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Sunrise over the rooftops of the Alfama in Lisbon, with a palm tree in the foreground

Sample journey · 7–9 days

Lisbon, Sintra and the rice fields of Comporta

Lisbon, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Arrábida, Setúbal & Comporta

Photo: Benjamin Pazdernik / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

This journey circles Lisbon but changes its rhythm every few days. First, the city itself: hills and viewpoints above the Tagus, the stairways of the Alfama where fado drifts out in the evenings, and the monuments of Belém, which recall the age of the great sea voyages. Then Sintra, where 19th-century Romantics built palaces and gardens in the wooded hills, with the cliffs of Cabo da Roca dropping into the Atlantic nearby. Finally the road turns south, over the limestone ridge of Arrábida with its turquoise coves, to Comporta, a quiet coast where rice fields and pine woods end in long, empty beaches.

The journey suits couples and honeymooners who care about culture and food as much as a few days with no plans at all. Transfers are short, usually an hour or less, which leaves more time for long seafood lunches and local wine. Stays would be chosen to match the mood: a historic house with a terrace in Lisbon's old town, a palace in the Sintra hills and, to finish, a timber villa among the pines near the beach.

The route

The journey

  1. Lisbon: the Alfama & Belém
  2. Sintra
  3. Cabo da Roca
  4. Arrábida & Setúbal
  5. Comporta
  6. Lisbon
  1. The Belém Tower beside the Tagus in the light of sunset

    01Days 1–4 · Lisbon

    Seven hills and fado

    Three nights in Lisbon. The first day is the Alfama, the city's oldest quarter: narrow stairways, washing strung above the lanes, the Castle of São Jorge above and viewpoints over red roofs and the broad Tagus. In the evening, fado in a small tavern where the singers perform without a microphone and the room falls silent. The second day is Belém: the Jerónimos Monastery with its stone carved like lace, the Belém Tower by the river and warm custard tarts, baked here for almost two centuries. The third is slower: the National Tile Museum and the story of azulejos, lunch at the market and sunset at one of the city's viewpoints. Between the hills, the old trams and funiculars are the easiest way around.

  2. The grey and yellow towers of the Pena Palace on a wooded hilltop in Sintra

    02Days 4–6 · Sintra & Cabo da Roca

    Palaces in the mist and the edge of Europe

    About 40 minutes west lies Sintra, and two nights in its wooded hills. Early in the morning, before the crowds, the colourful Pena Palace on its summit, then the walls of the Moorish Castle snaking along the ridge. In the afternoon, Quinta da Regaleira with its gardens, grottoes and a spiral well descending deep into the earth, or the quieter Monserrate Palace and its park of exotic plants. The next day is for the coast: Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, with its lighthouse above the cliffs; the village of Azenhas do Mar, stepping down to an ocean pool; and lunch with the catch of the day. In the evening, Colares wine, from vines grown in sand. Sintra is often cooler and mistier than Lisbon, which is part of its charm.

  3. Galapinhos beach: clear sea beneath the wooded slopes of Arrábida

    03Days 6–7 · Arrábida & Setúbal

    Turquoise coves beneath a limestone ridge

    Across the Tagus bridge it's about an hour south to the Arrábida Natural Park, where a green limestone ridge drops into a surprisingly clear, turquoise sea. One night here, in the wine country of Azeitão or on a hillside above the water. The day is for the coves: Portinho da Arrábida with its little fishing harbour, the quiet beaches of Galapinhos and Galapos, reached by paths through the scrub, and a 16th-century Franciscan convent on the slope. In the afternoon, Setúbal: the market with its fish and cheeses, fried cuttlefish by the harbour and, if you like, a boat on the Sado estuary, where the resident dolphins often appear. In the evening, the local Moscatel and soft Azeitão sheep's cheese.

  4. The wooden stilt wharf of Carrasqueira on the Sado estuary in the dusk light

    04Days 7–9 · Comporta

    Rice fields, pines and an empty beach

    From Setúbal, a ferry across the Sado estuary to Tróia, about half an hour, and the same again by road past the rice fields to Comporta. The last two nights are here, in a landscape without big hotels, where houses are built of timber and reed. Days with no plans at all: long walks on an almost empty beach, bikes among the pines and rice fields, where storks nest on poles and flamingos are sometimes seen in the estuary. One evening, drive to Carrasqueira, a fishermen's wharf on wooden stilts, where the sunset turns everything pink. For dinner, seafood rice grown almost on the doorstep. On the final day Lisbon airport is about an hour and a quarter away.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Fado in the Alfama

    An evening in a small tavern where the songs are sung unamplified and the room goes quiet.

  2. 02

    Sintra in the early morning

    The Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira while the mist still hangs in the hills and before the crowds arrive.

  3. 03

    The coves of Arrábida

    Turquoise water beneath a limestone ridge, and fried cuttlefish in Setúbal harbour.

  4. 04

    Comporta

    Bikes among the rice fields, an empty beach and sunset at the Carrasqueira wharf.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a slower pace

    Arrábida can be a day trip from Lisbon, with the saved night added to Comporta, leaving three lazy days at the end.

  • As a honeymoon

    A private fado evening, dinner in a palace garden in Sintra and a sunset horse ride along Comporta's beach.

  • In another season

    In spring and autumn Lisbon and Sintra are calmer and Comporta quiet and green; in summer the sea is warmest, but Sintra is at its busiest.

  • With the Alentejo or the Douro

    From Comporta it's easy to continue to Évora and the Alentejo wine estates, or to begin the journey in Porto and the Douro Valley.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly April to October. Swimming in the Atlantic is most pleasant from June to September, though the water stays cool even in summer; Sintra is often cooler and mistier than Lisbon.
  • Traffic is restricted in Sintra's historic centre and around the palaces, and parking is scarce, so we get around there on foot, by local bus or with a driver. The most popular palaces sell timed tickets, which we book in advance.
  • Lisbon and Sintra are easiest without a car; a car or driver is needed only for Arrábida and Comporta.
  • Car access to Arrábida's beaches is sometimes restricted in summer, and the Setúbal–Tróia ferry timetable varies by season; we check both before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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