Arrábida Natural Park (Parque Natural da Arrábida) has a unique landscape where forested hills drop off into tight coves and sandy beaches The park is located just south of Lisbon, but its peaceful setting makes it feel as if you’ve travelled much further. If you’re looking to escape the city and enjoy nature for a few days, Arrábida Natural Park may be just what you’re looking for.
Sesimbra
Set on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the park separates the coastal cities of Sesimbra and Setúbal. We based ourselves in Sesimbra where we witnessed the fickleness of autumn weather. When we arrived in Sesimbra the afternoon before we had a spectacular view of the Castelo do Sesimbra (Sesimbra Castle) standing on a hill above. In the morning however, it was foggy and rainy and we couldn’t even see the hill, never mind the castle as we passed by the same spot.
Sesimbra is a mix of its old fishing village and modern holiday resorts. While waiting for the weather to improve before going to the park, we spent a little time exploring Sesimbra’s historic centre.
Even in the fog and rain Santiago Fortress gives the beach an interesting look. The building has recently been restored and instead of an army, today its tenants include the tourism office, a restaurant and events centre. Old Town climbs the steep streets above it where we found a couple of cute historic homes. Unfortunately, most of these old homes were damaged in the 1755 earthquake. They were replaced by newer ones, but those have not been well maintained.
Arrábida Natural Park
Finally, it appeared that the fog was lifting, so we decided to venture into Parque Natural da Arrábida. Most of the park is located in the Arrábida Mountain Range where the escarpment appears to rise straight up from the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike the landscape only a little further south which is dry and barren, here the mountains are covered in a dense, lush forest.
Some of the vegetation here cannot be found in other parts of Portugal, resulting in the area being deemed a Natural Park. We had intended to hike in these unique forests, but the weather turned our visit into a driving exploration.
Portinho da Arrábida
About a quarter of the way inside the park’s western border is Portinho da Arrábida. The cute fishing village is tucked under the mountain cliffs and is barely visible until you are right on its doorstep. Today, it’s less fishing village and more tourist hot-spot, but its location makes it a nice place to visit. There are a few cafes and in the summer, vendors offer boat tours and kayak rentals.
The only access road is very narrow and there is not a lot of parking in the village. This may make it difficult to access on a busy summer day. Even on a foggy autumn day, we had to park on the side of the mountain road above the village.
At the entrance to the village is the 17th century, Santa Maria Fort. It is small, but is still in good condition and has a maritime history museum inside.
Above the village, the white buildings of Convent of Arrábida (Convento de Nossa Senhora da Arrábida) stand out against the verdant, green forest. The 16th century Franciscan convent was built on this location because of a vision of the Virgin Mary riding a mule on the hill. Seven domed convent chapels make a pretty scene as they dot the mountain ridge above.
Today it is owned by a private company who run retreats.
Portinho da Arrábida Viewpoint
Officially there is one viewpoint by this name but in reality, there are several. We stopped at quite a few of the pullouts located above the fishing village, seeking the perfect view. From them, we looked up and down the coast and saw dozens of coves filled with sandy beaches. We then understood why the park is so popular in the summer. It’s called Costa Azul (Blue Coast) and while we didn’t have perfect weather, the few glimpses we had allowed us to appreciate the beauty of this landscape.
From some of the viewpoints we could see Sado Estuary in the distance. A long sand spit called Tróia Peninsula, forms the border between the large lagoon and the ocean.
Setúbal
After travelling across the entire park, we arrived in the city of Setúbal, where the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Setúbal’s downtown is shabby-chic. Its homes need a little TLC, but even in their current condition, the heritage centre has a lot of charm.
São Filipe Fort
Above the city, São Filipe Fort keeps a watchful eye as it has done for a few hundred years. Its formidable outer walls look very worn, but are still standing tall.
We didn’t expect to see much inside, so were quite excited to find an unexpected treat. São Filipe Chapel (Capela do Forte de São Filipe) has more azulejos (tiles) than any church we’d visited yet. Even the ceiling is adorned with beautiful 18th century designs. We were nearing the end of our time in Portugal, and yet still hadn’t tired of these gorgeous tiles.
The other great part of the fort is its rooftop. From it we looked out to see the city and its shoreline on Sado Estuary. There’s also a restaurant and patio on the roof where you can enjoy these views over lunch or dinner. Unfortunately for us, they are closed on Mondays, which is when we visited.
Sado Estuary
We had seen Sado Estuary from the park as well as São Filipe Fort, but now we wanted to take a closer look. Flamingos are often seen in the its brackish water and we were happy to see a few. We weren’t lucky enough to see any of the dolphins that live in the lagoon though.
Porto de Carrasqueira
On the far side of the estuary we found an unusual site. Carrasqueira is a small fishing village with a rickety, but colourful harbour. Crudely made wooden docks reach out into the water in a haphazard fashion while old fishing boats bob along their sides.
The tidal river made it difficult for fishermen to reach their boats at low tide so they built a few short docks. They were extended and added on to by different fishermen over the years, resulting in their higgledy-piggledy appearance. Adding even more quirkiness, colourful fishing shacks are decorated with an odd assortment of dolls, streamers and stuffed animals. The fun scene is said to be even more picturesque at sunset.
On the other side of the docks was another unexpected scene. Hundreds of storks were having lunch on the fields of rice.
How to get to Sesimbra and Setúbal
Both cities are located a short 1/2 hour drive from Lisbon on good toll highways, making them very easy to reach by car. You can also take the train to Setúbal and then taxi to Sesimbra. There are also many buses between Lisbon and Sesimbra or Setúbal. From Algarve, you can take a train to Setúbal. Reaching either city from Algarve by bus though is a much more complicated trip. It would be difficult to access the park or estuary without a car.
Where to stay in Arrábida Natural Park
There are many hotels and resorts for all budgets in Sesimbra, Setúbal and the area between. We preferred Setúbal, since we found it to be a more attractive city. If you have a car and are staying in the centre of either city, make sure your hotel can be accessed by car. If you want a more isolated guesthouse, there are a few located within the park.
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