Cabo de São Vicente

Sagres

Sagres sits at the end of the Algarve, where the south coast turns north and the land runs out at Cabo de São Vicente, mainland Europe's most south-westerly point. This was Henry the Navigator's corner of Portugal, and the fortress on the headland still frames the town's story. Day to day, Sagres is a working fishing port with a laid-back surf-town feel: boards on car roofs, long sunsets, and a pace that stays unhurried even in August. The beaches each have their own character. Mareta sits in the shelter of the town, Tonel picks up proper Atlantic swell below the fortress, and Beliche hides between cliffs on the road to the cape. Surf schools work year round, and the clifftops pull walkers and birdwatchers, especially in autumn, when the cape becomes one of Europe's great seabird lookouts. The town itself is compact: a handful of streets, a harbour where the day boats land their catch, seafood restaurants that serve it the same evening, and a general market on the first Friday of the month. Sagres suits people who want the Algarve with the volume turned down: raw coastline, real weather, and one of the most dramatic sunsets in Portugal from the fortress walls.