11 Best Things to do in Setubal

Sadly overlooked by many visitors, Setúbal has an impressive location and delightful old town ambience. Within easy reach of Lisbon, it sits just opposite the sandy beaches of the Troia Peninsula.

It was the sardine industry which led to the creation of the many attractive pedestrianised streets, shady green spaces and splashing fountains which can be enjoyed today. Understandably, the oldest sections of the town wrap around its harbour, the third largest in Portugal. Used as moorings since ancient Roman times, it has more recently acted as a gateway to the Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado (Sado Estuary Nature Reserve). Its waters are home of a pod of dolphins, while the vineyards of the muscatel wine region are also close by.

  • Palácio and Quinta da Bacalhôa

    Quinta da Bacalhôa
    Quinta da Bacalhôa
    Theo França CC BY-SA

    The gardens at Quinta da Bacalhôa in Setúbal were first laid out in the sixteenth-century during the Renaissance period. Fully-restored to their former glory in the 1930s, today the gardens continue to demonstrate the fashionable styles of the period. These are typified by neat knot-gardens of box wood and shaped topiary bushes rather than the free-form naturalistic design that became common in later centuries.

  • Serra da Arrábida Natural Park

    Arrabida Natural Park
    Arrabida Natural Park
    Senyrah CC BY-SA

    The Serra da Arrábida Natural Park (Parque Natural da Arrábida) covers an area of over 100 square kilometres and is only about a 30 minute drive south from the capital city of Lisbon. It was given protected status as a national park in 1976 to preserve its natural beauty. Whilst the park and its beaches are popular with day trippers from the city, few tourists are aware of its existence. The landscape was once used as a backdrop to the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service during the scene when Bond’s newlywed wife is killed in a drive-by shooting.

  • Convento da Arrábida

    Convento da Nossa Senhora da Arrábida
    Convento da Nossa Senhora da Arrábida
    Diogoworld CC BY-SA

    Set among the pine covered hills of the Serra da Arrabida this complex of 16th century building was originally a Franciscan monastery. The site covers around 25 hectares and contains a number of buildings, shrines and woodland.

  • Castelo de Palmela

    Castelo de Palmela
    Castelo de Palmela
    Roman Danylych CC BY-SA

    Palmela Castle stands at an altitude of 1,200 metres and provides panoramic views of the Serra da Arrabida, the vineyards below and the Tagus and Sado Rivers.  In good weather it is even possible to see Lisbon around 40km to the north.

  • Forte de São Filipe

    Fortaleza de São Filipe
    Fortaleza de São Filipe
    Filipe Rocha CC BY-SA

    The Fortaleza de São Filipe (Fort of St Philip) dominates the skyline above Setubal.  It can be reached from the town below by an exhilarating 30-minute hike or by road. 

  • Casa da Baía

    Casa da Baía - Setubal
    Casa da Baía
    Patrick Nouhailler CC BY-SA

    With its dark blue plasterwork and contrasting pale stonework windows, it's not hard to spot Setúbal's Casa da Baía, or House of the Bay. Only a short walk from the town's main square, the Praça de Bocage, it was built in the aftermath of the devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1755 as a home for orphans and widows. Many were buried in the cloister grounds after their deaths.

  • Monastery of Jesus

    Monastery of Jesus - Setúbal
    Monastery of Jesus - Setúbal
    Georges Jansoone CC BY-SA

    Setubal's Monastery of Jesus was built in the 1490s as a convent for Poor Clare nuns, a Franciscan order. The building represents some important moments in Portuguese architecture being one of the earliest examples of the Manueline School of Architecture.

  • Mercado do Livramento

    Mercado do Livramento - Setubal
    Mercado do Livramento

    Foodies with adore Setúbal's indoor Mercado do Livramento. It's an incredible place to head to sample those typical Portuguese flavours from bacalhau (salt-dried cod) to pasteis de nata (custard tarts). The array of fresh produce on sale here is simply mesmerising, with around 300 independent vendors all housed under the one roof. The fact that the market remains an integral part of Setúbal life and culture makes the market all the more impressive to behold.

  • Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia

    Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia, Setubal
    Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia

    A short wander north from the harbour, Setúbal's Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography (Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia) is located on the busy Avenida Luisa Todi thoroughfare.

    The museums archaeological displays are focussed around the Roman origins of the city 1500 years ago. Its impressive ethnographic collection instead helps to unravel the local customs and culture of the region, from farming to spinning and other handicrafts.

    The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday (with a gap for lunch around midday). Admission is free.

  • Casa do Corpo Santo

    Casa do Corpo Santo - Setubal
    Casa do Corpo Santo
    Viet-hoian1 CC BY-SA

    The Casa do Corpo Santo (House of the Holy Body) is also known as the Museum of the Baroque. Situated close to one of the remaining sections of city wall that have protected Setúbal from attack for centuries, its own exterior perimeter wall and simple marble name plate give little away about what you might find inside.

    This includes several relics from when the Casa do Corpo Santo was first built in the early 1700s, alongside beautiful blue and white tiling decoration added roughly 150 years later which lines many of the rooms from the floors to chest height.

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Setúbal travel guide »

Setubal and its surrounding area are awash with history dating back to before the Roman period, indeed it is said that the town was founded by a relative of Noah. Its relationship with the sea is also remarkably long-lived with a fish salting industry which started in the 1st century AD and a large, protected harbour - the third largest in the country - from where, in the era of the Discoveries,…