Arrábida Natural Park

Arrábida Natural Park is a protected area on the southern edge of the Setúbal Peninsula. Founded in 1976, it covers about 176 km², roughly 123 km² on land and 53 km² at sea.

Its most distinctive feature is the Serra da Arrábida, a limestone mountain range (501 m) that meets the ocean much as the coast does in parts of the Mediterranean — a striking contrast with the long sandy beaches and cliffs typical of Portugal.

The climate is temperate with a clear Mediterranean character, and the park shelters natural vegetation of great conservation value, nationally and internationally. Walking trails, rural tourism and outdoor sports make it easy to explore.

Three of its beaches — Galapinhos, Portinho da Arrábida and Figueirinha — are favourites with people from Lisbon and Setúbal. Above them stands the Convent of Our Lady of Arrábida, a former monastery founded in the 16th century and now cared for by the Fundação Oriente.