38.54° N · 8.96° W
Palmela castle and the wineries of José Maria da Fonseca and Bacalhôa in Azeitão, with moscatel, tortas and cheese, half an hour from Lisbon.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Guided visit to the century-old cellars of Periquita and Setúbal moscatel, with tasting · 1 h–1 h 30 · From €12
Winery with art collections and tasting, and a 15th-century palace with gardens and tiles · 1–2 h 30 · From €7
Castle of the Order of Santiago at the top of the hills, with views of Lisbon, the Sado and the Arrábida · 1 h 30
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
All year: the wineries open daily. In September, the grape harvest; in spring and autumn, the best weather for strolling through Azeitão and climbing to the castle. Note that Bacalhôa palace is closed on Sundays.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
By car, Palmela and Azeitão are a half-day wine route 30 to 40 minutes from Lisbon: castle in the morning, wineries at midday and lunch in Azeitão. If you taste, have someone else drive or sleep here.
A night on a 17th-century estate or inside a castle, tastings of century-old moscatels and garden-to-table dinners: Palmela and Azeitão are the quiet getaway south of Lisbon.
Palmela and Azeitão are about 35 km south of Lisbon, on the Setúbal peninsula. You land at Humberto Delgado airport, with direct flights from the main Spanish cities, and by hire car you arrive in about 30 to 40 minutes over the Vasco da Gama or 25 de Abril bridge. Without a car, the 4730 bus drops you in Azeitão.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Wineries are not just for adults: at Bacalhôa children do not pay up to age 12 and the Japanese garden and the art collections keep them entertained; Palmela castle has walls and views, and Azeitão has tortas.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A 17th-century manor house on a vineyard estate inside the Arrábida, with rooms, country cottages, a pool and a restaurant. Dogs accepted in some rooms.
Why we like it: Pousada in the former convent of the Order of Santiago, inside the walls of Palmela castle, with views of the Arrábida and the Tagus.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Palmela | Castle of the Order of Santiago and old town | |
| Vila Nogueira de Azeitão | José Maria da Fonseca, Bacalhôa Adega Museu, the Rossio | |
| Vila Fresca de Azeitão | Palácio da Bacalhôa and the church of São Simão |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: several dishes to share with a glass of the house moscatel; between 15:00 and 19:00, the petiscos menu.
What to order: at lunchtime, light dishes on the terrace; in the evening, the more elaborate menu.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
38.52° N · 8.89° W
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38.48° N · 8.99° W
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38.44° N · 9.10° W
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38.73° N · 9.15° W
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Tips
Without a booking you get in as places allow, and groups fill the mid-morning ones.
The Palácio da Bacalhôa is closed on Sunday and public holidays.
Both shops have wines you don't see in Spain.
Between the Tagus and the Sado, on the northern slope of the Arrábida mountains, lies the land of Setúbal moscatel. Up above, Palmela castle looks out over the two estuaries. Down below, in Azeitão, two of Portugal's great wine houses open their cellars: José Maria da Fonseca, with moscatels more than a hundred years old, and Bacalhôa, with a museum winery of art and a Renaissance palace. All half an hour from Lisbon, with tortas, sheep's cheese and market food.
By car, over the 25 de Abril bridge and the A2, or over the Vasco da Gama and the A12: Palmela is about 35 km away and Azeitão about 40, between 30 and 40 minutes without traffic. Between the two it is about 15 km on the EN 379. It is the most convenient way to combine them, but if you are going to taste wine, someone who does not drink should drive.
Without a car, Carris Metropolitana has line 4730 from Sete Rios to Setúbal via Azeitão: it drops you a few steps from the Casa Museu José Maria da Fonseca. To Palmela go the 4710 and the 4715 from Oriente. If you fly from Spain, from the airport you reach both stations by metro.
Both, if you have the day. At José Maria da Fonseca, founded in 1834, the visit goes through the family house and three cellars, one with the Periquita red and another with century-old moscatels; the simplest tasting costs €12 and is open every day. At Bacalhôa, the museum winery brings together wine and art collections with a Japanese garden (€7, daily); the palace, in Vila Fresca, is a 15th-century estate with gardens and the oldest dated tile in Portugal (€13, closed on Sunday). The two Bacalhôa visits together cost €16 and children do not pay up to age 12.
It is the other half of the trip. The castle was the seat of the Order of Santiago and from its wall you see Lisbon across the Tagus, Setúbal and the Sado, and the Arrábida. Inside remain the 15th-century church of Santiago, the keep and the old convent, today a pousada. Go up late in the afternoon.
Azeitão has its own products: Azeitão cheese, made from sheep's milk and creamy; tortas, a small sponge roll filled with egg cream, and esses, S-shaped biscuits; and to drink, moscatel. For a sit-down meal, the Wine Corner at José Maria da Fonseca is open every day from 12:00 to 22:30 in the Casa Museu itself, and Zimbral, the farm-to-table restaurant of the Hotel Casa Palmela, daily at lunch and in the evening.
Half a day is enough for one winery and the village; a full day for both wineries, Azeitão and the castle. With a night you can add the Serra da Arrábida and Setúbal, about 15 minutes away. You can go all year; September, with the grape harvest, and spring are the best times.
Questions
On bus 4730 of Carris Metropolitana from Sete Rios, which stops at Vila Nogueira de Azeitão.
From €12 with a tasting of two wines; the guided visit is included.
The museum winery, yes; the palace is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
A typical sweet: a small sponge roll rolled up with egg cream.
At the Wine Corner at José Maria da Fonseca, open every day from 12:00 to 22:30.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/palmela-and-azeitao
