150 years that Setúbal was elevated to a city

On the 19th April 2010 Setúbal commemorates 150 years that was elevated to a city.

Setúbal was born from the river and the sea and became one of Portugal's most important commercial and industrial centres in the 19th century. It was elevated to a city in 1860 by King Pedro V of Portugal.

Many events and celebrations are taking place, celebrating not only being elevated to a city but also all the years of history that runs trough Setubal streets. In fact, if you go for a walk here, you're able to breathe and feel its history.

Amongst other places you can visit the main historical monument of the city of Setúbal that is the Monastery of Jesus, with a 15th-16th century church that represents one of the first buildings in the Portuguese late Gothic style known as Manueline.

Also of interest are the São Julião Church, also with Manueline portals and The Castelo de São Filipe, a 16th-17th century fortress on the north bank of the Sado river, overseeing the city. More recent, you can also see in Setúbal the Escola Superior de Educação, a great building of Architecture designed by the world-renowned Portuguese Architect Siza Vieira.

Notable residents of the city of Setúbal are Bocage, a satirical poet, Luisa Todi, a classical singer, and José Mourinho, world famous football coach, currently coaching the team F.C. Internazionale Milano in Italy.

Watch the video in a tribute from Portugal Dream Coast to Setúbal:

Seagull Again Weekend

Portugal Dream Coast is thrilled to announce the weekend "Seagull Again" in the Setúbal region.

This major event will take place on the 14-16 May and offers you a weekend full of events and activities.

You can stay at one of our partner hotels in Tróia and will be able to enjoy many different activities taking place in the region, like:

Activities for family and friends: wine tasting, boat trips, dolphin watching in Sado river and jeep rides in Arrábida, amongst others.

Sports and adventure activities like rappel, surf lessons, kayaking and scuba diving. And to complete this wonderful weekend, the stunning party "Seagull Again" on the 15 May at the Tróia Design Hotel.

Watch the video below and see what this weekend is all about and everything you can enjoy. Soon you'll be telling you more details about the activities and how to register!

Birdwatching in Setubal

Portugal has been a wonderful destination for birdwatching and one of the country’s best birdwatching areas is Sado estuary in Setubal. If you are a birdwatching fan and you haven’t visited this place before, then the range of species here might well surprise you.

The Sado estuary is a Ramsar site of international importance. Here you can watch around 70.000 birds of more then 250 different species, all year round. The estuary incorporates a number of different habitats, ranging from inter-tidal mudflats, salt marshes, salt pans, rice fields, reed beds and river beaches, to sand-dunes, small dams and slopes covered in cork and pine.

Some of the areas of major interest include: Gâmbia, Zambujal, Pinheiro, Monte Novo de Palma, Batalha, Cachopos, Carrasqueira and Comporta.

This sparsely populated region is a vital stronghold for Great and Little Bustards - and excellent for birds of prey, too. Resident Eurasian Black Vultures and Eurasian Griffons share the skies with Spanish Imperial, Golden and Bonelli's Eagles, and by late February, the first Lesser Kestrels should be returning from their winter quarters in Africa.

Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Purple Swamphen and Eurasian Penduline-tit... all are to be looked for. More birds like Black Stork, Calandra and Thekla Larks, Eurasian Crag Martin, Blue Rock-thrush, Spanish Sparrow and Rock Bunting are among other exciting species to watch for as you can listen for the tell-tale chuckling of Black-bellied Sandgrouse flying over the steppe.

Each year this region is attracting more and more people from across the world interested in birdwatching and if you come to Setubal you have a bonus, because you might as well observe the small and unique population of Bottle-nosed Dolphins, resident in the estuary.


There are several birdwatching tours available in the Setubal estuary. Contact us if you're interested to know more.

Watch our It's Spring time in Setúbal video with images of several birds you can watch in Setubal estuary.

Prada postcard sunglasses from Setubal

The luxury fashion house Prada is launching by the end of March a limited edition summer collection of sunglasses that represents 6 cities across the world that are a holiday resort and on Prada’s city trip list.

