Setubal & Arrabida Natural Park

Setubal and the Arrabida Natural Park lie about 50 km south of Lisbon on the Setubal Peninsula, around 45 minutes by car. A hire car is the most practical way to reach the park, since public bus service to the coastal road is limited, though visitors without a car can reach Setubal by train or bus and join an organised boat tour from the port. The Tagus estuary crossing is made by the Ponte 25 de Abril or Ponte Vasco da Gama, and the A2 motorway leads towards Setubal.

The Serra da Arrabida is a limestone ridge dropping to the Atlantic, with pine and Mediterranean scrub above pale sand coves. The best known beach is Portinho da Arrabida, with clear turquoise water, and the coastal road offers viewpoints over the bay. The Convento da Arrabida, a sixteenth-century Franciscan convent, sits on the hillside above the sea. Setubal itself is a working fishing port with a market, the Convento de Jesus with its early Manueline church, and a waterfront from which dolphin-watching trips on the Sado estuary depart. The Azeitao area on the way is known for its wine estates, and for sheep's cheese and the Azeitao tarts.

A good one-day arc is to leave Lisbon early, drive straight to the Arrabida coast before the beach car access fills, swim or walk at Portinho in the morning, and then continue to Setubal for lunch. The city is famous for grilled fish, cuttlefish and choco frito, the fried cuttlefish strips found in many harbour restaurants. The afternoon can be spent on a Sado estuary boat trip, in the Convento de Jesus, or at a wine tasting in Azeitao on the return.

The best months are May, June and September, when the water is warm and roads are quieter. In July and August, access to the Arrabida beaches is limited by car quotas, so early arrival matters. Winter is mild and good for walks but the sea is cold and some seasonal services are closed.