Less known and less visited than Lisbon just to the north, Setúbal is easily accessible from the capital itself and has a whole host of treats in store for visitors, from dolphin watching to marvelling at some of Portugal’s finest azulejos. To put it simply, Setúbal is breathtaking not only in terms of the beauty of its streets and coastline, but the peninsula is also home to two of Portugal’s finest culinary traditions, namely the creamy and strong Azeitão cheese (read more about Portuguese cheeses here) and the raisiny dessert wine Moscatel de Setúbal (read more about Portuguese wines here).
Getting There from Lisbon
The easiest way of getting to Setúbal is to head to the Terreiro do Paço ferry station where you can scan your zapping card and cross over to the Setúbal peninsula on the regular ferries. This ferry ride itself is highly recommended even for those who don’t intend to visit Setúbal, especially the one back as it’s simply incredible to see it from the river. There are services that provide river tours, but this is a much cheaper option. You’ll want the ferry to Barreiro, where there’s a train station just to the left of the landing. From here, trains are pretty regular and cheap (you can also use a zapping card) and they’ll take you all the way into Setúbal itself. We actually stayed on the Setúbal peninsula as it was cheaper than staying in Lisbon itself and with great transport links to both Setúbal and Lisbon, it worked great for us.
What to Do in Setúbal Itself
One of the main attractions near Setúbal is the Nature Park of Arrábida, filled with beautiful mountains and beaches, which is visible from the port in the city itself. The waters in this area are also famed for dolphin watching and boat tours (such as this one) will happily take you around to see them, with a success rate of 95%. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time but it looks like great fun. The coast is a great place to people watch, watching fishermen catching their dinner.
Speaking of fish, the Mercado do Livremento is a good spot for fish shopping. If you don’t fancy it, make sure to pick up some Azeitão to tuck into later with a nice helping of Moscatel de Setúbal. Other sights of interest in the centre include the rather impressive Monastery of Jesus, the Casa da Baia and the stunning Praça do Bocage. It’s a small enough city to safely explore its side streets, taking in the majestic and characteristic streets, with beautiful churches and other architectural delights awaiting you around hidden corners.
Forte de São Filipe
In our opinion, the most impressive part of Setúbal is the Forte de São Filipe, a majestic fort that stands proudly atop a very easily scalable mountain (20 minutes climb, albeit on a road), offering views of the Nature Park of Arrábida behind it and the Atlantic Ocean.
Built in the 16th century, the fort is free to enter with some of the finest azulejos ever in its beautiful chapel matching the majesty of its views. Plus, there’s a good spot to grab a coffee and unwind on top of the world. With its contrast to the sometimes crowded Lisbon, this is a must do on a visit to Setúbal and we’d go as far as saying for any visit to Lisbon.
For other ideas for days out in the Lisbon area, read about our guides to Sintra and Cascais here and here.
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