The Rota Vicentina is the best linear hiking route in Portugal, with high beautiful landscape, a territory of sublime landscapes, where the Atlantic coast and the old ways of the pilgrims who crossed the Alentejo. All along the most beautiful and best preserved coastline of Southern Europe.

There are many options for walking the more than 420 kilometers of trails where besides the good signage is important to have the service of guides Walk in Alentejo.

Comprising the Historical Way, the Fishermen’s Trail and several Circular Routes, proposes a unique experience of two worlds, between a living and authentic rural culture and a surprisingly wild coastline – fully within Sw Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park.

Historical Way

Comprised mainly of rural trails, this is a classic Grand Route (GR), fully accessible to hikers and mountain bikers, with stretches of cork tree forests, mountain ranges, valleys, rivers and creeks, in a true journey through time, local culture and nature trails.
It comprises a total of 12 sections and 230 km.

This route seeks to re-establish the old trail that would have been used by pilgrims, travellers and locals on their journeys throughout the region. We learn its history from the fountains, churches, old country houses, the villages, the legends and the stories heard along the way.
It runs through the main towns and villages in a rural itinerary with several centuries of history.

Between Santiago do Cacém and Cape St. Vincent you will have the opportunity to pass through several towns and villages. Visit the churches, walk the streets, discover secrets and make conversation. This is a trail to be lived.

They are the guardians of the grasslands and paths of the Sierra. It is their voices that echo through the silence of the valleys and it is their presence that gives life to the landscape. If you ever get lost, always trust in the shepherds, after all they always know the way.

In fact it is the sea seen from the Sierra and the Sierra seen from the sea. The two arms of the Rota Vicentina both complement and contemplate each other. Whenever you’re there at the top, look for the horizon and see the Atlantic from the summit of the Sierra.

Portugal is the world’s largest producer of Cork – only 8% of the country produces more than 50% of the worlds cork. To walk this route is a way to discover the wonderful world of Cork.

Fishermen's Trail

Always running along the coastline, it follows the trails used by locals to get to the beaches and hot fishing spots.
It is a single track along the cliffs,with plenty of sand, which can only be travelled by foot, and more demanding from a physical point of view.
A challenge to a permanent contact with the ocean winds, the harsh coastal scenery and the wild and powerful natural landscape.
It comprises a total of 4 sections and 5 complementary circuits, totaling 120 km.

Trail with some degree of difficulty and not recommended for people with vertigo or fear of heights. The cliffs are systems in constant process of erosion. Walking along it, necessarily represents danger of falling. Be careful.

The Fishermen’s Trail is entirely within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park, stretching between S. Torpes and Burgau. Use only the marked trails and only camp in proper campsites.

The Alentejo and Vicentina Coast is one of the best preserved coastlines in all of Europe. Wild beaches, towering cliffs, biodiversity, an authentic culture and a temperate climate make the Sw of Portugal an ideal destination for nature tourism.

This is a land of sea, where fishing has always been a livelihood. These trails were shaped by the constant trek between the villages and the fishing spots which, more often than not, were difficult to reach. This trail could only be given one name – Fishermen’s’ Trail.

In Porto Covo, Odeceixe and Arrifana you can take the Historical Way and set off on a discovery of the lesser known side of the region. Combine both paths and enjoy the best of both worlds, together they will give you the essence of this land.