Vila Nova de Milfontes

Milfontes is the main town of the Alentejo coast, built where the Mira widens into an estuary before reaching the sea, and its particular advantage is that it has two kinds of water. The estuary beaches - Franquia and the Praia do Farol - are sheltered, calm and noticeably warmer, which makes them workable for families and for swimming; a few hundred metres away the ocean beaches face the open Atlantic with the surf and cold of the rest of this coast. A small sixteenth-century fort guards the river mouth, built against Barbary corsair raids, and is now a private hotel. The Rota Vicentina passes through, and boats run up the Mira, which is navigable for some distance inland through quiet countryside. It is the busiest place on this coast in August and quiet the rest of the year.

What you actually see

• The two waters - warm sheltered estuary beaches beside cold ocean ones.
• The fort - a sixteenth-century structure at the river mouth, now a hotel.
• The Mira - a navigable river running inland through empty country.
• The Rota Vicentina - the long-distance trail passing through the town.

When to go

May to September for swimming. Two to four days. August is very busy; June and September are the best combination of weather and space.

Honest expectations

Ocean beaches here are cold with real currents. The town fills completely in August and accommodation prices double. Estuary currents on the outgoing tide are strong despite the calm appearance. Out of season many restaurants close.

Nearby

Porto Covo is north; Zambujeira do Mar is south along the coast.