Once Upon a Day…. We are in one of the most beautiful places in Portugal: The Arrábida Natural Park,surrounded by stunning beauty and the turquoise waters of arrábida beaches. It belongs to the district of Setúbal with its historical heritage and riverside location which is also a starting point to sail along the coast of Arrábida or the River Sado, where you can dazzle with the local dolphin community.
This is a region inhabited for 2000 years, with a rich history and which excels in its lush landscapes, its enormous tourist potential and the importance of its natural resources, protected, by the Arrábida Natural Park, the Luís Saldanha Marine Park and the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve.
Whether in the mountains, in full nature, on the beautiful coast, at sea, or in the historic surrounding towns and villages, the experiences and possibilities of new adventures are numerous and the landscape unforgettable.
The Arrábida Natural Park was founded in 1976, with an area of approximately 10,800 hectares, protecting mediterranean vegetation born from this microclimate with similarities to Adriatic regions such as Dalmatia.
The fauna is quite diverse, although it has undergone major changes since the 19th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was still possible to observe wolves and deer. The current fauna includes, among others, the fox, the boar, the hare, the bat, the bonelli eagle the royal snitch, the partline and the royal andeinhão.
But not only natural beauty is a point of attraction in this beautiful mountain range. In it we also find traces of the historical heritage of Portugal, such as the Convent of Arrábida, built in the sixteenth century, which covers, along its 25 hectares, the Old Convent, located in the highest part of the mountain, the New Convent, located at half hillside, the Garden and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus. A place worth visiting.
Memorable experiences to take home and tell a story.
The beaches protected by the mountains, with calm and transparent waters, are popular with the inhabitants of Setúbal and Lisbon. Portinho da Arrábida,a bay with a small island, Anicha, which forms a natural port sheltered by the mountains is, along with Praia da Figueirinha,one of the most popular in the region and CreiroBeach, one of the largest beaches and with greater coastal extension. There are also the beaches of Galapinhos,elected in 2017 as the best beach in Europe by the portal European Best Destinations, Galapos and Praia dos Coelhos.
In addition, there is the entire Peninsula of Troia,with beaches that go to the floodgate and whose beaches are increasingly sought after.
The city of Setúbal is inserted in the so-called Costa Azul, it is an important port and trade area. One of its main activities is undoubtedly fishing and more and more has been sought after by tourists, who find in the city and its surroundings, excellent itineraries to discover.
With a pleasantly carefully kept old town, traditional commerce leads to a friendly avenue, offering a huge and refreshing garden.
Situated on the Sado River, the city offers the visitor the best and freshest fish and seafood, being particularly known for its fried cuttlefish, much sought after and that even has a statue dedicated to him in the city center.
In the city where figures of Portuguese culture were born, namely Bocage (poet of the 19th century. XIX, known for the ironic tone and social criticism that would be included in everything he wrote) and Luisa Todi (important lyric singer) deserve special reference the Convent of Jesus in Gothic-Manueline style that houses the City Museum and the Fort of St. Philip. Currently converted into an Inn, it is a great viewpoint over the city, the SadoRiver, Troia and the Serra da Arrábida.
Around Setúbal are areas of preserved nature, namely the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve,where dolphins can be observed in freedom, and the Arrábida Natural Park,with unique characteristics, with species that can only be found in areas close to the Mediterranean.
And if you like castles, you can visit three very important in this area: Setúbal, Sesimbra and Palmela. Definitely worth a visit to admire the architecture as well as the wide views.
Cape Espichel is a headland located west of the village of Sesimbra. It is bounded to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north by national road 379 and Ribeira dos Caixeiros. It marks the southwest end of the Peninsula of Setúbal. In the cape you can see, dizzying and abyssal, the Bay of The Crayfish.
In Cabo Espichel is located the whole of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pedra Mua,consisting of the Church of Our Lady of the Cape, Hermitage of Memory, House of Citrus, Terreiro in Cabo Espichel, Cruzeiro, Casa da Água and Aqueduct in Cabo Espichel. A shrine that originated in a 13th-century folk legend, after a man had a vision of a great light shining over the Cape. There arrived, he would have seen Our Lady climbing on the back of a mule by the rock above. The site became very popular with pilgrims giving rise to the construction and development of the Sanctuary complex.
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