Palmela Castle

Palmela castle stands on a ridge of the Serra da Arrábida at around two hundred and forty metres, dominating the plain between Lisbon and Setúbal, and it was fought over accordingly: a Moorish fortification taken and lost repeatedly in the twelfth century before Afonso Henriques secured it and gave it to the Order of Santiago, which made it their headquarters in Portugal. The complex that grew inside the walls includes the fifteenth-century church and monastery of Santiago, the Gothic church of Santa Maria, a keep, and cisterns. The 1755 earthquake ruined Santa Maria, which stands roofless. Part of the monastery has been a pousada since 1979. The view is the other reason to come: vineyards of the Setúbal peninsula below, the Sado estuary, the Arrábida ridge, and Lisbon and the Tagus north on clear days.

What you actually see

• The walls and keep - a Moorish fortification held by the Order of Santiago.
• The monastery - the fifteenth-century Santiago complex, part of it now a pousada.
• Santa Maria - the Gothic church left roofless by the 1755 earthquake.
• The view - vineyards, the Sado estuary and Lisbon on clear days.

When to go

Year-round. Two hours. September brings the Festa das Vindimas, the wine harvest festival, which fills the town.

Honest expectations

Steep cobbled approach and uneven ground inside the walls. The pousada occupies part of the monastery, so some areas are for guests. Museum and church hours are limited. Haze often flattens the long view.

Nearby

Setúbal and the Sado are south; the Arrábida park runs west along the ridge.