With gentle salt spray, honeycomb rock and field after field of wild flowers, welcome to one of the best kept secrets in Europe. The Costa Vicentina Portugal. Here’s an inside guide to this untamed beauty at the western edge of Europe. Plus, a Costa Vicentina map.
The Costa Vicentina
Portugal’s Algarve, of course, is well known, with sandy beaches, scooped out waterways and all-inclusive corporate resorts. Further up north is the Costa Vicentina or Alentejo, a rocky jigsaw of sand and surf, of wild flowers, family businesses, fresh eucalyptus and the mighty cork.
A Map of the Costa Vicentina
Costa Vicentina Highlights
Europe’s Largest Coastal Park
The Parque Natural Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina is Europe’s largest coastal park, with over 100 kilometres of pristine coast, green hills and gentle valleys.
And while travellers haven’t found it yet, the birds certainly have. Even an average hiker can spot more than 50 species per day while walking around. Imagine exhilarating coastal walks along a protected Portuguese coast and you’re half way there. Throw in some lighthouses and hardy red wines and you’re nearly complete.
Authentic Local Life
Our week long trip started inland, walking through sleepy white villages and country tracks, alone but for the horses and carts. Local bee-keepers drank fiery medronho with their morning coffee and our boots went thump, thump, thump on the gentle earth.
Pink petals swayed against a bright blue sky. Shards of rock ruffled the incoming waves. We slept in sweet family farms, small tavernas and organic eco-chic retreats.
In all, it was the perfect place to put one boot in front of the other and head off on a beautiful walk. And the name of the hiking route was the Rota Vicentina.
What is the Rota Vicentina?
The Rota Vicentina runs for 350km between Santiago do Cacém, around 100km south of Lisbon, and Cabo São Vicente at the south-western tip of the country.
It has two main parts:
- The inland Historical Way, meandering through wildflower meadows, cork trees and small villages.
- The Fisherman’s Way, which follows the coasts and rugged cliffs, those sandy shores and crashing waves. Look out for nesting storks at Cabo Sardão.
Wine Tasting
The Alentejo is known for its hardy red wines, with USA Today readers voting it the best wine region to visit in the world. Saude!
Visit the herdades and quintas scattered across UNESCO World Heritage Site countryside. Discover more about the Alentejo wine region here.
Bird Watching
The lack of development and astounding natural habitat makes birdwatching one of the top things to do in in the Costa Vicentina.
Frank McClintock is a character and a half and he’s also one of the foremost birding experts in Portugal. He and his family run the gentle lakeside Casa Rural. It’s an unpretentious place where guests dine together and dogs roam around. It’s also a great place to stay for twitchers.
Recommended reading: 17 Authentic Things To Do in Portugal: A Country with a Divided Soul
Surfing
Where there’s rugged coast, there’s surfing and it’s one of the best things to do on the Costa Vicentina: as long as you can actually surf already.
Less a beginner’s spot and more for the well established surf crowd, beaches Aljezur, Arrifana and Praia do Amado stand out for their surf suitability.
A 7 Day Hiking Itinerary in the Costa Vicentina
Not sure of your fitness levels? I tried this hiking route as one of the things to do in the Costa Vicentina two years after foot surgery but before I was back to full fitness. It was lovely! A great part of the design is that some of the walks loop back each day so that if you have overdone it and need to spend a day resting, you can simply skip the next day.
Day 1 – Arrive in Santa Clara
Take the train from Lisbon to Santa Clara-Saboia station. Stay at the Casa Rural for three nights on the shore of a freshwater lake. The transfer is around 35 minutes and can be arranged with owners Frank and Daniela.
Day 2 – Cortes Pereira Circular Walk: 11km/7mi/3.5hr
A track lined with purple gladioli dips and weaves between ridges offering shimmering lake views. Descend to the hamlet of Cortes Pereira. A leafy trail leads you back through cork forest sprinkled with green winged orchid. Relax on your jasmine scented terrace before dinner whilst watching grey heron glide over the lake.
Day 3 – Corte Brique Valley Walk: 18km/11mi/5hr or 21km/13mi/6.5hr
Walking the tranquil Vinganca Trail mixes rustling oaks with yellow wheat fields, low hills and the soft song of the nightingale. Stop off in a local bar, muddle your way through conversation with farmers, and then buy a picnic and head off to the nearby reservoir.
The walk back has a panoramic descent to the sound of cicadas and perfumed rockrose.
Day 4 – Santa Clara/Almograve to Touril: 15km/9.5mi/5hr
Arrange a 75 minute transfer to the small village of Almograve, for stunning cliff top views and the start of the Fishermen’s Trail.
Over twenty different species of birds nest along this coastline, including rock doves, white storks and the peregrine falcon.
Then head inland through golden wheat fields to Luis’s 900 acre Herdade do Touril, for the next two nights.
Day 5 – Touril Loop: 16km/10mi/4.5hr
Retrace your steps to Cabo Sardao and its delightful red and white lighthouse. Watch out for white storks whose nests balance on pinnacles of rock amid rainbows of ocean spray. Return to Herdade do Touril and dine outside.
Day 6 – Touril to Brejao: 17km/10.5mi/5hr
Walk between colourful fishing villages and beaches to the charming village of Zambujeira do Mar, a delightful place to enjoy a spot of lunch. The path then travels inland to the seven room Cerca do Sul, in the heart of the Natural Park. Relax around the hotel’s outdoor pool before enjoying dinner on the terrace.
Day 7 – Odeceixe to Brejao: 15km/9.5mi/4.5hr
Take a 10 minute transfer to Ribeira de Seixe, which leads to the ocean. Follow the coastal path to Azenha do Mar. Continue along the wild cliffs above thundering bays until you return to the village. Relax in a hammock. Why not?
Day 8 – Leave Brejao
Travel back to Santa Clara Saboia station to connect back to Lisbon or travel on elsewhere in Portugal.
The Best Beaches in Costa Vicentina
- Monte Clérigo and Amoreira – home to the highly recommended Boa Onda surf school.
- Arrifana Beach – another hidden surf spot in the Aljezur municipality.
- Amado Beach – a popular beach with families as well as surfers.
- Murração Beach – a beautiful spot just south of Amado with sand dunes that run right to the tide line.
- Barriga Beach and Castelejo Beach – at the end of the Vila do Bispo valley with a large sandy valley.
- Ponta Ruiva – hard to find but great for surfing.
- Sagres and Cabo de San Vicente – the southwest tip of Europe and long believed to be the edge of the world.
How to Get to the Costa Vicentina Portugal
While a Costa Vicentina road trip can be a great idea, another option is to book your trip with a walking holiday company like Headwater Holidays. You’ll then take the train to your starting point and someone will move your bags for you as you hike from point to point.
Public transport is slow and scarce, so if you’re not part of an organised trip then you really should consider renting a car.
The main airports in the region are Faro(FAO) in the Algarve in the south, or Lisbon (LIS) in the middle of the country.
It’s reasonably easy to catch the train from Lisbon to Sagres or Santa Clara but to reach the smaller villages, you’ll need your own wheels.
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Beautiful Portugal! I never been into that place but I am dreaming to see the real beauty of Portugal. I’ll be following your post always so keep on posting :-)
Will do – and I’ll be back to update here. Some parts of the coast are completely overdeveloped but the Alentejo…wow. Pristine.