Sagres

Sagres has the distinction of sitting on the most southwesterly point in Europe and is one of the most historically important places in Portugal. Located on this windswept, barren tip of the continent was an incredibly advanced school of seafaring—the scene of exciting advances in navigation that changed the world forever. The Sagres School of Navigation was founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, a man of incredible genius and foresight who surrounded himself with the most gifted men of the times—astronomers, geographers, cartographers, ship designers, and seamen. The advances in technology made here during the 15th century made possible the great voyages of discovery to the Cape of Good Hope by Bartolomeo Dias in 1488 and, ultimately, to India by Vasco da Gama in 1498. The Portuguese thus accomplished what Columbus failed to do and opened a sea route from Europe to the spice-rich Orient. It was also here that the caravel (a fast, wide-hulled boat with a large number of masts) was designed and built in secret. With its increased speed, stability, and ability to carry a large crew, the caravel set the style for ships for the next century. Following signs through the town following directions to Cape Saint Vincent, you will see a low-lying whitewashed fortress on the headland standing on the site of the school’s original buildings, which were destroyed by Francis Drake in 1597. In the courtyard is an immense stone rosa dos ventos, or compass rose, supposedly used for instruction during Prince Henry’s time. A few kilometers west of Sagres is the little 17th-century fort of Beliche and a bit further beyond Sagres is Cape Saint Vincent. This rocky promontory has been the scene of numerous sea battles throughout the history of Portugal, guarding as it does the entrance to the narrow channel into the Mediterranean. Giant fingers of rock jut out into the ocean wild setting, it’s easy to see how earlier Europeans might have equated this desolate spot with the end of the earth. You can climb the lighthouse installed in an old convent for an even more panoramic view of the Atlantic. The cape’s name stems from the legend that the remains of Saint Vincent, Portugal’s patron saint, washed ashore here before later reappearing in Lisbon. Along with fishing and diving, a popular pastime in this area is renting bicycles to tour the area out to the cape. The secluded beaches in this area, punctuated with the craggy rock outcroppings so strongly associated with the Algarve, make attractive destinations, especially at sunset. The beaches here are far less congested than farther east.