Cabo de Sao Vicente Viewpoint

Viewpoint

Cabo de Sao Vicente, the Cape of Saint Vincent, marks the south-western extremity of mainland Europe. The headland projects into the Atlantic at the point where the Algarve's southern coast turns sharply north to become the wild Costa Vicentina of the western seaboard. The cliffs here rise 75 metres above the sea, and on a clear day the horizon stretches unbroken in every direction.

The cape takes its name from a tradition that the body of Saint Vincent of Saragossa was brought here by boat in the fourth century and guarded by ravens. A Franciscan monastery, now ruined, occupied the headland for centuries before being sacked by Sir Francis Drake in 1587. The lighthouse that stands here today was built in 1846 and is one of the most powerful in Europe, visible up to 60 nautical miles out to sea.

The wind at the cape is relentless. Even on calm summer days, a strong breeze blows across the headland, and in winter the Atlantic storms that batter this coast send spray over the cliff tops. The exposed conditions support a unique flora adapted to wind, salt and thin soil, including several species found nowhere else in the world.

A small cluster of stalls near the car park sells the last bratwurst before America, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the cape's geographical significance. Vendors also offer local honey, medronho and woollen goods. The sunset from Cabo de Sao Vicente is legendary, drawing crowds each evening through the summer months who watch the sun sink into the Atlantic from what feels like the edge of the known world. The headland is signposted from Sagres, four kilometres to the south-east.