Sana Sesimbra Hotel

walk on the fortress

by arasnosliw

Walk around the Fortaleza de São Tiago for free. You can even sit in this turret if you can fit! I sat in the fortress and ate my lunch while observing the few beachgoers that remained after the storm hit.

protect yourself from the sun/rain

by arasnosliw

An entire section of the beach (the east side) is lined with poles. If you are wondering why there are so many poles here, it is because this area is designated for canopies and tarps and other things of that sort. Bring a canopy to the beach, set it up on the poles, and protect yourself from the sun (or rain in my case).

getting lost in Sesimbra

by arasnosliw

I got completely lost when trying to walk back uphill to the bus station from the beach. At this point, my portuguese was rather decent, but every person I ran into was a tourist such as myself who had no idea where the bus station was because they drove.

I was a bit frenzied because I had only 30 minutes until the very last bus of the day back to Lisbon departed, and I didn't have enough money on me to stay the night.

I did find the bus station on time, just 5 minutes before the bus took off, but as a result of getting lost I was able to view the city from on top of the hills. It's quite the beautiful sight.

On the Blue Coast

by hartti

"Calm Beach"

The village lies nestled in the hollow of a small valley facing south and the sea and also protected from the northern winds by its surrounding hills. It became a notable location the middle 1950s when this village attracting the world famous enthusiasts of deep-sea fishing.

"Old Fishing Village"

The Tuna and Swordfish has now become more rare as a catch but they can still often be served as a specialty dish of the area.

Every morning, weather and sea permitting, the local catch would be laid on the sand in rows for the public auction. This daily fresh fish has given the local restaurants a solid reputation that draws crowds from Lisbon at most weekends. The village still has many families relying on the fishing industry. Their involvement with the sea is reflected by their faithful attendance of the number of small churches to be found in the village.

"Fiesta"

25. April village has a big fiesta.

Sesimbra

by arasnosliw

Sesimbra is a fishing village on the Costa Azul on the Setúbal Peninsula, just south of Lisbon and west of Setúbal. Quite a bit of development has turned this fishing village into a high-end beach resort town, but it has nowhere near the gawdiness of other such resort towns like those in the Algarve.

The town is situated in the hills, and it is a steep decline down the narrow streets to reach the beach. From the beach you look up towards dramatic cliffs. Sesimbra is wholly surrounded by natural beauty.

Local seafood is mainly tuna and swordfish; make sure and sample these!

I ventured here on a rather tempermental day, the storms that raged up caused almost all the beach-goers to flee. However, when the sun began to shine, I no longer had regrets of coming here.