Quarenta & Quatro Restaurant
What to order: if you are walking, an orange juice and a slice of almond tart; for a proper meal, order the cataplana or the monkfish rice in advance.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 37.32° N · 8.80° W
A Sunday in Sagres, two and a half hours from Huelva.
The Sagres Fortress and its clifftop trail, the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse, the surfers of Amado and cataplana at Alfambras. Two and a half hours from Huelva.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Lisboa fromSevilla 1 hMadrid 1 h 15Málaga 1 h 15Asturias 1 h 30Alicante 1 h 45Bilbao 1 h 45Valencia 1 h 45Barcelona 2 hGran Canaria 2 h 30Tenerife Sur 2 h 30
Part of Costa Vicentina
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car2 h 30 each way
By carVia Ayamonte and the A22, toll-free
Fortress€10 · 9:30 to 17:30
Walking2 km above the cliff, flat
DifficultyEasy
TimeAn hour behind Spain
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Huelva 2 h 30 by car
Spanish time · via Ayamonte, the A22 to Lagos and the N125 to Sagres; you arrive around 9:30 Portuguese time
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1
Sagres Fortress
Portuguese time · €10 · wind rose and 2 km trail along the edge
- 10 min by car6 km
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2
Sunset at Cape St Vincent
lighthouse above the cliff · free parking · very windy
- 30 min by car22 km
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3
Praia do Amado, Carrapateira's surf beach
surfers and a stroll along the sand
- 15 min by car10 km
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4
Quarenta & Quatro Restaurant
Quarenta & Quatro · Alfambras · cataplana, monkfish rice · €€ · open on Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00, closed on Wednesday
Barranco da Fonte, Monte Novo, 8670-142 Alfambras · +351 282 973 223
Restaurant €€Book -
Back home
Portuguese time · via Aljezur and Lagos · you reach Huelva around 19:30 Spanish time
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Sagres Fortress
A Sunday at the south-western tip of Europe. Sagres is at the end of the Algarve motorway: you leave Huelva early, cross the Guadiana, put your watch back an hour and by mid-morning you are at Prince Henry's fortress, on a cliff-edged headland. After that, the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse, the surf beach of Amado seen from above and a long lunch at Alfambras, in the heart of the Costa Vicentina, before returning via Aljezur.
The day, hour by hour
8:00 (Spanish time) · Departure. Via Ayamonte and the A22, which has had no toll since January 2025, to Lagos, then along the N125 to Sagres. When you cross the bridge, the clock shows an hour less.
9:45 · Sagres Fortress. Admission €10, open from 9:30 to 17:30. Inside, the stone wind rose, the little church of Nossa Senhora da Graça and the exhibition centre. The best part is the trail of about 2 km that rings the headland along the edge, flat and with the cape in the distance. Allow an hour and a half or two hours.
11:45 · Cabo de São Vicente. Ten minutes away. The 1846 lighthouse has its light about 86 metres above the sea, and the car park is free. It is windy almost all the time: bring a jacket, and keep children by the hand well away from the edge.
12:45 · Praia do Amado. Along the coast road to Carrapateira. The beach opens in a valley between cliffs, with the surf schools giving lessons right on the sand. Park on the dirt clearings and walk along the shoreline.
14:00 · Lunch at Quarenta & Quatro. The restaurant of the Barranco da Fonte accommodation, in Alfambras, is open on Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00, so there is no rush. Order the octopus cataplana with sweet potato or the monkfish rice, and if you can, order them ahead by phone. For dessert, almond tart. Closed on Wednesday and from 15 December to 15 January.
16:00 · Heading back. Via Aljezur and Lagos to the A22. You arrive in Huelva around 19:30, Spanish time.
Time1 h 45
Change the route
If you prefer something light or vegan, on the way back:
Roots Aljezur
From May to October, with teenagers who want to try surfing:
Surf lesson at Arrifana beach
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Roots Aljezur
What to order: the sweet potato waffles and a fresh juice; for lunch, a salad or the soup of the day.
Várzea Horta & Bistrot
What to order: the pork cheeks or the prawns à Brás, and for dessert the Aljezur sweet potato bonbon.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Costa Vicentina
From March to June and from September to November, with good light and without the August traffic. In summer start early: the fortress has no shade. In December and January the wind at the cape is harsh and Quarenta & Quatro is closed from 15 December to 15 January.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Fortress first
First thing there is room to park and the sun is not yet beating down on the site.
- 2Bring a coat even if it is sunny
On the cape and at the fortress the wind cuts even in summer.
- 3Sunset, another day
Watching the sun go down at the cape means driving back to Huelva in the dark. If you are tempted, sleep in Sagres.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Huelva to Sagres?
About two and a half hours by car along the A22. In Portugal it is an hour earlier.
How much does the Sagres Fortress cost?
General admission costs €10. It is open from 9:30 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00.
Do you pay to see Cabo de São Vicente?
No. The cape and its car park are free.
Where can you eat on a Sunday near Sagres?
Quarenta & Quatro, in Alfambras, is open on Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00. Closed on Wednesday.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/portugal/algarve/costa-vicentina/itineraries/fortress-cape-and-amado-beach
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.