# Two Nights on the Costa Vicentina from Lisbon: Sagres, the Cape and Surfing at Arrifana A surf lesson in the bay of Arrifana, sunset at Cabo de São Vicente, the Sagres Fortress and cataplana at Alfambras, sleeping two nights in Sagres. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/algarve/costa-vicentina/itineraries/two-nights-with-sagres-and-surf · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Costa Vicentina The Costa Vicentina is the Atlantic side of the Algarve: slate cliffs, beaches open to the waves and almost nothing built, inside a natural park that runs from the Alentejo to Cabo de São Vicente. From Lisbon it is about three hours of motorway south, just right for leaving on Friday afternoon and sleeping in Sagres. This plan makes a surf lesson at Arrifana the centrepiece of Saturday, saves sunset for the cape and leaves Sunday for the fortress and a long lunch before heading back. ## How do you get there from Lisbon? By car. You cross the 25 de Abril Bridge and head south on the A2 towards the Algarve; at the junction with the A22 you continue towards Lagos and from there to Sagres along the N125. The A2 has a toll; the A22 has not since January 2025. Allow about three hours to Sagres. For the return, the most direct route from Alfambras is to go up through Aljezur towards the A2. From Huelva it is two and a half hours via Ayamonte and the A22; from Seville, a little over three. ## Where to sleep? Sagres is the most convenient base: the cape and the fortress are minutes away and Arrifana about 40. The Pousada Sagres is opposite the fortress, with rooms with sea views, an outdoor pool and free parking, from €84 a night according to its website; it accepts dogs of up to 15 kg in some rooms. If you want a spa, the Memmo Baleeira, above the harbour, has an indoor pool, sauna and restaurant. WhereWho it suits Pousada SagresOpposite the fortressCar, pool, small dog Memmo BaleeiraAbove Sagres harbourSpa and harbour views ## Outside the surf season From November to April the Arrifana hut is not on the sand. Swap the lesson for the Trilho dos Pescadores between Aljezur and Arrifana, about 17 km of sand and cliff, or do just the last stretch to the bay. With a winter sea, watch the surf from above: Amado and Arrifana get the big waves. ## El plan ### Friday · 19:15 · Arrival in Sagres Leave your luggage at the Pousada Sagres, on Ponta da Atalaia, opposite the fortress. Dinner in the village or at the pousada's restaurant. ### Saturday · 10:00 · Surf lesson at Arrifana About 40 minutes to the north. Arrifana Surf School has a hut on the sand from May to October: the 2-hour group lesson costs from €45 booked on its website, and the 3-hour one, €65. They give you board and wetsuit; being able to swim is enough. The time can move with the tide: confirm it the day before. ### Saturday · 13:00 · Lunch at Várzea Horta & Bistrot On the way out of Aljezur, with a big terrace and local produce: pork cheeks, prawns à Brás and sweet potato bonbon. Lunch from 12:30 to 15:00; closed on Tuesday and from January to March. Book on its website. ### Saturday · 16:00 · Rest in Sagres Go back to the hotel along the coast road. The Pousada has an outdoor pool. ### Saturday · at sunset · Cabo de São Vicente Ten minutes from Sagres. The 1846 lighthouse, the cliffs and the sun falling into the sea. The car park is free; bring a coat, because it is very windy. ### Sunday · 9:30 · Sagres Fortress Opens at 9:30; admission €10. The wind rose, the prince's church and the 2 km trail along the edge of the headland. A good hour and a half. ### Sunday · 11:45 · Praia do Amado Along the coast road to Carrapateira: an open beach between cliffs, with surf schools on the sand. Walk along the shoreline. ### Sunday · 13:30 · Lunch at Quarenta & Quatro In Alfambras, at the Barranco da Fonte accommodation. On Sunday it is open from 9:00 to 21:00: octopus cataplana with sweet potato, monkfish rice and almond tart. Order the cataplana by phone. Closed on Wednesday and from 15 December to 15 January. ### Sunday · 15:30 · Heading back Via Aljezur towards the A2. You reach Lisbon around 18:30. ## Un consejo más Leave the cape for Saturday: if the day turns out cloudy, on Sunday you have another chance before heading back. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Lisbon to Sagres? About three hours by car along the A2 and A22. ### Do you need experience for the surf lesson? No. The group lesson is for starting from scratch; you only need to be able to swim. ### How much does the Sagres Fortress cost? General admission costs €10. It is open from 9:30 to 17:30. ### Can it be done without a car? It is not practical: the buses along the coast are few and the plan links places far apart. ### Can you go with a dog? The Pousada Sagres accepts dogs of up to 15 kg in some rooms, for a supplement. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Memmo Baleeira**: Sagres from the harbour Memmo Baleeira is at Sítio da Baleeira, above Sagres fishing harbour, at the south-western tip of Portugal. It is the most convenient base for the end of the Costa Vicentina: the Sagres fortress is a few minutes away and Cape St Vincent is about 6 km. Rooms, spa and restaurants It has twelve room types: doubles with a partial sea or land view, rooms with a terrace, duplexes and one- and two-bedroom suites facing the sea, the choice for families. The spa has an indoor pool and sauna, and the gym is open 24 hours. For eating, the Fornaria, with a wood-fired oven, and a fish and seafood restaurant with a terrace over the ocean. The hotel organises sea and land experiences, such as cycling routes; conditions and prices are on its website. Getting there From Huelva it