Moscatel & Palaces

The tiles of Bacalhôa, a moscatel tasting in Azeitão and sunset from Palmela castle.

A day of wine and tiles on the Setúbal peninsula: it begins at the Bacalhôa Palace, moves on to a moscatel tasting in Azeitão and ends at sunset at Palmela castle, with the Sado valley below. Visits and tastings are paid separately, and your driver does the driving. For couples and wine lovers.

The day, stop by stop

1. 

   1

   Palácio da Bacalhôa

   The Bacalhôa Palace is a fifteenth-century country house in Azeitão, surrounded by vineyards. It has a box-hedge garden, a large pool with a pavilion at the water's edge and walls covered in tiles from several periods, in rooms and loggias that open onto the garden. The visit takes in the house and gardens, and can be combined with a tasting of the estate's wines. The visit and tasting are paid separately and are best booked ahead. Look out for the tiles in the pavilion by the pool.

2. 

   2

   Azeitão

   Azeitão is a place of wine and sweets at the foot of the Arrábida hills. This is where Moscatel de Setúbal is made, a fortified wine tasted in old cellars such as the José Maria da Fonseca house in Vila Nogueira de Azeitão. The pastry shops sell tortas de Azeitão, rolled and rich with egg, and the grocers sell Azeitão cheese, creamy and full of flavour. Tastings and shopping are paid separately, and your driver does the driving. If you can, try an older, amber-coloured moscatel.

3. 

   3

   Castelo de Palmela

   Palmela castle crowns a hill between the Arrábida range and the Sado valley, with views reaching Setúbal, Tróia and, on clear days, Lisbon. Within the walls are a former convent of the Order of Santiago, now a pousada hotel, and the ruins of a church. You wander the walls and the keep at your own pace. Come late in the afternoon to watch the sun go down over the hills, and try a red wine from the Palmela region, paid separately.

The essentials

Duration

6 h · Day

Pick-up

At your hotel. The final price depends on where you are staying; we confirm it when you tell us.

Included

The car and the driver, only for your group, tolls and water.

Not included

Entrance tickets and meals.

Who it is for

Couples; wine lovers.

The route