Sagres

The greatest attraction of Sagres is the fact that Henry the Navigator apparently had a “navigator’s school” there.
 However, no one knows where this school was or what it looked like. The only thing that is certain is that, between 1420 and 1460, Prince Henry brought together the greatest international “brains” in the different fields of marine science in and around Sagres. It is almost impossible not to think of Henry’s school as a medieval research centre, a sort of predecessor of NASA. And you can imagine that it was situated inside the powerful walls of the fortress, located on Sagres’ main cape.

Breathtaking cliffs soar to the headland fortress from where you can see the seventeenth century fort in Beliche and the famous lighthouse situated at Cape St. Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente).
 Oozing with history, Cape St. Vincent is a windy and rugged spot. Nowadays, it’s the end of the line, well-known amongst climbers and mountaineers from all over the World and of great interest to botanists and bird watchers.


Near the lighthouse on Sagres headland, you can find a good example of a vertical natural vent that rises up from the roof of a cave (at the bottom of the cliff) towards the top of the rocks  When the sea is rough, you can hear the waves beating into the cave, forcing the air upwards and then downwards again.
 What really attracts our attention to the fort is the Wind Rose, which is a rocky circle with radial stones. Many people believe that Henry used it for his nautical calculations. In fact, its origin still remains unknown, but people think that it’s not very old.
Sagres is a must for visitors to the Algarve on account of its rocky landscape and historical connections.