Portuguese navigators itinerary

In the 15th and 16th centuries a small kingdom at the western edge of Europe, with little more than a million inhabitants, changed the history of the world. Portuguese caravels sailed down the coast of Africa, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached India, Brazil, China and Japan, building the first global maritime empire. These were the Descobrimentos, the discoveries: an age of courage, nautical science and fabulous wealth, but also of conquest and the African slave trade, which Portugal now remembers in museums and memorials.

This seven-day itinerary crosses the country from north to south in the navigators' wake: Porto, where Henry the Navigator was born, and the shipyard of Vila do Conde; Lisbon's Belém district, from which Vasco da Gama set sail; Sines, his home town; Lagos, the port of the first African expeditions; and Sagres with Cape St Vincent, the "end of the world" where Europe meets the ocean.

The age of discovery

It all began in 1415 with the conquest of Ceuta, in Morocco. The young Prince Henry, the king's third son, who would go down in history as the Navigator although he barely went to sea, spent forty years organising expeditions ever further south along the African coast, using the wealth of the Order of Christ. Portuguese sailors reached Madeira and the Azores, rounded the dreaded Cape Bojador in 1434 and, after his death, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. In 1498 Vasco da Gama reached India by sea, and in 1500 Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in Brazil. The spice trade made Lisbon one of the richest cities in Europe. See the Portuguese empire and the history of Portugal.

Day 1: Porto and the Casa do Infante

Arrive at Porto Airport. In the afternoon go down to the Ribeira, the quarter on the Douro, home to the Casa do Infante, the old royal customs house where tradition says Henry the Navigator was born in 1394: today it is a museum of the city's history, with Roman mosaics uncovered during excavations. It is said that Porto's people are called tripeiros, tripe-eaters, because in 1415 they gave all their meat to the ships leaving for Ceuta and kept only the offal for themselves. Try tripas à moda do Porto. In the evening cross the Luís I bridge and climb to the Serra do Pilar to see the city lit up. See Porto and the Ribeira and the bridges.

Where to stay: in Porto, for two nights.

Day 2: Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde (about half an hour by metro), at the mouth of the Ave river, was one of the great shipyards of the age of discovery. On the riverfront lies a replica of a 16th-century nau, the great cargo ship of the India routes, which you can explore inside, among holds, cabins and cannons: you understand how hard life on board was for months on end. Also visit the monastery of Santa Clara and the aqueduct that supplied it, and the lace museum, the craft of sailors' wives. In the afternoon return to Porto for the church of São Francisco, covered in gold from Brazil. See Vila do Conde.

Day 3: Lisbon and Belém

The train takes you to Lisbon in about three hours. In the afternoon head straight for Belém, the district on the Tagus from which the fleets set sail. The Jerónimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built with taxes on the pepper trade to celebrate Vasco da Gama's voyage, and he lies here in a marble tomb. It is the masterpiece of the Manueline style, with columns carved like ropes and branches, armillary spheres and symbols of the sea. Next door visit the Navy Museum, with model caravels, navigation instruments and nautical charts. Have a pastel de Belém at the historic pastry shop. See Belém.

Where to stay: in Lisbon, for two nights.

Day 4: Belém Tower and Lisbon

In the morning visit the 16th-century Belém Tower, a small fortress in the river that guarded the entrance to the port and has become Lisbon's symbol, with a rhinoceros carved beneath a turret, a reminder of the one the king sent as a gift to the pope. Along the river climb the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the monument shaped like a caravel's prow with Henry the Navigator at its head and dozens of navigators, cartographers and missionaries behind him; from the terrace you can see, set into the square's paving, a great compass rose with a world map and the dates of the discoveries.

In the afternoon climb to the Alfama and São Jorge castle, and stroll through the Baixa, rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, to Praça do Comércio, once the site of the royal palace and the Casa da Índia, the office that ran trade with the East. See Lisbon's museums.

Day 5: Sines

Pick up the car and drive down the coast to Sines (about an hour and a half), where Vasco da Gama was born around 1469. In the castle, on the headland above the port, a museum is devoted to the navigator, and on the viewpoint his statue gazes out to sea. Below the castle lies Vasco da Gama beach. In the afternoon continue south along the Costa Vicentina, one of the wildest coastlines in Europe, to Vila Nova de Milfontes or Aljezur, with cliffs and wave-battered beaches. See Sines and the Rota Vicentina.

Where to stay: in Vila Nova de Milfontes or along the coast.

Day 6: Lagos

Reach Lagos (about an hour and a half), in the Algarve, the port from which many of Henry's expeditions to Africa departed. On the Praça do Infante Dom Henrique stands his statue, and beside it is the Rota da Escravatura museum, on the site of the first African slave market in Europe, opened in 1444: a dark chapter in the history of the discoveries, told honestly. Visit the church of Santo António, lined with gold and azulejos, and the harbour fort. In the afternoon go to Ponta da Piedade, with golden cliffs, arches and sea caves, seen on foot from above or by kayak from below. See Lagos.

Where to stay: in Lagos, for one night, or two if you can.

Day 7: Sagres and Cape St Vincent

In the morning drive to Sagres (about half an hour), at the south-western tip of Europe. Henry the Navigator spent his last years here, and legend says he founded a "school of navigation" where cartographers, astronomers and sailors studied the routes. In the fortress of Sagres, on a headland plunging into the ocean, you see a great stone wind rose more than forty metres across and a small church. A few kilometres away, Cape St Vincent, with its lighthouse, was for the ancients the end of the known world: at sunset the sun drops into the Atlantic in front of the cliffs. Then drive to Faro Airport (about an hour and a half). See Sagres.

How much it costs

To save money: the Lisboa Card gives free entry to the Jerónimos and Belém Tower; in the Algarve hotels cost half as much out of season. A combined ticket covers the Jerónimos and other Belém monuments.

Practical information

• Belém: the Jerónimos and the Tower have long queues; book online or arrive at opening time, and remember they close on Mondays.
• Costa Vicentina: the ocean is cold and the currents strong; swim only on lifeguarded beaches.
• Ponta da Piedade: boat and kayak trips into the caves leave from Lagos harbour; they are suspended in rough seas.
• Car return: returning in Faro a car hired in Lisbon carries a one-way fee.
• Documents: EU citizens only need a valid identity card. See getting to Portugal.

Variations

• Madeira and the Azores: the first islands discovered by the navigators; see Madeira and the Azores.
• Belmonte: the birthplace of Pedro Álvares Cabral, who reached Brazil; see Belmonte.
• Tomar: the convent of the Order of Christ, which financed the discoveries; see the Templar itinerary.
• Viana do Castelo: the cod-fishing port and the hospital ship Gil Eannes; see Viana do Castelo.

What to read before you go

The epic of the discoveries, Camões's The Lusiads; for history, a good book on the Portuguese empire and the discoveries; and for older readers, Stefan Zweig's Magellan. See also the Algarve.

Final tips

• Pace: in Lisbon, Belém deserves a full day; don't try to see it all in an afternoon.
• Combinations: from Lisbon you can link up with the literary itinerary; from Sagres continue along the beaches of the Algarve.
• A tip: at Cape St Vincent bring a jacket even in summer and stay until sunset: looking at the endless ocean, you understand the courage of those who sailed without knowing what lay on the other side.

See also our other itineraries in Portugal.

Belém on the map

Nearby