Protected by the imposing Capuchin Convent, the Galapos Beach is a small natural haven where you can spend a beautiful day at the beach, dive or spearfishing.

The sea is calm, tranquility which makes it ideal for swimming.

When crossing the mountain one can´t remain indifferent to the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Need to go through a winding road, the scenery is breathtaking and worth the effort.

The Arrábida is a place to explore leisurely, and simultaneously a very high biodiversity with thousands of different species of terrestrial and marine fauna and flora.

Can´t forget the Sheep butter and the baked rustic bread in a wood oven,  a must eat specialty.

Concerning the Confectionery, this is one of  the most famous regions of the country with the diverse Traditional sweets of Setubal, the orange base, which was almost lost and is now recovering.

In Azeitão can´t miss the delicious pies, the Amores and the small cheeses made of  eggs and almond.

In Montijo (Galician village of Ribatejo, until 1930) the Aldeanos , delicious cakes made of almonds and gila, the Milk sweet cheese pies, vinegar pudding and corn cake.

Palmela contributes with the Santiagos, Palmelenses, Sweet Cheese pies, Sweet Rice with sheep’s milk and loaves.

Of Alcacer do Sal , the famous the pine nuts with honey, pine nut pies and many more sweets made with pine nut base and sweet potatoes.

Indeed, it was the proximity of their fish supply an important economic engine, particularly in the canning industry in Setúbal, but in the meantime languished since the mid-1970s until complete relocation to other parts of the country.

Although most of the local cuisine wasbased on fish dishes, the population migration from the regions of Alentejo and Algarve brought changes to the gastronomy with the introduction of new meat dishes and poultry, and açordas that have adapted to seafood and fish. Also part of the gastronomic repertoire of the city spirits (muscatel wine and liquors), cheeses, fruits and typical traditional sweets of the region.

Setúbal is known for cuisine based on grilled fish dishes, baked or grilled. It is very common to find the local restaurants that serve grilled sardines, usually served with boiled potatoes monitoring and seasoned lettuce salad with oil and vinegar. You can also find grilled or baked fish dishes such as spicy grilled mullet with made from fish liver sauce.

Other dishes on the sea-based products include: whelks and choco-based salads and octopus; seafood-based dishes Sado river (spider crab, crab, Crab); shellfish-based dishes (clams “Bulhão Pato”, oysters, lamejinhas, cockles, razors, scallops, sea snails); fish stews or seafood, made far more frequently in cataplanas (a legacy of Arab culture); and also masses of grouper or other fish.

Wine production in the Setubal region has led to internationally recognized products, with a variety of red and white wines of quality, made from grapes matured on the slopes of the Capuchin Convent. These products should stand out the Moscatel, a renowned liqueur wine origin demarcated centered Azeitão. The Arrabidine liquor, less known to the public, is produced by the friars who live in the Convent of Our Lady of Arrábida. In the production of liquor, whose manufacture, which began in the nineteenth century, is shrouded in secrecy, it is known that berries are used collected during the month of December at the Capuchin Convent and other unique ingredients of the region. The Arrabidine liquor is bottled and need to intern about 15 years before being consumed.

The repertoire of traditional sweets of the Setúbal region are part of the cheesecake, pies, and “these Azeitão” – biscuits in the shape of the letter “S”, made with flour, sugar, margarine, eggs and cinnamon. Setubal also stand out the Logs of “shell” of orange, made from oranges produced in the region. Finally, we emphasize the production of cheese as one of the significant craft and economic activities of the Blue Coast region.

The RNES (Natural Reserve of the Sado Estuary) was established on  October 1st  in 1980.

Its creation was due primarily to the botanical and fauna interest of this vast body of water, with specific objectives of maintaining the natural vocation of the estuary, development activities consistent with the balance of the estuarine ecosystem, the correct use of resources, the defense cultural or scientific order of values and the promotion of outdoor recreation.

It covers an area of 23,160 hectares consisting on estuarine waters, flood plains, dunes and sea and river beaches, encompassing enclave of Alcacer do Sal municipalities, Grândola, Palmela and Setúbal.

The reserve is included in the list of International Importance Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), since May 7, 1996, and is a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds since 23 September 1999. More than 80% of the area of reserve is also covered by the Sado site of the Natura 2000 network.

Alcácer do Sal downstream develops a wide estuary (Sado Estuary) separated from the ocean by the Troia peninsula. It is on of the few Portuguese rivers flowing from south to north, as the Mira River (in Beja).

In the Sado estuary dwells a population of dolphins (Bottlenose dolphins-nosed).

The catchment area of the river Sado has an area of 7692 km² entirely Portuguese. The estuary covers an area of approximately 160 km², with an average depth of 8m with a maximum of 50m. The flow is forced mainly by the tide.

The estuary is the habitat of a large community of bottlenose dolphins; there are 31 members of the pod, each of whom has been named (2007).

The river is dammed in several places, chiefly for irrigation of rice, maize, and other vegetables.

