# Palmela and Azeitão Palmela castle and the wineries of José Maria da Fonseca and Bacalhôa in Azeitão, with moscatel, tortas and cheese, half an hour from Lisbon. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/palmela-and-azeitao · Revisado: 2026-11-12 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. ## How do you get there from Lisbon? 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. ## Which winery should I visit? 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. ## And Palmela castle? 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. ## What should you eat? 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. ## How long, and when? 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. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Setúbal and the Tróia Peninsula (a 6.5 km), Serra da Arrábida (a 7.2 km), Sesimbra (a 16.5 km), Lisbon (a 26.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **José Maria da Fonseca House Museum, cellars and moscatel tasting** (1 h · Adults; children accompanied · Desde 12 € per person): In the centre of Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, the house where José Maria da Fonseca was founded in 1834 is visited with a guide: the museum room, the garden of the family's old residence and three cellars, one with Periquita red ageing in barrel and another with Setúbal moscatels more than a hundred years old. At the end, a tasting. It is open every day, public holidays included: sessions from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:30 to 17:30 from April to October, and until 16:30 from November to March. From €12 with two wines; there are longer tastings and tastings of special moscatels. Booking recommended at enoturismo@jmfonseca.pt. The Wine Corner restaurant is in the same house. - **Bacalhôa: museum winery with art and the Renaissance palace** (1 h · Everyone; free up to age 12 · Desde 7 € per person): Bacalhôa offers two visits in Azeitão. The museum winery, in Vila Nogueira, combines wine and art: the house collections, a tasting and a Japanese garden with sculptures by Niizuma and a persimmon descended from the only tree that survived the Nagasaki bomb. One-hour guided visit, every day, at 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30 and 16:30, for €7. The Palácio da Bacalhôa, in Vila Fresca de Azeitão, is a 15th-century estate whose owners kept adding influences from their travels: an art collection, gardens, a vineyard and the lake house with the oldest dated painted tile in Portugal. An hour and a half, at 10:00 and 15:00, for €13; closed on Sundays and public holidays. Both visits together, €16. Free up to age 12. - **Palmela Castle and the church of Santiago** (1 h 30 · Everyone; stairs in the tower): Palmela castle crowns a hill of the sierra about 30 minutes from Lisbon, and from its walls you can see the Tagus estuary with Lisbon beyond, the Sado with Setúbal and the Arrábida range. It was the seat of the Order of Santiago in Portugal, and within its grounds remain the order's former convent, now a pousada, and the church of Santiago, from the 15th century, a National Monument since 1910. The Municipal Museum manages several spaces inside: the church, the keep and an archaeological space. The council occasionally organises guided visits to the castle and the historic centre; check its calendar. Below the castle, the streets of the old town run down towards the village. Go up at sunset. - **Walk through Vila Nogueira and Vila Fresca de Azeitão: tortas and cheese** (2 h · Everyone · Free): Azeitão is the name of a group of hamlets at the foot of the Arrábida, where noble families settled from the 15th century. The two worth the walk are Vila Nogueira, with the Praça da República or Rossio, shaded by enormous plane trees and with the statue of the poet Sebastião da Gama, the Quinta das Torres, the palace of the Dukes of Aveiro, the church of São Lourenço and the Pasmados fountain; and Vila Fresca, with flowery streets, the church of São Simão, craft workshops, the fountain and the Palácio da Bacalhôa. It is a land of local products: the tortas de Azeitão, a small sponge roll filled with egg cream; Azeitão cheese, made from sheep's milk and thistle rennet, creamy; the esses, S-shaped biscuits, and moscatel. They are bought in the pastry shops and stores of the Rossio. - **Cooking workshop at AZCook, in Azeitão** (3 h · Adults and families; no experience needed): AZCook is a cooking studio on Rua da Padaria in Azeitão where professional chefs run hands-on three-hour workshops: you prepare three dishes and end up eating them at the table with the rest of the group. The calendar changes every month and mixes Portuguese cooking with other themes; check the dates and book on their website. Families who have done it say the children take part too. ## Dónde comer - **Wine Corner by José Maria da Fonseca** (Restaurant, Azeitão, €€). Qué pedir: several dishes to share with a glass of the house moscatel; between 15:00 and 19:00, the petiscos menu. - **Zimbral Restaurant (Hotel Casa Palmela)** (Restaurant, Palmela, €€€). Qué pedir: at lunchtime, light dishes on the terrace; in the evening, the more elaborate menu. ## By car: Palmela and Azeitão by car, from winery to winery 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. Presupuesto orientativo: 80–180 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Casa Palmela** (Small hotel): An estate among the vines The Hotel Casa Palmela occupies the Quinta do Esteval, a house with history since the 17th century in the heart of the Arrábida natural park, between Azeitão and Setúbal. Past the gate, a track between vines leads to the house. Turismo de Lisboa lists it as five-star. The rooms There are rooms in the manor house (premium rooms of more than 25 m² with a terrace or balcony, junior suites in the former salons), in the Casa do Jardim, with a garden view, and independent country cottages. The hotel offers horse rides, wine experiences and