Sea cliffs
Over the Atlantic.
Norbert Nagel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Threeohsix — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Threeohsix — CC BY-SA 4.0 · rodrigum — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monika Hoerath — CC BY-SA 4.0
Sagres Fortress is a long white wall cutting across a flat rocky headland that juts into the Atlantic at Portugal's far southwest corner. Behind the wall lie a wide rocky plateau, a small white church, a large stone circle on the ground and high cliffs pounded by waves. The fortress was built in the 15th century on the orders of Prince Henry the Navigator and is tied to his name and the Portuguese Age of Discovery. It was badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, rebuilt in the late 18th century and restored in the 1960s, 1990s and 2010. The headland is about 1 km long, 300 m wide and 40 m high, inside a natural park. In 2018 it was the most visited monument in the Algarve. You pass the gate and follow a loop path round the headland among the cliffs, stopping at the edge to see Cape St Vincent and its lighthouse to the west. It is about 1.2 km in a straight line southwest of Sagres town. The wind is very strong, so keep well back from the cliff edges.
Over the Atlantic.
On the ground.
Walking path.
Sagres Point, Vila do Bispo, Algarve
One to two hours.
Cape St Vincent at sunset.