Tourist attractions Palmela

From the Serra de Arrábida ridge there are views to the left of Mt Formosinho (499m), the highest point in the range, and to the right the site of Portinho and the Sado estuary. Below is the Franciscan Friary of Arrábida (founded in 1542), and nu..

On a sort of promontory, the castle is partly a pousada. It looks down on the surrounding countryside. A visit will reveal the three ages of construction. Firstly you cross a surrounding wall built at the end of 17C and inspired by the Vauban system,..

Built of Arrabida marble in 1491, it was designed by Boytac. This is the first demonstration of the Manueline art. The walls are partly covered in azulejos from the 17C. The Museu de Jesus is set up in the Gothic cloister of the church. The galleri..

This fortress, partly taken up by one of the most attractive pousadas in Portugal, dominates the town. Built in 1590, it is adorned with glaze and bastions in the Vauban style. Worthy of note in the chapel are the azulejos from the 18C which recall t..

This 15C aristocratic residence mixes Renaissance and Moorish influences and is richly decorated with azujelos . The quinta makes wine from the vines growing in its splendid gardens . An attractive waterside pavilion has its interior walls decorat..

Fringing the south of the Setúbal peninsula, the serra d da Arrábida (6km across and 35km long, from Cape Espichel to Palmela), is known as the “Costa Azul” (the blue coast). The southern side of the serra drops vertically into the ocean. Its cra..

This church is located in the high part of the town at the foot of the castle. It was built in the 18C and is covered inside with azulejos depicting scenes from the life of St Peter. Notice in the lower left side the miracle of the fishes, Christ w..

Its lateral north trifoliate doorway is in the Manueline style. In the church be sure to see the pretty azulejos from the 18C depicting the life de St Julian.

This museum brings together prehistoric objects (an idol carved in a bone, a Bronze Age ceramic vase), and Portuguese-Roman remains (coins), art and popular craft collections, costumes, farming tools and scale models of boats. It also exhibits many d..

The old district with narrow alleys is mainly pedestrianised and has preserved its picturesque nature. There are some interesting monuments there.

Beside the lagoon, some relics of an important Roman town destroyed by the sea at the start of the 5C have come to light. You can see a collection of fish saltings, a grave, the remains of a temple decorated with frescoes and some spa baths.

This is an immense tongue of fine sand, blocking the estuary of the Sado, flanked by dunes and pine woods. The Troia Peninsula has been the subject of a great deal of tourist developments all along the north and west coasts where there are hotels, re..