A Portugal cycling holiday to the westernmost point in Europe
The Cabo de São Vicente (Cape St Vincent) is situated 6km from Sagres and is the westernmost point of Europe. On the summit of the 80m high cliff is a red lighthouse dating back to 1906 that has been successively enlarged and modernized over the decades and is now home to the Museu dos Faróis (lighthouse museum) highlighting the importance of Sagres in the maritime history of Portugal. We highly recommend visiting this fascinating museum to learn more about the time of the Great Discoveries.
Being one of the most powerful lighthouses in Europe and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, Cape St Vincent is an absolute must see on your self-guided Portugal cycling trip. Known as Europe’s wild and untamed extremity, the Cape is an important flight route for the migrating birds that fly over as they arrive from and fly to Africa and the sunsets over the sea are quite simply breath taking and like nothing you have ever seen.
Cycling in Portugal along the Algarve coastal trails, rich in history and mythology
The name ‘Cabo de São Vicente’ comes from a Spanish priest martyred at the beginning of the 4th century. Legend has it that his remains were brought ashore on Promontorium Sacrum, the Sacred Cape, as the area was then known. During the Middle Ages, for the people of Rome, the Cape St Vincent was regarded as the ‘end of the world’, a myth that lasted many years until one man decided to put an end to what he considered ‘a nonsense idea’ and end the Dark Ages. This man was Prince Henry the Navigator, the father of Portugal’s golden age. It is from here, this westernmost point, that Prince Henry planned the great Portuguese maritime expeditions to the African coasts.
Our Intura cycling holiday in Portugal gives you the opportunity to discover this remarkable place full of history and explore the beautiful surrounding fishing villages either on foot or by bike.
