Portugal ~ Costa Vicentina

[amboseli]

This June we spent a week in a small town in the Costa Vicentina National Park in the Alentejo department of Portugal (before heading to the pretty crowded Algarve). The Costa Vicentina is located between Lisbon and the far south (Algarve). It's a very remote area with very few foreign tourists. It's the Portugal of the Portugese.
The rocky coast with its high cliffs and white sandy beaches is really stunning. Dream beaches for windsurfers and those seaking peace and quiet.
The few towns are small and almost deserted (the season runs from end July till end August). An ideal place to unwind.

A few photos ...

[kerouac2]

Wow amboseli, it all looks quite beautiful, but you were not joking about it being deserted (at least at this time of year). The beaches are magnificent (and I am not even attracted to beaches).

[bixaorellana]

Absolutely superb photographs, Amboseli -- wow!!!

I know this seems an obvious thing to say, but your pictures remind of Spain when I was a child, many many decades ago. In fact, the first two gave me a lump in my throat. And that gorgeous rocky coastline is just too wonderful.

[fumobici]

Beautiful photos. Looks like a perfect place to get away from everything.

[bjd]

As above, lovely photos. We have been to the Algarve in October and the beaches were empty too but this coastline looks much nicer. Did you rent a car? What is the biggest town there? Can it be reached by public transport from Lisbon?

The little white churches remind me of all Portuguese churches inland. Is the water warm? I see surfers but they all seem to have wetsuits on. Of course, it's June but the water off the Atlantic coast is always quite cold.

[amboseli]

Thanks all!

bjd
We always rent a car. The roads are so easy to drive ... we were mostly alone on the road!
I have no idea about public transport in that area.
The biggest town must be Sines, which is nearest to Lisbon and is an industrial town. Quite nice though.
Other towns are Odemira (medium large, off the coast), Vila Nova de Milfontes (small, this is the town where we were) and Aljezur.
The water isn't exactly warm ... it's the Atlantic after all. But it's good for a swim when the weather is warm.

[amboseli]

I'll start another thread for the second part of our holiday: the Algarve.

[lagatta]

That is really a lovely place. Were you staying in a hotel, or some kind of guesthouse? I'm not attracted to beach holidays either, but those look like the kind of beaches that would be good for walkers.

I don't drive, but I'm sure that at least the larger places should be served by rail or coach.

www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/Passageiros/3_viajar/0_servicos/mapa_servicos.pdf Portuguese railway lines. I don't know if they go close to those towns - the closest line seems a bit more inland.

[cheerypeabrain]

Excellent photos Amboseli, Portugal is such a beautiful place, we spent time there on the Algarve and were enchanted with the scenery, buildings and people...It was really one of the best holidays we've ever had. Shame about the other tourists...

The colour of the sky really makes the brightly painted buildings stand out...feels like a happy place and who doesn't love a rocky coast ?

[amboseli]

We stayed in a small basic hotel (HS Milfontes Beach) with a splendid view over the Mira river and the ocean.
It is an excellent area for hikers. The Fishermen's Trail (part of the Rota Vicentina) goes trough the seaside towns. We have seen many, many hikers. Every day there were new guests in our hotel, just for an overnighter and back on the hiking trail the next day.
There seems to be a train connection between Lisbon and Santa Clara-Saboia (2 hrs and 15 min) which is indeed still quite a distance from the coast.

[lagatta]

Yes, I'd have to check on whether there are local coaches. It would probably be easier for a Portuguese friend of mine, who lives in Porto, to do that from there. I'm not going anywhere this summer though (except perhaps a short trip to some nearby city) as I'm translating a book. It looked like a likely place for long walks along the coast. I'm not interested in sunbathing but an invigorating walk is inviting. Did you visit the Moorish fort?

[amboseli]

Do you mean the one in Silves? We haven't visited, just looked at it from the outside. Too hot to be in the sun.

[lagatta]

I only saw one that spoke of Arab origins and Muslim rule (which would be Arabs from the east, and Berber people from closer by). Guess it was there.

[amboseli]

Could also be the castle of Aljezur (which we have visited), which was part of the Moorish defensive line of Silves. Both castles have 'something' to do with Arabs.

[mich64]

Absolutely beautiful photographs Amboseli! We enjoy renting a car and finding smaller towns/villages so this looks like somewhere we would really like to explore someday.