Hidden Portugal: the Serra da Arrábida

A really well planned walking holiday in a lovely part of Portugal. Three good hotels, interesting walks in a National Park, good food options, lovely friendly people and overall well organised.

A relaxing walking holiday with superb accommodation.

In Palmela another excellent restaurant is Taverna de Ladeira. Very small and cosy, very limited menu of spaghetti  a few salads but excellent quality and popular with locals. 

in Palmela the Taverna O Bobo da Carte has limited opening hours and for evening meals only open Thurs Fri and Sat.  Definitely worth eating there but customers should advise to make a reservation.  

On day1 in Sesimbra we found the bus timings to be very infrequent as mentioned in the notes. Instead we took a taxi to and from the beginning of the route and this made the day much more relaxing and enjoyable. 

A very interesting part of little-known Portugal and perfect for a short walking break as it is so easily accessible from the UK.  Thoroughly enjoyable trip.

Walking in November was just right. Dry, not too hot. very few tourists or walkers. Fabulous fish restaurants, especially the simple local ones.

This holiday was ideal for our current needs as we had two nights at each hotel, so could walk or sightsee on the second day. We decided not to do the walk on the second day in Azeitao as it was retracing a fair proportion of the walk of the previous day. If we did the trip again we would only stay one night only in Azeitao and have an extra night in Sesimbra. The walking was good with the first long walk being about flora and fauna and the second more about windmills, ruins and history. The weather was ideal at the beginning of October. Be aware that none of the hotels have walk in showers all are over the bath. Highly recommend the Lisbon add on. 

Restaurants we particularly liked were

Sesimbra - o Batel - need to book. O Velho et O Mar was almost next to hotel but very pricy compared to other restaurant and food nowhere near as good.

Azeitao - Casa das Tortas - excellent grilled meat and fish - hard to walk past without the smell enticing you in. 

Palmela - Culto Panoramico was only 150m from hotel and had excellent views with good food. No need to go all the way back to town. 

Lisbon - taberna anti dantas

We enjoyed this holiday. Hotel on Sesimbra in beautiful location by beach, due to rain we only did the walk to the Fort, but worth it for views. Walk notes a bit ambiguous in places for this walk on return to town. Hotel at Azitao needs a bit up updating with decor, some of it looks a bit tired now. Hotel at Palmela lovely, fab location. Walks all enjoyable, favourite was walk from Azeitao to Palmela, stunning views from the ridge.

The restaurant recommendations at all locations were excellent. We also found the suggested use of taxis helpful at some locations as it enabled us to see local places much easier. The location of the hotel in Sesimbra was superb, and the the Lisbon hotel was excellent. 

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer did our self-guided walking holiday 'From Cape to Castle' followed by our city add-on at Hotel Heritage Avenida Liberdade in Lisbon.

We have had many Inntravel holidays and this was, as expected, really good. In sesimbra we ate at O Velho e O Mar, which was excellent and found many places close on Tuesday evenings. In Palmela we ate in Culto Cafe, a short walk from the hotel, which was good.  If you want to eat in the tapas bar in the castle you definitely need to book in advance.

We finished the holiday with two nights in Lisbon, we booked our own accommodatuion as Inntravel's was unavailable. For anyone else with the same problem we would highly recommend the Alegria A in Praca da Alegria.  It is a good location, quiet with lots in walking distance.

Although a challenge at times, the walk to Portinho was wonderful. We finished the day with a swim and a delicious fish dinner at Restaurante O Farol while watching an orange harvest moon rise over the sea. The restaurants recommended in the notes were both closed - Wednesday.

The walking routes were great, especially walking the ridge from Azeitao to Palmela. The accommodation was good, in particular the room and environment at Pousada Castelo Palmela was very grand; and the hotel, welcome and service at Hotel Solar Do Castelo in Lisbon was very boutique and special. If coming in the hot months be sure to set off early in the morning and take plenty of water!

Trouble free walking. Very clear step by step walk information. Only the GPX maps (provided) & clear walk information (provided) are suffecient for walking in this country where we have never been.

As I noted above, the choice and variety of all four hotels was excellent, we enjoyed the walking even though the latter part of the walking to both the Sesimbra and Azeitão hotels was fairly challenging as we had started to flag by then.  The ability to choose what we wished to do on any given day was an advantage for us.  It meant that we could pace ourselves accordingly.  On the whole, it was a most enjoyable experience.  We will, no doubt, use you again and recommend you to others.

Good to explore a relatively untouristy part of Portugal with easy access from Lisbon airport. Beautiful landscape with glorious flowers. Weather in mid June just on the right side of not too hot - and note Sesimbra can be very windy even in the town! People very friendly though not much English spoken outside the hotels. GPX files were a life-saver at some points where written route directions perhaps slightly out of date. Our only real complaint is that whilst the restaurants serve excellent food - there are precious few vegetables or fibre containing stuff!