In its course, the river crosses the city of Alcácer do Sal.

Inside the walled area of the castle of Palmela, donated by D. Sancho I in the 12th Century to the Military Order of Santiago, were carried out major works  in the 15th Century, particularly in the western sector, where a church was built and the convent of Santiago was born. Here  it would be installed the headquarters of the Military Order.

Later,  late 17th Century and  early 18th Century, a new convent was build.

Fallen into ruins after the extinction of the religious orders in 1834, was the whole place classified as a national monument in 1910. (DG 136, of June 23, 1910) In 1940 the DGEMN proceeded to partial restoration of the Castle.

In 1969 is approved the change of  the convent into the famous  Inn, a project by the architect  Luis dos Santos Castro Lobo, which was inaugurated in 1979.

After archaeological explorations in the eastern area some spaces were turned into museum rooms overlooking the excavated areas.

The cloisters of the former convent, with galleries transformed into recreational areas are some of the beautiful characteristics of this Inn The restaurant is located in the old refectory of the friars, with thick walls and the original pulpit where religious readings were made during meals.

From the 23 rooms and 5 suites, spread over two floors, one can choose to see the sea, the village or the Castle, depending on weather conditions and orientation. Of sober decoration also have these thick walls of 1.40 meters.

In Setúbal Peninsula, in the foothills east of the Arrábida mountains, is situated between the estuaries of the River Tagus and Sado river, near the mouth of the latter. Is part of the so-called Riviera, in the Arrábida Natural Park. On a clear day from the top of the castle one can see Lisbon.

During  the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula after the conquest of Lisbon (1147) by the forces of King Afonso Henriques (1112-1185), 3 cities have fallen in to the Portuguese domain : Sintra, Almada and Palmela.

At the time, the Muslim forces defending Palmela, abandoned it, and took  refuge in Alcácer do Sal. And the Portuguese forces only conquered the village and its domains. Muslim forces, however, soon reorganized, recovering south of the Tagus river. Christians reconquered Palmela in 1158.

Again lost, was finally conquered on June 24 1165. From the following year reinforcement works were undertaken.

The presence of man in what is now occupied by the city of Palmela dates back to the Neolithic era, where their presence is quite noticeable, especially during the bell culture, and whose testimony left us in the form of the internationally renowned Palmela vase.

Occupied by Celts, Romans and Arabs, all found in this territory a strategic place to settle. In 1147 it was conquered by D. Afonso Henriques, granting it a charter in 1185. But the golden period of Palmela can be found in the early years of the Nationality, when Palmela was the key of the territory between the Sado and Tagus.

This strategic importance due to situational aspects of political and religious nature related to the process of conquest and consolidation of the Portuguese State, and which the Order of Santiago and Sword, (which received Palmela as a gift of D. Afonso Henriques around 1172), can not be separated. The Order of Santiago mark its presence in Portuguese society to be lady of a vast region from the ancient city of Riba Tejo (which includes the current municipalities of Barreiro, Moita, Montijo and Alcochete) to Mértola, in the Alentejo. The Order’s administrative power was centered in Palmela. The importance of this choice is not held only with the proximity of Palmela face to Lisbon, where the congregation held the convent of Santos, among others, but also because  Palmela was the largest Commandery of the Order and the characteristics of its castle that accommodate the monumental complex of the Order – the Convent and the Church. Away from the dangers of invasions – Arab initially and Spanish at a later time – the Order of Santiago begins to lose importance and the power it held. Along with it, Palmela also no longer had the role of advanced guardian, a role previously played by the ancient Order’s headquarters – Mértola and Alcacer do Sal After the extinction of the Military and Religious Orders, Palmela no longer had any importance or strategic, or economic, or political, to the point that the Administrative Reform Mouzinho da Silveira in 1855, extinguished their municipality integrating it in Setúbal, where it will remain until 1926. Taking advantage of the military movement resulting from the May 28, 1926 , local elites press the government to restore access to the city of Palmela, a fact which is consummated in November of that year.

The cetárias, or fish salting tanks, stretched even in 1858 a distance of 4 km, according to Carlos Ribeiro. Thus concludes that once there stood an industrial town, with a bulky of garum and fish canning industry, whose production would be exported outside the peninsula and therefore also an important center fishing. This Roman center occupied the best part of the peninsula and how the land was not unhealthy, in contrast to Setúbal, workers have been recruited from neighboring indigenous settlements, which led to the depopulation of the area according to the Roman strategy, mentioned by Strabo.

Research carried out show that this settlement date of the second century AD, showing signs of progress and development in the following centuries. Shows signs of decay season in recent years of its occupation. Living an industrial activity that had its markets outside the peninsula, the decline of the empire and the fall of its western part implied and explain the decline of the town.

The Lusitanian-roman site of Troia is important in the religious point of view, as well as any traces of pagan worship and Christian, is one of the rare places in Portugal where it is known to have the  worship of Mithra, revealed in a bas-relief.