Cabo da Roca

Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of mainland Portugal and of continental Europe, a cape about 140 metres above the Atlantic Ocean in the parish of Colares, municipality of Sintra. The cape is the western end of the Sintra hills and lies inside the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.

A lighthouse has worked on the cape since 1772.

What to see at Cabo da Roca

• Lighthouse: a stone tower 22 metres high on a keeper's house, with its light 165 metres above the sea. It was automated in 1990 and is still an active aid to navigation, with a range of about 48 kilometres.
• Stone monument: a stele near the cliff edge carries the coordinates of the cape and a line from Camões' poem Os Lusíadas, "onde a terra se acaba e o mar começa", where the land ends and the sea begins.
• Cliffs and coast: granite cliffs fall to the ocean, with views north along the Sintra coast and south towards Cascais and Guincho.
• Praia da Ursa: a small beach north of the cape, reached on foot by a steep path, with no lifeguard service.

History of Cabo da Roca

• Roman period: the Romans called the cape Promontorium Magnum.
• 1 February 1758: a charter of the Marquis of Pombal orders six lighthouses on the Portuguese coast, including one at Cabo da Roca.
• 1772: the lighthouse starts working. Parques de Sintra lists it as the second oldest lighthouse in service on the Portuguese coast.
• 1990: the lighthouse is automated.

Visiting Cabo da Roca

• Lighthouse visits: Parques de Sintra manages visits to the lighthouse. Its website publishes current opening times and prices.
• Access: a road leads to a car park next to the lighthouse, and marked walking trails reach the cape from Cascais, Colares and the Sintra hills.
• Safety: the cliff edges are exposed to strong wind, so visitors keep to the marked paths.

Beaches in Sintra