Cabo da Roca, Praia da Ursa & Azenhas do Mar: Sintra Coast Guide

Ten kilometres west of Sintra's forested palace peaks, the granite massif of the Serra de Sintra plunges 140 vertical metres straight into the foaming rollers of the North Atlantic Ocean. Here at Cabo da Roca (38°47' North, 9°30' West) stands the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent. In 1572, Portugal's national poet Luís Vaz de Camões immortalised this headland in Os Lusíadas as "Onde a terra se acaba e o mar começa" ("Where the land ends and the sea begins"). Combining an afternoon trip out to the cliffs of Cabo da Roca and the sea stacks of Praia da Ursa with the whitewashed cliff village of Azenhas do Mar and a sunset bus ride down to Cascais creates the ultimate coastal finale to a Sintra itinerary.

01How to Reach Cabo da Roca from Sintra & Cascais (Buses 1253 & 1624)

Since the regional bus network reorganisation under Carris Metropolitana, the old Scotturb 403 bus number has been replaced by two modern yellow regional routes that serve the Cabo da Roca lighthouse turnaround directly:

• Bus 1253 (Circular Cabo da Roca Loop from Sintra). This bus departs every 20 to 30 minutes from outside Portela de Sintra Train Station (one rail stop east of Sintra Station, or a 12-minute walk from Estefânia). It also runs via Colares and Azóia directly to Cabo da Roca in 35 to 40 minutes before looping back.
• Bus 1624 (Sintra Station to Cabo da Roca to Cascais). This route connects Portela de Sintra and Sintra Train Station through Colares up to Cabo da Roca (45 minutes). It then continues south past the surf dunes of Praia do Guincho into Cascais Terminal (25 minutes).

As of November 2026, a single ticket paid in cash to the driver on Bus 1253 or 1624 costs €2.60. Just €1.55 if you tap in with a Lisbon Navegante card pre-loaded with Zapping credit (and is 100% covered if you hold the €11.15 24-hour Navegante Metropolitan pass). If you ride out to Cabo da Roca by Uber or Bolt (€12.00 to €16.00 from Sintra), never rely on hailing a rideshare back from the cliffs at sunset. Mobile signal at the cape is weak and drivers rarely wait there, so check the Bus 1624 and 1253 departure board as soon as you arrive.

02At Cabo da Roca & Hiking to the Sea Stacks of Praia da Ursa

Known to the Romans as Promontorium Magnum and to 16th-century sailors as the "Rock of Lisbon", the windswept plateau of Cabo da Roca sits 140 metres above boiling Atlantic surf. Walk out to the stone cross monument inscribed with Camões' verse and view the square red-and-white tower of the Cabo da Roca Lighthouse (Farol do Cabo da Roca). It began operating in 1772 under the Marquis of Pombal, making it the third-oldest purpose-built lighthouse on the Portuguese coast, with a beam that reaches 48 kilometres out to sea. Inside the tourist office beside the lighthouse, you can purchase an optional calligraphy-inscribed parchment certificate stamped with wax confirming your visit to the westernmost point of Europe (around €11.00 as of November 2026).

Instead of lingering only at the paved fence, turn right (north) from the lighthouse car park onto the sandy coastal footpath carpeted in purple heather. Succulent ice plants (chorão-da-praia) for a flat 20-minute (1.2-kilometre) walk to the clifftop viewpoint over Praia da Ursa. From the rim, you look straight down onto two colossal rock monoliths rising out of the surf. Rocha da Ursa ("Bear Rock") resembles a mother bear cradling her cub together with the spire of Gigante. The upper cliff viewpoint is an easy walk for anyone in sneakers. However, the scramble down the 100-metre cliff gully to the sand of Praia da Ursa is steep and suitable only for experienced hikers in dry weather.

03Azenhas do Mar, Praia das Maçãs & the 1904 Sintra Atlantic Tram

Seven kilometres north of Cabo da Roca along the coastal road sits Azenhas do Mar ("Watermills of the Sea"), one of the most photogenic coastal villages in Portugal. Clinging to a sheer basalt promontory where a stream once powered grain watermills, whitewashed cottages with blue-and-yellow tile friezes cascade down the cliff. At the base sits a natural rock-cut ocean swimming pool that refills with fresh Atlantic waves at high tide. Walk out onto the southern cliffside viewpoint (Miradouro das Azenhas do Mar) at golden hour for the classic postcard framing of the village. Dine on freshly grilled fish or barnacles at the renowned clifftop restaurant Azenhas do Mar directly above the breakers.

Two kilometres south of Azenhas do Mar lies the golden beach of Praia das Maçãs ("Beach of the Apples"). It takes its name from the ripe apples from Colares orchards that floated down the river each autumn. From Estefânia in Sintra, you can ride the historic 1904 Elétrico de Sintra (Sintra Atlantic Tram) for 45 minutes through plane-tree avenues and vineyards down to the beach. Single tickets cost €5.00 as of November 2026; check the municipal website for current seasonal timetables.

4. Sample Afternoon Route: Sintra → Azenhas do Mar → Cabo da Roca → Cascais.

Here is the smoothest way to string the entire Sintra-Cascais Atlantic coastline together in a single afternoon without a rental car. At 13:00, after finishing your morning visit to Quinta da Regaleira or Pena Palace, take Bus 1241, Bus 1254, or a 15-minute Uber (€10.00 to €13.00) from Sintra down to Azenhas do Mar. Enjoy a long seafood lunch overlooking the whitewashed cliff cottages and the natural ocean pool, followed by a walk along the surf at neighbouring Praia das Maçãs.

At 15:45, take a coastal bus or short taxi south through the sand-dune vineyards of Colares to Cabo da Roca. Walk the 20-minute clifftop heather trail north to photograph the giant sea stacks of Praia da Ursa, then return to the 1772 Cabo da Roca lighthouse for sunset over the Atlantic. Before dusk falls, board Carris Metropolitana Bus 1624 (€2.60 cash or €1.55 Navegante Zapping) for the scenic 25-minute coastal ride past the windsurfing dunes of Praia do Guincho into Cascais. There you can eat dinner in the old fishing port before taking the 40-minute CP coastal train along the Tagus River back to Lisbon's Cais do Sodré station.

Inside the small Visitor Post beside the Cabo da Roca lighthouse courtyard, travellers can also purchase a traditional hand-calligraphed parchment certificate stamped with wax seal confirming their visit to the westernmost point of continental Europe (€11.00 as of November 2026).