Castelo de Sesimbra

Of all the castles that once guarded the Portuguese coast, Sesimbra’s is the best preserved to have kept its medieval shape. It stands on a rocky hilltop above the fishing town, walls rising over a bay that has been a natural harbour since Phoenician times. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, it combines a serious history with one of the finest views on the Setúbal peninsula.

From alcáçova to public park

A Muslim fortification stood here from the 9th century, known as Alcáçova. Christian forces first took it in 1165, lost it to the Almohads in 1191, and only secured it for good around 1200 under King Sancho I, who granted the town its first charter. The castle was rebuilt in the Gothic style, then gifted to the Order of Santiago. As the population moved downhill to the shore from the 15th century, the hilltop was slowly abandoned; the 1755 earthquake left it in ruins. Conservation work from 1933 and again in the 1990s brought the walls back to life.

What to see

• The keep and the western tower, a lookout built in 1323
• The Church of Santa Maria do Castelo, within the walls
• Two permanent exhibitions on the castle’s history
• The far-reaching views over the village, the bay and the Arrábida hills
• The terraces over the bay, where the village meets the sea

Practical information

The castle is free to visit and now serves as a public park with a café and free parking inside the walls. A pedestrian route of about 600 metres links the Valparaíso area of the town to the Porta do Sol; by car, the distance from the seafront is around 2.5 kilometres.

Image credit: Castelo de Sesimbra by Carjormartin — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.