Choosing to explore the Troia peninsula by bicycle allows guest to discover all the secret little corners unreached by car travellers. This wide strip of golden sand, surrounded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other by the Sado River is flat and very attractive to cyclists. They have 20 bikes fitted with special tyres suitable for the sandy terrain with helmets and locks included. 

If you fancy a day out in the city why not take a trip to Lisbon [1hr away] and check out the century old wooden trams and iron funiculars that still lurch and rumble their way among the seven steep hills over which this city lies. Or witness the best of this bygone heritage by wandering through the Baixa District where age old herbalists, haberdashers and tailors rub shoulders in the baroque streets of this ornate city.

Meander up one of Lisbon’s loftiest hills to the Moorish Alfama neighbour­hood where sunset amber walls and dusty lanes orbit the Arabic medieval castle that looms, omnipresent, over the terracotta rooftops of the city below. At the imperial Belém waterfront, Portugal’s 'Age of Discoveries' is celebrated in the form of a lavish monastery and impressive river facing statues, built with the coin of one of the most ostentatious colonial empires in history.

Top 5 attractions [click]
An insider's guide to the best things to do and attractions in Lisbon, including visiting Tram 28 and Museu Gulbenkian

Lisbon Itineraries [click]
An insider's guide to what to do on a short break in Lisbon, including the best coffee shops, lunch stops and sights

Shopping [click]
An insider's guide to the best boutiques and shopping districts in Lisbon, including the top boutiques for jewellery, designer fashions, crafts and antiques. designer, Ana Salazar, has her shop on R do Carmo.

Nightlife [click] 
An insider's guide to the best bars and nightclubs in Lisbon, including the top spots for live music and nightclubs for dancing.

Enjoy the River Sado estuary and the Arrábida and Tróia coast by boat and watch the Bottlenose dolphins, a friendly community that live at the mouth of the river. Guided tours are in English and there is a possibility of taking a swim during summertime with the dolphins!

Marvel at the scenery as you gallop through the private 14,000 hectare Herdade da Comporta Estate encountering mature pine forests, pristine beaches, the swirl of the Atlantic Ocean and the stillness and calm of the Sado Estuary. Enjoy the sport of Kings - bridle your horse and ride like the wind through this privileged and paradisiacal area of Portugal. The intensified colours of blue and green encapsulate the sky with the sea as birdsong calls out from within the tranquility of the area. 

The museum's facilities are located in an old rice mill dating back to 1952 when Herdade da Comporta first began to process rice. This building has a restaurant also called 'The Rice Museum' with a long tradition in the region, offering full catering services. Nearby this mill used to be several workshops with a collection of tools for carpentry and metalwork and an ironmonger’s forge, directly or indirectly related to rice cultivation. These workshops were used for equipment maintenance and provided homes for skilled workers, offices, the cafeteria, the butcher, the bakery, the barbershop, the house sewing, and a church. The workshops were also used for manufacturing tools and vehicles for the crop cultivation and other agricultural activities [livestock and vegetables], for fabrication of moulds for concrete boundary markers, and other official duties. Until the late sixties, the estate’s economy was self-sufficient. Finding themselves far from urban centres and with little means of communication this close knit community continued to live off the land even as it was being bought by different economic groups.

The Rice Museum is temporarily closed

With sumptuous handmade silk scarves and always something a little different alongside stunning silver jewellery items this is a small shop but Same Same with its crisp white walls and black and white photography is worth a visit. This is the place to find a shining, soft, beautiful companion to bring the sparkle out in you!

At the crossroads of the Sado Estuary and Serra da Arrábida, Troia Golf Championship Course is an 18 hole, par 72 course, 6.317 metres alongside the beach with a magnificent sea view. Designed by the American golf architect Trent Jones Senior, Troia Golf was elected one of the best golf courses in the world by Rolex in 2011, and now features in the guide The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses. There are two holes worth mentioning in particular - 3 and 18. Hole 3 a par 4 that fits perfectly in the landscape with a magnificent sea view.