Good morning guys in this beautiful day! 😉
Today we are in birthplace of my fellow explorer Vasco da Gama - we are in Sines. And if somebody do not know Vasco da Gama is the man who went to India between 1497 and 1499, becoming the first European to get to India by sea, expanding the Portuguese Empire, opening up world trade. And this is his city!
Also in this episode we almost got stuck in the mud, we went to Porto Covo and if you will stick to the end , I will show you the place where some mystical forces did not wanted me to go!👌
About the Sines. It's a Portuguese city and municipality in the Setúbal district , Alentejo region.
Area of ​​203.30 km² and 14,200 inhabitants, subdivided into 2 parishes- Porto Covo and Sines.
The municipality borders to the north and east by the municipality of Santiago do Cacém , to the south by Odemira and to the west it has border with Atlantic Ocean.
From Lisbon it is about 160km - 2 hour drive, depending on which road you take. Toll is 10 euros.
Sines is not only beautiful city with white houses and castle, but also an industrial center with an oil refinery , petrochemical industries, polymer construction and metalworking. And while that may not be much interest to a regular tourist, technology fans can book tours in some of these massive complexes.
And interesting thing - I think it is because of this industrial thing:
The municipality of Sines has the highest GDP per capita among all municipalities in Portugal.
Sines also has huge port and today, more than half of all port traffic in Portugal passes through here , mainly containers.
Because of conditions and location Sines is also a popular beach spot and the main fishing harbor of Alentejo region.
And of course Castle - no city in Portugal without castle. Sines is no exeption. This castle was put up to defend the fleet and town against enemy navies and pirates. And was built in 15th century, but the hill was inhabited long before that and that's the reason - the building is quite compact, as the streets around it had long been there when it was built and it had to adapt to that shape.
Another parish of Sines is Porto Covo. Porto Côvo is to the south, with beautiful compact buildings, main street with restaurants and stunning coast line.
Just like with castle in every corner of Portugal - surfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, fishing, diving is the trademark of portuguese coastal cities - this place no exeption.
There are surf schools open all year round. And you can get your body wet splashing in the ocean.
So Sines is surprisingly unique city. To be honest I expected less, but I feel that - somebody smart and with brain sits behind the wheel in this municipality. Whoever he/she is- I want to say thank you for making this city to feel and be taken care of. 💯
Real estate: Standart filters 2-3 beds, 1-2 baths, good condition, price average - 3000 euro per square meter, price is bit higher then I expected, but I think thats because there were not so many places for sale. But for this city I think price is reasonable.
So guys, thank you for support and enjoy Sines!🌍
#portugal #sines #portocovo #travelvlog #alentejo #setúbal #ocean #explorer