Praia da Mareta

• In the town ofSagresSagres 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.

Praia da Mareta is Sagres's town beach, a south-facing bay between the fortress promontory and Ponta da Atalaia, gentler than the west coast. Its position in the lee of the great Sagres headland shelters it from the prevailing north-westerlies that batter the beaches around the corner, and the walk down from the village takes only a few minutes. The bay picks up enough swell for easy waves on many days while staying far more manageable than Tonel or Beliche, and sand fills most of it, with rock towards the ends. It suits families based in Sagres, beginner surfers, and swimmers who want the far south-west without its full force.

Places to see nearby

All places

Viewpoint

Cabo de São Vicente

Historic site

Sagres Fortress