Grândola Alentejo Guide | Portugal Visitor

Grândola

Portugal City Travel Guide: Grândola

Grândola is a small town in the municipality of Setúbal in the Baixo Alentejo region.

It is 24 km directly south of Alcácer do Sal and not far from the beaches of the Tróia Peninsula on the Sado River.

The town has a population of around 15,000 inhabitants and an interesting recent history connected to the events of the 1974 Carnation Revolution.

History

The area around Grândola is believed to have been settled from the Stone Age.

During the Roman period the whole area possibly had a higher population and level of economic activity than it does today. The Roman ruins at nearby Cetobriga on the Tróia Peninsula were once the largest fish salting center in the Roman Empire and were in use until the 6th century.

Another Roman site in the area is the Barragem do Pego da Moura – a small dam with 3 meter-high walls and the remains of the dam’s buttresses and traces of what is thought to have been a water mill.

The first village of Grândola seems to have begun following the period of Islamic hegemony in Iberia. It was then administered by knights of the Order of Santiago who also controlled nearby Palmela Castle and Almada.

By the end of the 16th century, the village had grown into a small town with a town hall (Paços do Concelho), a jail, a pillory, a hospital, as well as several small chapels and churches.

The growing of cork trees has long been an important economic activity along with mining for copper pyrites, first at Canal Caveira, beginning in 1863, and later in Lousal. The mines are now closed but a museum, the Museu Mineiro do Lousal, which opened in 2001 has exhibits of mining machinery and the engines of the original power station that supplied both the mine and the local area. Visitors to the mine shaft can learn about several species of bat, that have made their home here. The Centro Ciência Viva do Lousal is also on the site of the old mines.

Attractions

Things to see in Grândola include the Antigos Paços do Concelho (Old Town Hall) on Rua Dr. Jacinto Nunes and several churches, chief among them the Igreja Matriz de Grândola.

The large Memorial ao 25 de Abril is dedicated to the song Grândola, Vila Morena by José Afonso aka Zeka (1929-1987), a leftist folk and fado singer in opposition to the Salazar regime.

The song was chosen as the second and definitive password, transmitted on the radio, for troops to march to Lisbon on April 25th 1974.

Zeka, who spent the final years of his life in nearby Setúbal and is buried there, is also honoured with other memorials in the town.

Another musical highlight of the area is Cante Alentejano, vocal music without instrumentation sung by groups of male singers. It is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity along with another Portuguese musical genre, fado.

Grândola Tourist Office

Praça Marquês de Pombal, 1 e
37570-139
Tel: 269 750 429

Getting to Grândola

Bus Travel in Portugal

Buses to + from Grândola

There are buses from Grândola to Lisbon (Sete Rios; 1 hour, 45 minutes), Almada (1 hour, 30 minutes), Setubal (1 hour), Beja (70 minutes), Alcácer do Sal (30 minutes), Santiago do Cacém and Sines (55 minutes).

Buses to + from Setubal

There are frequent bus services from Setubal to Lisbon (Sete Rios) as well as to Évora (95 minutes) and Faro (4 hours for the quickest buses).

Buses to Setubal also run from Cacilhas and Palmela. From Sete Rios Bus Station Rede Expressos buses to Setubal take 45 minutes and cost 6 Euros. There are buses from 7.30 am to 8.30 pm.

Transportes Sul de Tejo (TST) buses run from outside the main station. These are the 413 to Freeport, the 561 to Campolide and Praça de Espanha in Lisbon, the 562 to Gare do Oriente, the 563 to Praça de Espanha and Gare do Oriente, the 605 to Palmela, the 609 to Vale Ana Gomes, the 614 to Alto da Guerra, the 767 to Azeitão and the 768 to Palmela and Azeitão. The wine-producing town of Palmela, 10 km north, is worth visiting for Palmela Castle.

Train Travel in Portugal

Grândola Station is on the Lisbon to Faro Line. At Faro Station passengers can transfer to the Algarve Line (Linha do Algarve) for Lagos to the west or Tavira, Olhão and Vila Real de Santo Antonio on the Spanish border to the east.

Trains to Setúbal

There are daily trains to Setúbal Station from Entrecampos Station in Lisbon. The private commuter rail network Fertagus connects Lisbon (Entrecampos, Sete Rios & Campolide) with Setúbal over the River Tagus on the Ponte 25 de Abril Bridge.

Car Travel in Portugal

Grândola is approximately a 60-minute drive from Setúbal on the A2 (IP1) highway.

Setúbal easily connects with Lisbon via the A12/IP1 and A1 motorways and to Faro and the Algarve via IC1 or E1/IP1.

From and to Sines take the A26 road. Travel time is around 40 minutes for the 47-km journey.

Beja is 68 km east on the IP8.

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From the Airport

The nearest airport to Grândola is in Lisbon.

Casa Morgados – guest house with outdoor swimming pool, Rua 1.º de Dezembro, 7570-143 Grândola
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Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation

Featured Hotels

Other recommended places to stay in Grândola include the Villa Center, Herdade das Barradas da Serra, Casa Vaz, and Casa Vaz 2.

See a listing of all available hotels and guesthouses in Grândola.

Troia Design Hotel – 5 Star, casino, a spa and two outdoor swimming pools, Tróia – Carvalhal, 7570-789
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If visiting on a day trip from Setúbal, there is a cluster of hotels located near Setúbal Station including the recommended four star Meliá Setúbal Hotel, the Hotel Arangues, three stars and the four star Luna Esperanca Centro Hotel.

See a listing of all available hotels in Setúbal.

Eating

Some recommended places to eat are A Talha De Azeite on Rua de Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, A Espiga on R. Dr. Júlio do Rosário Costa and Taberna D’Vila on Largo de São Sebastião.

Drinking

For a drink try the Bar da Malta at Rua Infante Dom Henrique, 60.

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The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
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