Cape Roca

The grandest and most imposing of all of Lisbon’s viewing points isn’t in Lisbon. More specifically, the viewing point where nature reveals its true power isn’t in Lisbon. It lies between Cascais and Sintra and obliges visitors to travel along one of the prettiest roads in the region. The slow and winding climb doesn’t suggest the magnitude of the view from the most westerly point in continental Europe. Cape Roca, in the Sintra hills, combines calmness and inclement weather in one place; a wide, open area where the land drops abruptly into the sea from its 140-metre-high cliffs. You can buy souvenirs, but it’s the photos and pure sea air that will always remind you of the potency of the Atlantic. The 1772 lighthouse still safely guides the vessels that sail along the Portuguese coast.