The third in our series about Portugal, this time we’re looking at sunny south Portugal, the darling of beach-lovers, clubbers, water sports fans and brilliant for kids. On the other hand it isn’t all top class sun, sea and sand. There’s sun and magical countryside too, along with a load of cultural delights and many strange, weird and wonderful discoveries. Let’s explore, see where south Portugal day trips will take you.
Bright ideas for fabulous south Portugal day trips
South Portugal is close to home flight-wise, yet it’s distinctly exotic. Moorish buildings so lovely you can’t believe your eyes, ancient cobbled towns, world-renowned UNESCO sites, lovely landscapes and spectacular beaches are the name of the game here, with secluded inland regions to explore away from the crowds. Outside The Algarve and further inland the pace is slower, life is more leisurely, and the tourist attractions fade away.
Portuguese history blends Celtic, Roman, Germanic and Moorish culture thanks to invasion after invasion over many hundreds of years. The result is a fascinating melting pot of influences spanning art, architecture, food, entertainment and life in general. It’s a potent mix, packed with spice and flavour.
A love song to Portugal’s beautiful south
Lying south of Lisbon, southern Portugal includes Lisbon itself, Sagres, and the popular Algarve region. Nearby Setubal offers Praia de Galapinhos, a stone’s throw from Lisbon and loved for its eye-catching blue waters. Head to Sagres for some pretty good surf and powerful waves. Or chill out at Praia de Mareta watching the surfers doing their thing. The sands are white, the sun is scorching, and a drive along the coast feels like something out of a 1950s Hollywood movie.
Travel south of lively Lisbon to experience the western coastline, home to the towns of Setubal and Sines, en-route to the Spanish border via Sagres, Lagos, Albufeira, Faro, Fuseta and Monte Gordo. This is the Algarve coast, and it’s the star of the seaside holiday show for many visitors, where you’ll find world-famed Camilo Beach. Faro, on The Algarve, has a monster 3036 average hours of sunshine a year, more than eight hours every day and enough to make you smile year-round. No wonder the locals are so friendly and mellow.
Marvel at the mouth-watering south Portugal food
Seafood is the bunny here, of course, thanks to the super-log coastline and rich Atlantic waters, with cuisine majoring on cod and sardines cooked a zillion tasty ways. You’ll fall in love with the little sweet rolls eaten with every meal, and the traditional pastel de nata – an egg custard tart to fill any gaps left over in a particularly satisfying way.
Portuguese cheese is also a thing, and what a fantastic thing it is: a feast of treats like Nisa, an earthy hard cheese, unsalted Saloio, and the softer, spicier Serpa cheese made from sheep milk. Wash it all down with wines from the extra-dry, extra-hot Alentejo region made by family wineries. Or choose wines made with local Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Alfrocheiro and Aragonez grapes. Full-bodied reds are the result, each one a delight to the taste buds.
South Portugal eye candy
Gaze out of the window in most places in the UK after dark and all you can see is a browny-black sky, the moon and maybe a few stars. There’s barely any light pollution at the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, a place where awe is the name of the game. The most spectacular night sky you have ever experienced lives here thanks to the International Dark-Sky Association, which works hard to protect rare places like this and create more dark sky reserves.
Watch out for some of the world’s loveliest hotels, too. They’re excellent eye candy, whether you stay in one or not. The 1400s castle at the hotel De Alvito in the Alentejo region is a brilliant mix of Islamic, Gothic, Manueline, and Portuguese. The Pousada Castelo de Alcacer Do Sal is Moorish 100% of the way with sweeping views across the Sado River. The 1500s Pousada Convento De Tavira Hotel Convento Da Graca is quite something, and the Pousada De Sagres Hotel Infante, set way high on a cliff, offers the ultimate in panoramic ocean views.
Things to do in southern Portugal
It’s easy to cover The Algarve, a place with everything you need for entertainment, relaxation and fun: the bars and clubs, the beaches, restaurants, attractions, water sports, the whole glorious sunshine holiday thing. But what about places to see outside the Algarve?
Setubal
On the north bank of the River Sado, Setúbal is all about the sea. Eat choco frito, a deep-fried cuttlefish dish with garlic and lemon. Watch dolphins. Get happily lost in the remote, mysterious Serra to the city’s west, with its ancient chapels and medieval strongholds, lush forests and flaming blooms. Golden sandy beaches and secluded lagoons complete the picture.
Visit Castelo de Palmela and Castelo de São Filipe, the Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia, Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, Serra da Arrábida Natural Park , Portinho da Arrábida, and nearby Sesimbra with its fairytale views and ancient walls.
Sines
The old fishing town of Sines is on the Costa Alentejana, where the explorer Vasco da Gama was born. If you’re into industrial landscapes you’ll love the vast container port that has spring up here, a tourist attraction in itself. The huge man-made underwater trench takes even the biggest ships.
The 1500s Forte Do Pessegueiro is a hulk of a defence, with its own moat and a tunnel for access. Castelo De Sines once defended the town’s fishing fleet, built on a Palaeolithic site. There’s a good museum, a small place with fabulous Phoenician jewellery and Visigoth relics on display.
A lot like Brighton, there’s a lower and an upper level to the seafront, and you can stroll along the beach. But the best beach by far is Praia Dos Buizinhos, near Porto Coro, with golden sand, a curve of dramatic cliffs, and clear waters. A lovely stretch of coast with tiny coves is home to the quaint white village of Porto Côvo, a small place with an unusual number of restaurants, making it perfect for a chilled-out meal and a wander.
The IC1 road
The A2 is one of Portugal’s main arteries, running from Lisbon down to Albufeira in the Algarve, the country’s far south. Just under 150 miles long, it takes you right through inland south Portugal. Think the M25 and you get the picture, a fast way to travel but hardly scenic or calm.
The IC1 is more fun for visitors. A smaller road, it parallels the A2 giving you a fascinating road trip experience through towns like Alcacer do Sol, Grandola, Ermidas-Sado, Alvalade, Ourique and Sao Bartolomeu de Messines. Here’s how you find out how everyday people live, in ordinary places, adding extra flavour and variety to your trip.
Now check out these Portugal day trips
So are you headed straight to The Algarve hot-spots or taking a different route to discovering Portugal? Here are some day trips to fire your imagination.
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