Setúbal

Setúbal is a city in Estremadura, Portugal, on the northern bank of the Sado River estuary. The city is connected with the nearby Arrábida hills natural park, which offers an unspoiled nature and beautiful beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. A dolphin colony inhabits the Sado River. Across the river on the south bank lies the peninsula of Tróia, a place with vast white/golden sand beaches where several luxury hotels and resorts have been built. The Tróia peninsula can be sighted from the city, across the river. Albarquel, Figueirinha, Galápos, Galapinhos, Creiro and Portinho da Arrábida are some of the city's many beaches, located in the north bank of the estuary, at the very beginning of the Arrábida hills.

Understand




Setúbal (s(ih)-TOO-bahl, /sɨ.ˈtu.baɫ/) is a coastal town, known for its fishing activities, traditions and industrial area. It's the capital of the Setúbal district. You might also want to check out Serra da Arrábida, for the nature part of Setúbal.

Setúbal is notable for the industries of pulp, paper, cement, fertilizers, pesticides, other phytopharmaceutical products, thermal power, shipbuilding and ship repair. There is a lot of automobile assembling industr. The Port of Setúbal was the 4th busiest port in Portugal in 2012, with 7.4% of the cargo throughput in the country.

By plane
The nearest airport is Humberto Delgado Airport (IATA: LIS) in Lisbon.

By train
You can access Setúbal by trains from Lisbon, and most towns in the surrounding area. You also have lots of trains from anywhere to Lisbon, if there is not a direct train to Setúbal, you might want to consider getting one to Lisbon, and then to Setúbal. Also, if you are already downtown in the vicinity of Praça de Comércio, you don't have to backtrack to any of the rail stations, but can instead take a ferry from Terreiro do Paço terminal to Barreiro across the river and pick up a train from there; it's a different branch than the Lisbon-Setúbal line, and the combined travel time would be about the same.

By car
It shouldn't be a problem to find your way, Setúbal is a major town in the area, so, if you are around, you will have signs to point out your way. It is approximately 48 km (30 miles) south of Lisbon.

By bus
There are buses that serve from Lisbon to Setúbal every day and almost every hour a day, if you're in the capital it won't be a problem. There are also buses that serve the surrounding area towns.

By boat
The Tróia is a peninsula near Setúbal, and that is probably the only way to commercially reach Setúbal by boat.

On foot
The historic center of Setúbal, as well as the adjacent Avenida Luisa Todi, are flat and great to walk around, and where you can find a number of attractions, including the Livramento Market, the Convento de Jesus and the Setúbal Museum, on your way. If you can, stop for a meal at one of the many restaurants there.

By car
It is mandatory to take a tour, by car, motorbike or tuk-tuk, through Serra da Arrábida. Start at the end of Avenida Luisa Todi and walk through the Arrábida Natural Park where you will pass by fantastic beaches and stop at the viewpoints with a magnificent view over the Bay, considered one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

By bus
Buses serve the whole town and are generally OK on schedules and quality.

See


Stroll through downtown Setúbal on foot and discover the best of the city. Just ask how you can get to Avenida Luísa Todi, and the rest will work out just fine. You can see some of the nicer monuments, architecture and daily life there. Also, at the end of the venue you will enter Arrábida. And anywhere to the sides is filled with shops and typical streets with humble tascas (small coffee shops) where some of the best seafood in the country is served at cheap prices.

Do


You might want to go to Arrábida to enjoy nature at its best in the Setúbal area, but be careful, it's really not that hard to get lost there. Also, in Avenida Luisa Todi, and if want to experience the typical morning for many people, you can go to the fish market and see things around. Theatre Luisa Todi, if you are a theatre fan; shows will be in Portuguese, though.

You can also go for a walk in Albarquel Urban Park, near the Luisa Todi avenue.


 * Watch football at Vitória FC. In 2020 they fell foul of registration requirements and were double-relegated to Campeonato de Portugal, the third tier of soccer in the country. Their home ground Estádio do Bonfim (capacity 15,000) is next to the park.

Speleology
Tourist caves and dissemination of speleological heritage in Setúbal

Learn
There are several schools in Setúbal, and a polytechnic institute that is becoming nationally famous for its quality. It offers courses on the most varied areas ranging from Sports to Business Administration, Nursing or Mechanical Engineering.

Buy
There are many shops spread around the city, as normal. In the Luisa Todi area you will find many small shops and bigger clothing shops mostly. And there is the Shopping Center Alegro Setúbal, for your bigger needs.

Regional products

 * Regional products that you can also buy in Setúbal: In a patisserie, Tortas de Azeitão and in a delicatessen, Queijo de Azeitão.
 * Regional products that you can also buy in Setúbal: In a patisserie, Tortas de Azeitão and in a delicatessen, Queijo de Azeitão.
 * Regional products that you can also buy in Setúbal: In a patisserie, Tortas de Azeitão and in a delicatessen, Queijo de Azeitão.
 * Regional products that you can also buy in Setúbal: In a patisserie, Tortas de Azeitão and in a delicatessen, Queijo de Azeitão.

Eat
There are many typical restaurants where you can eat good grilled fish and typical food. There's also a good deal of fast-food shops and pizza places. You can also find Indian and Japanese food.

Drink
There's a nice selection of bars in downtown Setúbal.

Sleep
Most hotels and accommodation you can find are probably downtown (once again, Luisa Todi Avenue) and there is also a hotel near the Bonfim, which is near the bus station.

Stay safe
Setúbal is considered a generally safe area but it has some of the major problematic neighbourhoods in the country.

There are some parts of the city you might want to avoid, but the shabbiness will warn you of that. By day even in those parts you shouldn't have any problems, but be cautious. Take the usual precautions, mostly at night, in downtown Setúbal, but usually you won't have a problem. Avoid being alone but if you find yourself in that situation, just walk in very well lit places and with many people around or call/grab a taxi to take you to your destination.

Go next

 * Palmela
 * Grândola
 * Alcácer do Sal
 * Évora
 * Beja