of José Maria da Fonseca. Succs. It was very interesting. We saw the beautiful grounds, the area where the casks were stored and got an informative talk on the various wines. I have been told that the wine produced from the Moscatel de Setúbal is one of the finest wines in the world.

A wine tourism center is to be opened in Palmela, the Casa-Mãe Da Rota Dos Vinhos. The center will feature the excellent wines from this region including the famous muscatels from Setúbal. Located in the center of town, it should be an ideal starting point for a wine tasting tour of some of the eight main wineries in the region.

Then it was on to Cabo Espichel. The cape is on the tip of the Arráabida (or Setúbal) peninsula, which is one of Portugal loveliest and most distinctive regions. This range of hills runs out of the Sado River estuary west of Setúbal and forms a ridge of limestone along the peninsula's southern coast. We arrived at the cape and were impressed with the steep cliffs and coves with the Atlantic Ocean smashing onto the shores. The was an old church there, a chapel for sailors, and a large convent like structure, which we were told was one of the few old retreat houses in Portugal. There was also a large sign indicating that this facility was going to be rehabbed in the near future. On our way back to the Pousada we stopped at a very nice local restaurant for lunch.

Cabo Espichel

That night we went downtown to Setúbal to explore the town. I found a parking space without any trouble and we set off on foot exploring the city. Setúbal is a really nice city. They have some very nice fashionable shops the people are very friendly and it is just a nice place to walk around. The beauty of the climate, and the rich landscape with the strong contrasts of the sea and the mountains makes this section of Portugal a definite, at least in my book, " a must see".

Porto Covo and V. N. de Milfontes

My original thought was that when I left Setúbal, I would go down IP1 toward Grândola and then turn over toward Sines and proceed down the coast from there. I really wanted to drive down the coast and see the beaches and the Atlantic Ocean.

The night before I had noticed a ferry going between Setúbal and Tróia. It seemed that if I took the ferry I would save some miles but also permit us to see more of the coastline. I checked with the desk and they confirmed it. It didn't take us long to find the ferry dock and soon we had the car parked and were standing by the rail of the ferry enjoying the ride. The car ferry leaves the commercial port of Setúbal every half-hour in season (every hour out of season). It's about a 20-minute trip to the beaches of Tróia.

Ferry to Tróia

It was a scenic ride. You could look back at Setúbal and even see the Pousada sitting majestically on the hills. Looking ahead you could see the big sandy beaches and condominiums of Tróia approaching. It didn't take long until we were driving the car off of the ferry.

Driving the road by coastline provided you with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean, the beaches and the towns along the way. It was a very relaxing drive.

Club House Casas Da Comporta

This area has much to recommend both for scenery and for a genuine taste of Portugal. There are scenic coves, expansive beaches and charming little towns. We stopped numerous times just to walk over and see the beautiful beaches and the blue Atlantic Ocean. If you decide to stay in the area for a few days, you should consider Casas da Comporta or if you just want to sample some delicious food try the Restaurants of Comporta.

Comporta Cafe

I decided to by-pass Sines and just continue down IC4. We continued on until I saw the sign for Porto Covo. Then I turned towards Porto Covo and the coast road. Porto Covo is a pretty little town that looked freshly painted and under some development for beachfront homes. It was the type of place that when you see it, you would like to stay their forever.

If you would like to stay in this beautiful area for a while, I suggest that you try the Herdade da Matinha. It's a wonderful place to stay. This Nineteenth Century gourmet tourism B&B is also very convenient to the beautiful beaches in the Porto Covo and V.N. Milfontes area. Please visit their site for directions and information.

Milfontes was another nice quaint town. We parked the car and as we were walking around saw a nice little restaurant down in a cove of the Mira River estuary. We walked down the steps and had lunch in the restaurant. As we sat there eating, we watched some fisherman folding their nets and the boats bobbing up and down in the beautiful cove. The Portuguese have discovered Mifontes and new villas are springing up daily.

Cove in V N Milfontes

After lunch and after I extracted my wife from a few gift shops, we were on our way again down IC4. In about an hour we were coming into Aljezur and I saw the sign pointing to the left for Monchique.

Monchique

We took the road from Aljezur to Monchique. It was a winding mountain road that you climbed higher into the mountains provided beautiful scenic views. Even though the forests had been badly burned by last summer's fires, there was still enough left to appreciate the beauty. The road eventually dead-ended at the stone quarry (good directions Hugo). We turned left and headed for the town of Monchique.

Monchique is another one of those areas in Portugal that has its' own micro-climate. It sits high in the eucalyptus-scented, wooded heights of the Monchique Mountains over looking the Algarve coastline, which is about twenty miles to the south.

We arrived in the center of Monchique. The very pretty Town Square with the waterwheel and little outdoor café looked extremely new. We continued on up the hill following the road to Fóia on which the Estalagem Abrigo da Montanha is located.

Square in Monchique

We had decided to stay at this estalagem (inn) instead of one of the hotel properties located in the Algarve beach areas. I figured that it would be more relaxing to stay here, than in one of the more prestige hotels in the Algarve. Also from this location you can easily drive to any point in the beach area. As an added bonus, you can take a short drive to the three thousand feet high Fóia, the highest point in the Serra de Monchique.

Located across the highway from the estalagem is a restaurant. This restaurant hangs over the cliff, supported by what seems a single footing. It not only provides you with good food at night it also gives you spectacular view of the countryside all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Let's Visit the picturese town of Monchique

Caldas

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