Nearest Pousadas:
- Santiago Cacem 140Km
- Sta Clara Velha 105Km
- São Bras Alportel 115Km
Interesting Places:
- Wind Compass (Sagres Fortress)
- N. Sra. da Graça Chapel (16th Century)
- S. Vicente Cape
- Vila do Bispo Cathedral
- Atlantic beaches
- Natural Park of Southwestern Alentejo
Fairs and markets:
- Our Lady of Graça (Sagres)
- Annual Fair (Vila do Bispo)
Pousada History:
This purpose-built Pousada has a superb position on the cliff-top overlooking Sagres fort and the lighthouse of Cape St Vicent, off which many great sea battles have been fought by the likes of Admirals Drake, Rodney, Nelson and Napier.
Since its erection in 1960, the Pousada has been constantly improved to cater for the increasing number of visitors who want to see this most south westerly corner of Europe and to learn something of the history of the man who gave his name to the Pousada, Infante D. Henrique, is Portuguese for Prince Henry, the son of King João I and his English-born queen Philippa Lancaster, who founded a navigation school here early in the 15th century.
As you sip your Sagres beer on the terrace, remember Prince Henry planned expeditions which prodded and probed their way down the west coast of Africa and then, via the Azores and Madeira, to the New World. His fleets reached India and it is no coincidence that Bombay is so named. It is a corruption of the Portuguese boa baía (good bay). Goa, which has beaches to rival Portugal’s, remained Portuguese territory until 1961.
Even Christopher Colombus had the good sense to marry a Portuguese girl and do some of his navigational training at Sagres. It is a tragedy that more is not made of this cornerstone of history when Portugal was at its zenith.
Someone with the imagination of a Prince Henry the Navigator is badly needed to create displays to explain the 15th century achievements of this great maritime nation. There used to be a little cinema which made some attempt to paint a picture of the past. Since this shut down, street vendors now have pride of place on a historic site which promises so much and achieves so little.
Like many promontories in the southwest of other European countries, Sagres is shaven by the prevailing wind. It is bare, blustery and bleak; yet it has a strange, severe and haunting beauty. In the calm summer months, the stillness, tranquillity and the friendly sparkling sea are but a welcome interlude before the winter winds whistle across the empty plains, and the snarling seas thrash against cliffs with awe inspiring ferocity. Spume is flung high into the lowering sky and shipping keeps well off the point.
There are several sheltered sandy beaches. Bird watching, wind-surfing and fishing are popular local pastimes. Have a look at Lagos (33 Kms). It is a port with a new marina, but way back in history many of Prince Henry’s early caravels were built here. His statue stands in the square where the well-preserved Mercado dos Escravos (slave market) it’s a timely reminder that not only gold, ivory and spices were brought back from those newly-found lands across the seas.
The efficiency and friendliness of this modern Pousada compensate for the disappointments of the Infante’s ‘navigation school’. If you wish to arrive in style, there is now a heliport.