This was a great walking holiday. We went in June. The wild flowers were stunning. The views across the national park were breath taking.

We liked all the hotels especially Britania in Lisbon. If staying at the Britania there is a cafe close by called The Fam Kitchen which is very convenient to the hotel. The "flower filled meadows" were spectacular in late May.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk From Cape to Castle with our Lisbon City add-on

We thoroughly enjoyed our first abroad trip since Covid & a return to Inntravel. The walks were superb with masses of wild flowers at the time of year we went, together with interesting scenery, villages & wonderful views. All 3 hotels were excellent & offered different experiences. A great holiday & we were impressed with this area of Portugal.

Thoroughly enjoyed our 'Cape to Castle' experience. Very nice part of the world (with the wonderful city of Lisbon not too far away if you want to go and explore there as well). The hotels are of good quality, (the standout being the Castle Hotel in Palmela) with good service. Walks are in nice countryside and were just at the right level of challenge for us. We walked in early May and the temperatures were tolerable if you take plenty of drinking water with you.

Felt very safe for the most part, with one exception when walking roadside on the approach to Azeitao - facing oncoming traffic on R. Jose Augusto Cohelo felt a little 'blind' and we opted to cross and approach on the other side.

We ate in 'La Villa Pizzeria' for a quick lunch on arrival in Sesimbra (knowing that we had plenty of Portuguese cuisine to come from the places we had booked) and the pizza was surprisingly good. Evening meals we ate in 'O Zagaia' & 'O Velho e o Mar' both really enjoyable. In Azeitao we ate in 'O Manel' which is 3 mins walk across the road from the hotel. It's very down to earth, simple but tasty food and great value. Second night we ate in 'Casa das Tortas' - again enjoyable with plenty of locals enjoying the food there. In Palmela we had one nice meal at the hotel restaurant and on another two nights ate in 'Taverna Bobo do Corte' which is in the Castle 'grounds' itself - great wee place, with really friendly hosts and a great atmosphere (first night we were party to a real sing-song from a large party of other guests). Also nearby is 'Culto Panoramico' which is handy for lunch (burgers and the like),

The overall holiday was a very good experience, the route information was first class - we loved the area and would certainly return. All travel and transport arrangements were excellent. We would thoroughly recommend the wine tour in Azeitão at Fonseca and the cafe opposite (Casa Negrito) for lunch, or just coffee and a cake - we went 3 times in 24 hours! We loved the O Velho E O Mar in Sesimbra - wonderful fish and they were very accommodating about us watching the England vs Italy football - lovely staff.

The shorter route around Sesimbra was particularly pretty. We didn't consider the longer route from Sesimbra largely because I couldn't find the bus time details on line, the link you suggested in the notes didn't provide the information required.  I suggest you provide a local taxi recommendation, like you did for the longer walk from Azeitao to the sea (Which worked excellently).

INNTRAVEL NOTE: The bus timetable link has been recently updated

We encountered unexpected clear skies and high temperatures for mid October, having been warned by friends in Lisbon that this could be a rainy season. However, even the older members of our group of friends managed the walking without too much challenge, and the whole mixture of scenery and varied towns provided superb relaxation. As promised, the varied restaurants - in Lisbon and the three stopping towns in the Arrabida nature park - produced wonderful evening meals, especially fresh fish, at welcome prices. A particularly memorable monkfish stew was discovered and hugely enjoyed in a very modest establishment. And Lisbon was as delightful as ever, with notably friendly welcomes everywhere. Long live the ancient Portuguese-British alliance! Meanwhile, thanks and congratulations to Inntravel.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk From Cape to Castle with our Lisbon City add-on

Lovely, individual hotels; great mix of landscapes to walk through - sea, coast, country and hilltops. Wonderful walk through Portugal's history. Extended stay in Lisbon and trip to Sintra well worth it.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk From Cape to Castle with our Lisbon City add-on

We found this holiday's itinerary with two days at each hotel, good walks in between each and a Lisbon add-on provided a perfect balance. After a week, we felt we had been away much longer.  

Walking in the National Park is wonderful, with fabulous scenery and very few people about. The walking paths mainly take you along quiet country lanes but I recommend using an app that incorporates the GPX files for the more remote sections as this provides reassurance and avoids any confusion. Be prepared for large crowds and long queues at some attractions in Lisbon but using the public transport system is relatively easy and a good way to get around. 

Really enjoyed our stay at the walking hotels and the notes were spot on.

We very much enjoyed our Cape to Castle holiday. The walks were varied and interesting. We have enjoyed many Inntravel holidays and this was up to the usual high standard.
It would be a good idea to take containers to carry picnics in. We were given our picnic from the first hotel in a large cardboard box which was much too big to fit into our backpacks. Some of the items were not wrapped, so you do need a container to carry them in.

