Sines

Sines, on the Alentejo coast, is the town of Vasco da Gama: the navigator was born here, in sight of the bay where the ships of the discoveries were built and outfitted. Between the castle above the water, the great port and the beaches that run south towards the Algarve, Sines keeps the memory of the sea in every stone — and, each July, the rhythm of one of the great music festivals of Portugal.

The town

The town climbs from the bay to the castle, which guards the entrance of the port and keeps, in its walls, the church where tradition says Vasco da Gama was baptised. Below, the beaches and the promenade look over the water towards the island of Pessegueiro, on the horizon; to the north, the coast of the Alentejo runs towards the estuary of the Sado, in long beaches of sand and dune.

What to see

• The castle and its church, above the bay of Sines.
• The beaches and the seafront of the town.
• The island of Pessegueiro, on the horizon offshore.
• The world music festival of Sines, each July.

Visiting

Sines lies on the coast road between Lisbon and the Algarve, within reach of Porto Covo and the beaches of the Sudoeste Alentejano. The ocean beaches demand care with the waves and currents, and the programmes of the town and its festival follow the official information of the municipality.

Nearby

The dunes and rice fields of Comporta and the cliffs of Cabo de São Vicente frame the coast on either side of Sines.

Information: sines.pt.

Image credit: Sines seen from the castle, by GualdimG, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.