is about two and a half hours by the A22 to Lagos and the N125 to Sagres; from Faro airport, an hour and a half. If you come on a Sunday from Andalucía, it is the base to sleep and watch the sunset at the cape. - **Pousada Sagres**, desde 84 € / night: Facing the fortress The Pousada Sagres is on Ponta da Atalaia, on the cliff and looking towards the Sagres fortress, five minutes from the beach. It has a garden and is a good base for sleeping near Cape St Vincent and getting back from the sunset in ten minutes. Rooms, pool and restaurant The rooms range from the Classic, from €84 a night according to its website, to the Superior with a garden or sea view, for three adults, and suites for four. The outdoor pool opens from 8:00 to 20:00, with no lifeguard and a maximum depth of 1.40 m. The Viagem aos Sabores restaurant, with picture windows over the sea, serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:00, tapas and wines from 12:00 to 18:30 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:00. It accepts dogs up to 15 kg, with a supplement and in some rooms. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Getting there and parking Free outdoor parking for guests. From Huelva, about two and a half hours; from Faro airport, an hour and a half on the A22. - **Barranco da Fonte**: A small hamlet inside the natural park Barranco da Fonte is a rural guesthouse in Alfambras, a hamlet in the municipality of Aljezur inside the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. It is a family project with ten accommodation units: six independent houses, each with its own kitchen and terrace, and four suites. Around them there is a pool with a hot tub, an artificial-grass padel court, an outdoor gym, a children's play area and a garden. The Rota Vicentina trails pass in front of the estate, so it is a natural stop if you walk the coast, and the Quarenta & Quatro restaurant is in the same house. The houses and the suites The houses suit families. House 1 is for two adults and two children, with a wooden ceiling, a sofa bed and a large terrace over the countryside. House 2 takes four, with a loft under the roof with two beds for the children. House 3, also for four, has a kitchen, living room and dining room in a single space and a terrace among bougainvilleas. Houses 4 and 5 are the largest: two bedrooms with their own bathroom each and a sofa bed, for four adults and two children. House 9 is modern in style, with sliding doors onto the common lawn, a few steps from the pool. The suites have no kitchen: you have breakfast and dinner at the restaurant. Suite 6 has air conditioning and a rain shower; 7, a kettle and minibar; 8, a loft with another bed, for three. Suite 10, for two, is adapted for reduced mobility, with a walk-in shower, a fold-down seat and grab bars. Services and hours Check-in is from 16:00 and check-out before 12:00. Breakfast is served from 9:00 to 11:00 with local produce. The restaurant and the pool bar serve Portuguese cooking and cocktails. The house organises or suggests jeep and boat excursions, surfing, kayaking, cycling and walking. The website does not publish prices, nor whether there is wifi or dogs are allowed: ask when you book at info@barrancodafonte.pt or on +351 913 795 803. Getting there You need a car. Alfambras is inland, between Arrifana and Carrapateira, about 15 minutes from Amado beach and about 40 from Sagres. From Huelva it is about two and a half hours along the A22 via Lagos; from Lisbon, about three hours along the A2. The surf beaches of Vale Figueiras and Canal are nearby. ## Dónde dormir in style - **Memmo Baleeira**: Sagres from the harbour Memmo Baleeira is at Sítio da Baleeira, above Sagres fishing harbour, at the south-western tip of Portugal. It is the most convenient base for the end of the Costa Vicentina: the Sagres fortress is a few minutes away and Cape St Vincent is about 6 km. Rooms, spa and restaurants It has twelve room types: doubles with a partial sea or land view, rooms with a terrace, duplexes and one- and two-bedroom suites facing the sea, the choice for families. The spa has an indoor pool and sauna, and the gym is open 24 hours. For eating, the Fornaria, with a wood-fired oven, and a fish and seafood restaurant with a terrace over the ocean. The hotel organises sea and land experiences, such as cycling routes; conditions and prices are on its website. Getting there From Huelva it is about two and a half hours by the A22 to Lagos and the N125 to Sagres; from Faro airport, an hour and a half. If you come on a Sunday from Andalucía, it is the base to sleep and watch the sunset at the cape. - **Pousada Sagres**, desde 84 € / night: Facing the fortress The Pousada Sagres is on Ponta da Atalaia, on the cliff and looking towards the Sagres fortress, five minutes from the beach. It has a garden and is a good base for sleeping near Cape St Vincent and getting back from the sunset in ten minutes. Rooms, pool and restaurant The rooms range from the Classic, from €84 a night according to its website, to the Superior with a garden or sea view, for three adults, and suites for four. The outdoor pool opens from 8:00 to 20:00, with no lifeguard and a maximum depth of 1.40 m. The Viagem aos Sabores restaurant, with picture windows over the sea, serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:00, tapas and wines from 12:00 to 18:30 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:00. It accepts dogs up to 15 kg, with a supplement and in some rooms. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Getting there and parking Free outdoor parking for guests. From Huelva, about two and a half hours; from Faro airport, an hour and a half on the A22.