Setúbal is a city about 40 minutes away from Lisbon. It was the main center of the fishing industry in the early 20th century and was a very industrial city. They also produce Moscatel wine there. It is not as big as Lisbon but it has over 100k people. When we were looking for apartments, our realtor found us one in Setubal. It was not our first choice because we didn’t know anything about the city. However, once I started researching it, it sounded like a pretty cool place. That apartment fell through though and we ended up in Tavira. We decided to take a trip up for a night to check it out. We were going to go up to Lisbon for the Hauser concert and to pick up my Mom so we decided to go up a day early and explore what could have been our home.
Our Trip
We booked a small apartment that was close to the town center. It was a great location, conveniently located and within walking distance to everything. We arrived around 1 and we were starving so as soon as we dropped our bags we headed out to find some food. I always check the Find Me Gluten Free app but there weren’t many choices listed. Luckily, a lot of Portuguese food is naturally gluten free so I don’t usually have any problems finding something.
We walked around a bit and found this super cute restaurant called Sem Horas in the town center. It had such a beautiful atmosphere. There were gorgeous floral tapestry umbrellas with hanging spherical wooden lamps. The silverware was the most beautiful cutlery I had ever seen. It was embossed with a beautiful floral pattern and was a dark pewter color. Lunch was wonderful. We started with a pitcher of Moscatel Sangria. I had Black Pork Cheeks which were stewed in red wine and rosemary and came with potatoes. I had never had pork cheeks before coming to Portugal, but it has become one of my favorite dishes. They are always so tender and delicious. Karl had Duck Margret with a moscatel and orange sauce and a side of couscous. For dessert I had a chocolate panna cotta with berries and cream and Karl had a slice of Moscatel cake. Everything was spectacular. It was a beautiful and delicious lunch. The total cost was about €55.
After lunch, we walked around the town a little more. The main square is called Praça do Bocage. There are a lot of restaurants, cafes, and shops around. A lot of the streets had hanging decorations with different colors. We walked over to the Monastery of Jesus. This Monastery was originally built in the 1490’s but it suffered significant damage in the large earthquake of 1776. It is now a national monument and is considered one of the 7 most endangered monuments in Europe. It houses a museum, which we didn’t get to check out but we did go into the church.
For sunset, we grabbed a bottle of sangria and went to the Jardim Engenheiro Luís da Fonseca, a park right by the water. We sat and watched the sunset over the mountain. I love that in Europe it’s totally normal to do that. It is common to see friends and dates even, sitting in a park, sharing a bottle of wine and having some snacks. It’s a simple pleasure but it’s so nice.
After sunset we walked over to the Crazy Dolphin Pub to get some drinks. It was a cool bar with outside picnic tables. They have live music and events but there was nothing going on yet when we were there. Nightlife starts late in Portugal, so it was still pretty empty. We had to get up early the next morning though so we couldn’t stay up super late. I had a cider and Karl had some craft beer.
We decided to do a simple dinner because lunch had been pretty big. We went to Bodega Setúbal. It was a delicious little Brazilian spot. We had Tapiocas. Tapiocas are like crepes but made with cassava. They are stuffed with different things. Mine had butter, cheese, and chourico. Karls had chourico and butter because he doesn’t like cheese (I know, it’s weird). He had never had them before so I was excited for him to try them because they are really good. There was live music playing here so it was a great vibe for dinner. The cost for dinner was about €10
Our last stop of the night was a super cool bar called Le Boheme. It was just around the corner from the dinner place. They had really creative cocktails and some hot teas that had alcohol. I got one of those because I was so cold. It was a mint tea with honey and liquor. It was a lot colder there than it was in Tavira. The bar was really cool. It had a very bohemian vibe, hence the name. I would have loved to stay and hang out for the night, but it had been a long day and I was so tired so we only had 1 drink and headed out.
The next morning we went to The Coffee for a cup of coffee before heading out. They claimed to have really great coffee but I didn’t think it was that amazing. They did have a lot of different drink choices though and that’s not always common here. They probably had as many choices as a Starbucks. They also had to-go cups, which is also not common in Portugal. Most places you sit and drink your coffee. It was pretty expensive for coffee in Europe. Each of ours was about €5.
I liked Setúbal and there was so much more I would have liked to do. They have beautiful beaches that line the coast. There is also a pod of dolphins that live in the water there and you can take boats out to watch them. It is a much larger city than Tavira so there is a lot to do. There were more museums we walked by that would have been fun to check out. They also have the largest mercado in all of Portugal. I definitely want to go back. The only downside that I saw was that it was really gloomy and a little cold. There was a very thick layer of fog over the water, you could barely see the boats that were there. I really need more sunshine and warmth in my life so I am glad we landed in Tavira, but I think it could have been a cool place to live. Especially since it’s so close to my current favorite city in the world, Lisbon
Make sure to check out my instagram @vegas.to.portugal for more pics of Setúbal, including some of the street art.
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