Must-see attractions in Setúbal Peninsula

  • Convento de Jesus

    Setúbal

    Setúbal’s man-made wonder is this sand-coloured stunner, the first known example of Manueline architecture, adorned with gargoyles and twirling turrets…

  • Cristo Rei

    Setúbal Peninsula

    Visible from almost anywhere in Lisbon, the 110m Cristo Rei is a statue of Christ with outstretched arms. The slightly more baroque version of Rio de…

  • Casa da Cultura

    Setúbal

    This newish art space has a packed cultural calendar. Wander through changing exhibitions on the main floor, or stop in for an evening concert of jazz…

  • Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado

    Setúbal

    This natural reserve protects the Sado Estuary, a biologically rich area of wetlands extending east and south of Setúbal. With more than 250 avian species…

  • Castelo de Sesimbra

    Sesimbra

    For sweeping views over dale and coast, roam the snaking ramparts of the Moorish castle, rising 200m above Sesimbra. It was taken by Dom Afonso Henriques…

  • Moinho de Maré da Mouriscas

    Setúbal

    This former tide mill built in 1601, which also houses a gallery and cafe, is a worthwhile nature-tourism interpretive centre amid prime birdwatching…

  • Castelo de São Filipe

    Setúbal

    Worth the 500m schlep uphill to the west, the castle was built by Filipe I in 1590 to fend off an English attack on the invincible Armada. Converted into…

  • Convento da Arrábida

    Parque Natural da Arrábida

    Local honey is delicious, especially that produced in the gardens of the whitewashed, red-roofed Convento da Arrábida, a 16th-century former monastery…

  • Museu do Trabalho Michel Giacometti

    Setúbal

    How does the sardine get in the tin and 1001 other fishy mysteries are solved at this quirky, rarely visited museum, set in a former sardine-canning…

  • Fortaleza de Santiago

    Sesimbra

    In the town centre, the grandest castle on the sand is 17th-century Fortaleza de Santiago, once part of Portugal’s coastal defences and the summertime…

  • Praça do Bocage

    Setúbal

    All streets in the pedestrianised old town seem to lead to this mosaic-cobbled square, presided over by the arcaded bright-purple town hall. It’s a sunny…

  • Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia

    Setúbal

    This small, rambling museum showcases prehistoric, proto-historic and Roman collections as well as traditional artefacts of fishing, gathering and salt…