Adventure in Lisbon Awaits

While the Portuguese capital of Lisbon is known for its historic architecture, old town areas and beaches, the city is surrounded by landscape that offers a range of activities for adventure seekers. 

Arrábida Nature Park The Arrábida Nature Park is a mountainous area with treelined paths winding down to coves and beaches. 

The Serra do Rosco here is the highest point on the Portuguese coast. There are w trails for hiking and cycling, with some of the remotest routes only accessible with an official guide. 

The area is also known for the caves that cut through the limestone and can be explored with tours. 

Divers can discover marine life in the Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, which has been created to protect and restore habitats off the Arrábida coastline, or the wreck of the River Gurara cargo ship off the coast of the town of Sesimbra. Surfing Ericeira is Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve. 

Experienced surfers head for the perfect wave conditions at beaches including Pedra Branca, Coxos and Ribeira d’Ilhas. 

Foz do Lizandro and Praia dos Pescadores offer calmer swells for beginners. 

Monsanto Forest Park Monsanto Forest Park, known as the ‘Lungs of Lisbon’, provides varied terrain that gives mountain bike riders the chance to tackle technical climbs and exhilarating descents, tight switchbacks and rocky patches challenging a range of skill levels. 

There are waymarked trails that are also used by hikers and joggers, plus biking routes that have been carved out by local riders. 

Sintra-Cascais Nature Park Sintra-Cascais Nature Park stretches from the peaks of the Sintra Mountains to the cliffs of Cape Roca, continental Europe’s westernmost point. 

Here hikers have coastal paths and steep and strenuous mountain trails. 

Rota do Cabo da Roca leads to the end of Europe, a circuit of the Sintra mountains that takes hikers past the famous Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. 

Tapada Nacional de Mafra Located next to Mafra's palace, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra Nature Park was established in the 18th century by King João V. 

This once-royal hunting ground covers 800 hectares of pristine wilderness that is home to deer and wild boar. 

Explorers can hike or bike around the park, or take a guided tour in an electric buggy or by horsedrawn carriage. 

Sado Estuary Nature Reserve The Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, where the Sado River meets the Atlantic, is a marshland habitat that offers dolphinwatching tours. AllWays Traveller to Lisbon) https://www.allwaystraveller.com/continents/europe/alittle-ragged-around-the-edges-is-lisbon-s-charm 

* www.visitlisboa.com 

* Daniel Johnson at dan@humewhitehead.co.uk