Travel Muse Magazine

Founder + Editor-in-Chief

Angelé

In the foothills of the Serra da Arrábida along the azure Atlantic Ocean in what’s known as the Setúbal district, you’ll find what amounts to a hidden treasure of Portugal: Sesimbra. It is so very worth your while to bother going to this quaint fishing village meets relaxing beach town. Yes, it’s not on the train from Lisbon, but you can take a public bus there in about an hour or you can take a Bolt/Uber (like I did for under $15, which I highly recommend!) and get there in about 40-minutes. 20-out-of-10-stars recommend! Here’s 5 of the reasons…

#1 European Blue Flag Beaches

The praias of Sesimbra are of the highest quality – crystal aqua-teal water laps clean golden sands everywhere you look. This cute town is situated along sprawling beaches with a gently sloping promenade to stroll from Praia do Oro to Praia da Califórnia. Both these beaches are rated European Blue Flag, i.e. top of the line. There’s three other beaches the town claims plus many more (what used to be known as “secret beaches” – like Ribeiro do Cavalo and Praia da Mijona) in the area, accessible by hiking or boating up (by water taxi or guided boat tour).

#2 Free Maritime Museum

Explore the area’s history and culture at the city’s maritime museum. It has artifacts that date back 5000 years up to present day that teach you all about the fishing heritage still celebrated today. It’s free and located in the Fortress of Santiago with spectacular views of praias do Oro and da Califórnia, as it sits right between the two. At night it’s lit up and feels like you’ve somehow escaped time, crowds, and life’s hustle and bustle all at once. Plus, hello, it’s FREE!! The museum is closed Mondays, but the fort is still open!

#3 Get out on the Water

Sesimbra gives you an opportunity to leave the cruise crowds and enjoy the local take on Atlantic life. Case in point, doing a small guided boat tour with a little local company. I picked (and highly rec) Day Dream Experience and had the pleasure of relaxing in the perfect size boat (fits 10 max) learning about the geology and history of the area, snorkeling, exploring coastal caves by boat, and swimming up to “secret” beaches in Parque Natural da Arrábida. Catarina and Andre are locals who love where they live and share great stories of the area (in English and Portuguese). There are also lots of SCUBA diving adventures for all levels and dolphin and whale watching boat excursions. We had an amazing time!

#4 Castle of Sessimbra

This feels like a hidden secret, but instead of paying to get in the ruins of Sintra’s crowded Moorish Castle, check out the free Castle of Sesimbra, perched high above the town where it’s kept watch since the 1100s! There’s a church with blue and white azulejos, medieval ruins, turrets, a tower, a sun gate and more. Listen to the 5-minute free audio guide ahead of time here. You can drive up, take a Bolt/Uber or just do a short hike up the hillside of town. It’s just above the truly amazing Four Points hotel, so even closer if you stay there like we did. It does not disappoint either!

#5 Fabulous Food

Being from Texas (21 years) and living in Arizona (15 years), I didn’t have tacos on my list of things to try in Portugal. (I’ve been burned by Euro-takes on tacos before.) Luckily, I didn’t keep my preconceived notions and went for the “baja fish tacos” (made with the local fish of the day) and “Portuguese mojito” (tho the Jesus Juice almost won out) at Tacos Pexito. This is a hole-in-the-wall without walls – tables are on wide platform steps looking out to sea. At sunset, trust me -chef’s kiss!

We also enjoyed Sushi Mood for a lunch in town near the beach too: come for the authentic sushi (even authenticated by the Japanese government!), stay for the pizza?!?! Yes, they have two kitchens – one for each specialty. So if you happen to travel with boring eaters who don’t like fish or even vegetarian California rolls (I know, I do not get it), this place serves up the goods. Everything we ate here was really great! Try the cêviche made with local catch of the day, the takoyaki, the GODzilla… and yes, also the pizzas, if you can believe it. We ate breakfast at our hotel –Four Points– and I’ve never had a better free breakfast anywhere in the world I’ve stayed, and I’ve stayed in a lot of excellent places in my travels. So many local favorites, espressos, fresh orange juice press, and even pastéis de nata. Mmmmmmmm!!!!!