And one of the destinies is Setubal.

Part of the collection "Postcards Sunglasses" with 6 six different sunglasses, the Setubal ones are totally in mat black with a retro design and tinted lenses in vogue this season.

Prada explains why it choose Setubal:

"Setubal has one of the most beautiful bays in the world. And recently they found more then 200 sea species at Arrabida. Setubal is bright yellow facades and balconies jutting out, welcoming. The famous old Mosteiro de Jesus topped with lace patterned stone and the great, colored ships in the port look, from a distance, like bobbing toys.

To celebrate the new Postcards line, Prada unveils a new short audio-tale by long-time collaborator Steven Meisel accompanied by this delightfully quirky fashion prose:

"We were at the seaside

Water the color of a cloudy bottle.
Maybe Forte dei Marmi or Montauk,
Biarritz or Setùbal.
A faded postcard is my sacred relic.
In lavender ink and her loopy hand:

Wish we were here."

Festroia in June - Cinema Festival in Setubal

Festroia is an international cinema festival that takes place every year in Setubal at Forum Luisa Todi, since 1985. This year it will take place on the 4-13 June.

The festival's competitive section is open to films from countries producing less than 30 features per year. The festival produces an award ceremony every year in the first week of June. The main award is the Golfinho de Ouro (Gold Dolphin).

This year the festival will also place a tribute to Slovak cinema, revealing that, although the Czech Republic and Slovakia are separate countries since 1993, the spirit of Czechoslovakia, that united them for decades, is still alive in art.

This festival usually brings together many well-known personalities like Pedro Almodovar, Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Christopher Walken, Mickey Rooney, Dennis Hopper, Lauren Bacall, Francesco Rosi, amongst others. Festroia is also part of FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations) that also included the Cannes festival.

It is a great opportunity to visit Setubal, watch some good films, meet new people and even spot some celebrities!

Setubal. Beautifully Yours

Roxette video recorded in Troia

Did you know that Roxette's music video "Anyone" was recorded in Troia?

Who knows the Setubal region?

. People that love relaxing or having romantic holidays know that the Setubal region is not crowded as the Algarve and they can actually walk along the white sandy beaches at their own pace.

. Golf players know Troia in Setubal because is has one of the top and most challenging Golf courses in Europe as well as the most beautiful sea views from a Golf course in the country.

. Dolphin lovers know the Setubal bay because is the only place in Portugal where you can watch dolphins in the wild. And they can even call them by their names!

. Scuba divers know the Setubal bay is great because they regularly vote it as one of the top diving spots of Europe.

. Cuisine and wine lovers know Setubal because it has one of the tastiest cheeses in the country, the best fish dishes and the well-known Moscatel wine, as well as several desserts and cakes that make them always wanting to come back for more.

. People that love nature know Setubal because of the stunning Arrabida range (which soon will be considered world heritage) where you can have the desired relaxing contact with nature, playing sports, walking or just meditating.

. People that love Sailing love Setubal, not only for its wonderful conditions to practise this sport, but also because its one of the locations where the World Sailing Match takes place.

. People that love photography know that Setubal offers the most stunning landscapes in Portugal.

. People that love beautiful Resorts and Inns know that the Setubal region has the most exclusive and romantic ones.

. People that like to know about a country's culture love Setubal because of the many cultural events happening and also the many historic locations they can visit like the Roman ruins in Troia.

What are your reasons to know Setubal?

If we can make you feel even a small part of what you could feel here, this Blog has served its purpose. Our time here, we hope, will make it easy for you to travel to Setubal or even choose it for your next Portuguese vacations. We're always adding to the Blog so keep looking back to for more information about this beautiful spot.

If there are any items you'd like to see on the Blog, please just let us know, this Blog is for you. Any suggestions or questions: carlaccsilva@gmail.com

“I live in Algarve but holiday in the Sado region ... we just love it there.”

Sarah Sykes, British citizen and follower of this Blog