On the 2 Convents walk the cafe Bom Petisco was closed on a day that it should have been open and there were for sale signs outside, so don't rely on it for lunch / cold drinks etc.

We walked as far as Convento de Arraãbida, then called for a taxi (they had no trouble finding us there). It saved a long road walk or a slide down the steep decent to Portinho (We aren't as young as we used to be).

We did the tour of Bacalhōa Winary, wine tasting and palace which cost €14 each. It was well worth doing. The whole tour took 3 and a half hours, so you need to allow plenty of time. We booked by email as suggested by Inntravel which worked well. We paid on the day. The tour starts and finishes at the wine shop. You are expected to drive from there to and from the palace. We explained in our email that we didn't have our own transport, they kindly let us travel with the guide in his car.  
We did notice quite a few busses travelling along the N10 between Azeitão and the hotel. There is a hard shoulder if you decide to walk.

The tapas restaurant at the castle in Setūbal looked nice but unfortunately was closed on every evening that we were there because it was booked for wedding parties.

Pousada - be v careful of religious festivals - we had two during our week one before and one after the weekend which meant shops/restaurants/cafes were closed for most of the time!

Palmela - much easier to user Uber taxis to get around and much cheaper - rather than pay euro20 from Pousada to Setubal we paid 7 and 8 respectively there and back

Two extra restaurants to note:  The Wine Corner in Azeito is excellent - good choice of food, amazing wine list and you can have a glass from any of them!  Moments Lounge in Palmela worth a visit - in the middle of the vineyard and needs a taxi to/from the Pousada - good food and wine!

Also note the restuarant you recommend in Palmela - Casa do Castelo was excellent with a very friendly host.

We had a disappointing meal at the Culto cafe.

Excellent holiday! We're looking forward to another one!  

The Arrabida valleys are beautiful and Palmela is very interesting to explore. The stone pine and cork trees are fascinating. As with previous Inntravel walks, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and everything worked to plan. One comment - and we were fully aware of this from looking at the website - is that the area immediately to the north of the Arrabida is becoming increasingly suburbanised, with the same to the south around Setubal. I wonder how long the relative haven of the Arrabida will survive between these encroaching pinchpoints.

Good holiday (Lisbon & Palaces of Sintra and From Cape to Castle Walking holidays) but in first 2 weeks in May there were big crowds particularly in Lisbon and Sintra.

The walk to Palmela was the best, and the pousada/castle is a wonderful place. Might be helpful to tell people that everything is closed on Mondays; we wasted time going to Setubal. The staff at the Pousada were particularly good, and we have emailed our appreciation.

We loved all the walks and their variety. The scenery was amazing, the people very friendly, and the food delicious. Our sense of accomplishment at the end of each day provided new energy for the next. We're already looking forward to planning our next walking holiday with Inntravel.

We did not want to carry the walking guide binder on the walks (we had heavy rain on one day, and it was a little cumbersome to carry and refer to) so we took two clear A4 ring binder sleeves to take four A5 sheets (8 pages, enough for each walk) from the binder.  Easy to carry and they worked in the rain.

We met many cyclists on the walks on the weekends and almost without fail they all wished us Bom Dia, so friendly.

The view from the Esplanada at the Palmela Pousada was breathtaking.

Enjoyed staying in Sesimbra and Pousada in Palmera was excellent.

Highlights were definitely the views - you have to work for them ie some steep climbs but well worth it. If the notes say 'long trousers' then suggest this is exactly what it means. A couple of sections had a lot of overgrowth which can cause discomfort if wearing shorts!

The whole administrative package was excellent, the holiday details comprehensive and we would recommend not only this holiday but Inntravel at large to family and friends. A great value for money experience.

Great three centre holiday (including walking holidays 'From Cape to Castle', 'Palaces & Pathways of Sintra' and a stay in Lisbon at the Hotel Solar Do Castelo) which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Our personal highlight was walking along the ridge from Azeitao to Palmela. It had beautiful views on both sides! Walking in the sunshine along the ridge and then up to the Castelo was a perfect way to end this part of our holiday. I understand that this walking route will not happen next year which is sad because the walks and accommodation were both challenging and yet manageable for us.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: We are currently reassessing this holiday for 2023

This was a perfect holiday. Starting at a beautiful seaside resort, staying at traditional a Portuguese quinta, and feeling like royalty staying at a castle. The walking was perfect, such varied days with absolutely stunning views. From coastal to countryside to vineyards to city views. I honestly don't think we could have asked for more. Inntravel are a great company to work with, every transfer was on time and friendly. We came back having had a very memorable week. Thank you.

We enjoyed a lovely meal at O Zagaia in Sesimbra, the Pousada was outstanding but we really enjoyed every bit of it and did every single walk and tourist highlights.