yoga retreats. With a dog It accepts dogs and cats for €25 per night per animal, with a deposit of up to €100, only in the Casa do Jardim rooms and the country cottages. Getting there By car, along the EN 10. The Azeitão wineries are a few minutes away and Setúbal about 15. - **Pousada Castelo de Palmela** (Hotel): Sleeping in the castle The Pousada de Palmela opened in 1979 in the convent of the Order of Santiago, inside the castle walls, at the top of the hill. It keeps the austerity of the building and much of its 17th-century interior, and from above you can see the Arrábida, the Sado and the Tagus. It has a restaurant, a bar and parking within the grounds. Who it is for For a special night and for those who come by car to combine Palmela, the Azeitão wineries and the Arrábida. The full listing, with more detail, is in the Arrábida range. ## Luxury: Palmela and Azeitão, slow and with good wine 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. Presupuesto orientativo: From €250 por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in style - **Hotel Casa Palmela** (Small hotel): An estate among the vines The Hotel Casa Palmela occupies the Quinta do Esteval, a house with history since the 17th century in the heart of the Arrábida natural park, between Azeitão and Setúbal. Past the gate, a track between vines leads to the house. Turismo de Lisboa lists it as five-star. The rooms There are rooms in the manor house (premium rooms of more than 25 m² with a terrace or balcony, junior suites in the former salons), in the Casa do Jardim, with a garden view, and independent country cottages. The hotel offers horse rides, wine experiences and yoga retreats. With a dog It accepts dogs and cats for €25 per night per animal, with a deposit of up to €100, only in the Casa do Jardim rooms and the country cottages. Getting there By car, along the EN 10. The Azeitão wineries are a few minutes away and Setúbal about 15. - **Pousada Castelo de Palmela** (Hotel): Sleeping in the castle The Pousada de Palmela opened in 1979 in the convent of the Order of Santiago, inside the castle walls, at the top of the hill. It keeps the austerity of the building and much of its 17th-century interior, and from above you can see the Arrábida, the Sado and the Tagus. It has a restaurant, a bar and parking within the grounds. Who it is for For a special night and for those who come by car to combine Palmela, the Azeitão wineries and the Arrábida. The full listing, with more detail, is in the Arrábida range. ## By plane: Flying to Lisbon, then car or bus to Palmela and Azeitão 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. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Casa Palmela** (Small hotel): An estate among the vines The Hotel Casa Palmela occupies the Quinta do Esteval, a house with history since the 17th century in the heart of the Arrábida natural park, between Azeitão and Setúbal. Past the gate, a track between vines leads to the house. Turismo de Lisboa lists it as five-star. The rooms There are rooms in the manor house (premium rooms of more than 25 m² with a terrace or balcony, junior suites in the former salons), in the Casa do Jardim, with a garden view, and independent country cottages. The hotel offers horse rides, wine experiences and yoga retreats. With a dog It accepts dogs and cats for €25 per night per animal, with a deposit of up to €100, only in the Casa do Jardim rooms and the country cottages. Getting there By car, along the EN 10. The Azeitão wineries are a few minutes away and Setúbal about 15. - **Pousada Castelo de Palmela** (Hotel): Sleeping in the castle The Pousada de Palmela opened in 1979 in the convent of the Order of Santiago, inside the castle walls, at the top of the hill. It keeps the austerity of the building and much of its 17th-century interior, and from above you can see the Arrábida, the Sado and the Tagus. It has a restaurant, a bar and parking within the grounds. Who it is for For a special night and for those who come by car to combine Palmela, the Azeitão wineries and the Arrábida. The full listing, with more detail, is in the Arrábida range. ### Servicios - **Lisbon to Azeitão and Palmela buses (Carris Metropolitana)**: The 4730 runs from Sete Rios to Setúbal via Azeitão; the 4710 and 4715 leave from Oriente for Palmela ## As a family: Palmela and Azeitão with children 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. ### What works best Palmela castle, walls and tower The Bacalhôa museum winery, free up to age 12 A cooking workshop at AZCook The tortas de Azeitão at the Rossio ### Where to stay Hotel Casa Palmela, country cottages and a pool ### Where to eat Wine Corner, dishes to share, daily ### Bear in mind The Bacalhôa palace is closed on Sunday Between Palmela and Azeitão you need a car or taxi ### Qué hacer as a family - Bacalhôa: museum winery with art and the Renaissance palace - Palmela Castle and the church of Santiago - Walk through Vila Nogueira and Vila Fresca de Azeitão: tortas and cheese - Cooking workshop at AZCook, in Azeitão ## Consejos ### Book the visits Without a booking you get in as places allow, and groups fill the mid-morning ones. ### The palace, on a weekday or Saturday The Palácio da Bacalhôa is closed on Sunday and public holidays. ### Buy at the wineries Both shops have wines you don't see in Spain. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Lisbon to Azeitão without a car? On bus 4730 of Carris Metropolitana from Sete Rios, which stops at Vila Nogueira de Azeitão. ### How much does it cost to visit José Maria da Fonseca? From €12 with a tasting of two wines; the guided visit is included. ### Can you visit Bacalhôa on a Sunday? The museum winery, yes; the palace is closed on Sundays and public holidays. ### What are the tortas de Azeitão? A typical sweet: a small sponge roll rolled up with egg cream. ### Where to eat in Azeitão on a Sunday? At the Wine Corner at José Maria da Fonseca, open every day from 12:00 to 22:30.