This natural reserve protects the Sado Estuary, a biologically rich area of wetlands extending east and south of Setúbal. With more than 250 avian species, this is a prime spot for birdwatching. The little-visited Moinho de Maré da Mouriscas, 8km east of Setúbal, has short walking trails and a bird observatory across the mudflats.
Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado
Setúbal
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.83 MILES
Belém’s undisputed heart-stealer is this Unesco-listed monastery. The mosteiro is the stuff of pure fantasy: a fusion of Diogo de Boitaca’s creative…
24.03 MILES
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23.7 MILES
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24.98 MILES
Set in a lemon-fronted, 17th-century palace, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is Lapa’s biggest draw. It presents a star-studded collection of European…
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian – Coleção do Fundador
25.86 MILES
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24.19 MILES
Don't leave the city without riding popular tram 28E from Largo Martim Moniz. This rickety, screechy, gloriously old-fashioned ride from Praça Martim…
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
24.53 MILES
Hitch a ride on vintage Ascensor da Glória from Praça dos Restauradores, or huff your way up steep Calçada da Glória to this terrific hilltop viewpoint…
Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira
27.09 MILES
This 17th-century former hunting pavilion is in the Benfica neighbourhood. Italian Renaissance influences are blended with Portuguese-inspired blue-and…
Nearby Setúbal attractions
1. Moinho de Maré da Mouriscas
2.46 MILES
This former tide mill built in 1601, which also houses a gallery and cafe, is a worthwhile nature-tourism interpretive centre amid prime birdwatching…
2. Museu do Trabalho Michel Giacometti
6.66 MILES
How does the sardine get in the tin and 1001 other fishy mysteries are solved at this quirky, rarely visited museum, set in a former sardine-canning…
3. Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia
6.78 MILES
This small, rambling museum showcases prehistoric, proto-historic and Roman collections as well as traditional artefacts of fishing, gathering and salt…
6.99 MILES
All streets in the pedestrianised old town seem to lead to this mosaic-cobbled square, presided over by the arcaded bright-purple town hall. It’s a sunny…
7.02 MILES
This newish art space has a packed cultural calendar. Wander through changing exhibitions on the main floor, or stop in for an evening concert of jazz…
7.08 MILES
Setúbal’s man-made wonder is this sand-coloured stunner, the first known example of Manueline architecture, adorned with gargoyles and twirling turrets…
7. Cais Palafítico da Carrasqueira
7.48 MILES
Built in the 1950s and 1960s, this ramshackle, zigzagging, interlocking pier on wooden stilts is one of Europe's last surviving of its kind. At sunset, it…
7.89 MILES
Worth the 500m schlep uphill to the west, the castle was built by Filipe I in 1590 to fend off an English attack on the invincible Armada. Converted into…