🎒🏞 If you want to discover the Setúbal peninsula and enjoy the beautiful views from the Serra da Arrábida (located on the north side of the Rio Sado estuary), I recommend you to follow one of the following walking routes :
⚠️ Note that these routes are well signposted.
About the Alto do Formosinho hike (PR2):
You can easily park in the free car park in front of the Tourist Office in Vila Nogueira de Azeitão (Praça da República 48).
Hiking boots are essential as the ascent is quite steep and includes many rocky outcrops.
Once you reach the top of the Serra da Arrábida, at an altitude of 501 metres, you will enjoy an exceptional view of its northern slopes (orchards, pine trees, olive trees) and southern slopes (Atlantic Ocean and Troia peninsula).
The descent towards the Convento da Arrábida is also quite sporty with passages between large rocks.
This itinerary is for experienced hikers only and should be undertaken in good weather, both to enjoy a clear view and to avoid slipping on slippery ground.
Recommended time of year: September to June.
Recommended route direction : from Vila Nogueira de Azeitão ➡️ Portinho da Arrábida.
Cumulative elevation gain: 1129M (544+/585-)
🚖 Warning: remember to plan your return option as VTCs (Uber, Bolt) do not usually come to Portinho da Arrábida.
ℹ Useful information for exploring the surroundings:
👀 I recommend visiting the municipality of Azeitão, about 40 minutes drive from the centre of Lisbon. The municipality owes its name to the cultivation of olive trees ("olive" is called "azeitona" in Portuguese) :
🍷 Azeitão is famous for its wine production (you can visit the Quinta da Bacalhôa https://www.bacalhoa.pt/pt/homepage and José Maria da Fonseca https://www.jmf.pt/index.php?id=95) and for its sheep's milk AOC cheeses.
🍰 For gourmands: don't miss the pastry shop with French specialities "Aux fins gourmets", right next to the Tourist Office. The perfect place to savour delicious éclairs, flans or even tuna/olive and goat/nut cheese fougasses.
👀 The charming locality of Portinho da Arrábida is also worth a visit. There are several bars and restaurants right on the beach, as well as an Oceanographic Museum (https://natural.pt/protected-areas/parque-natural-arrabida/infrastructures/museu-oceanografico-do-pn-arrabida?locale=pt) located in the Forte de Santa Maria.
👀 Going up towards the Convento da Arrábida dating from 1542, you will enjoy a magnificent view of the ocean and may come across some of the local wildlife (eagles, foxes, hares...). 🪲🐌 The pink emerald weevil Cneorhinus serranoi and the snail Candidula setubalensis are 2 species exclusively recensed in the Serra da Arrábida.
👀 A member of the World's Most Beautiful Bays Club since 2002, Setúbal has won several national and international awards for bathing areas and facilities, such as Galapinhos Beach, voted Europe's Best Beach in 2017 by Europe's Best Destinations.⛱🥇