Alentejo coast and the Rota Vicentina

Route description

From Lisbon cross the Tagus and head south to Setúbal, where a car ferry crosses the Sado estuary to the Tróia peninsula. From here the road runs south to Comporta, an area of rice fields, storks and long, empty beaches.

The coast road continues south past Sines and Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes, a white town on the estuary of the river Mira. The Rota Vicentina walking trails, including the clifftop Fishermen’s Trail, follow the coast from here.

Zambujeira do Mar is a small village on the cliffs above a beach, and the route continues south along the N120 to the Algarve. It ends at Sagres, with its fortress on the headland and the lighthouse of Cape St Vincent, the south-westernmost point of mainland Europe.

The whole coast is part of a natural park, and overnight parking outside campsites and authorised areas is prohibited. The Atlantic is cold, with strong currents and waves, so swim only at beaches with lifeguards. Spring is the best season for walking, when the cliffs are covered in flowers.