Lisboetas call it Outra Banda, the other shore, meaning the southern bank of the Tejo, long neglected because of the inconvenience of getting there. This changed after 1966 with the completion of what was then Europe’s longest suspension bridge, the Ponte 25 de Abril, and an even longer bridge, the Vasco da Gama, in 1998.

The region between the Tejo and Sado rivers, known as the Arrábida peninsula, has developed rapidly and not always wisely. Directly across the Tejo is the unassuming ferry-boat port of Cacilhas ^ [map]. Its main charm is a string of river-front fish restaurants with grand views of Lisbon. About 5km (3 miles) west of Ponte 25 de Abril is Trafaria; the whole town was burned to the ground on the orders of Pombal in 1777 as punishment for resisting press gangs, but was later rebuilt.

Cristo Rei monument.

Lydia Evans/Apa Publications

Most visitors tend to drive through the neighbouring industrial town of Almada without stopping, except those who want to see the Cristo Rei monument & [map] (Christ the King; daily 9.30am–6.30pm). A lift takes you to the top of the 82-metre (276ft) pedestal – so high it seems to dwarf the 28-metre (91ft) figure on top – for a magnificent view of Lisbon.

Most people avoid the Outra Banda dormitory district by taking the A2 highway directly from the bridge. After a few kilometres, a turn-off leads to Costa da Caparica * [map] (see box, click here).

Ponte 25 de Abril.

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On to Palmela

Continuing south on the highway, the road marked Palmela ( [map] leads to a small town with a great medieval castle. This has been restored and converted into a luxury pousada (for more information, click here) with a lounge in the cloisters and an elegant dining room in the old refectory. The church is a beautiful Romanesque structure, its walls covered with 18th-century tiles.

Built by the Moors, the castle was reconstructed in 1147 as a monastery and the seat of the Knights of the Order of St James. In 1484, the bishop of Évora was imprisoned in the dungeon for his role in the conspiracy against João II. He died a few days later, probably poisoned. The castle was badly damaged by the 1755 earthquake, but was rebuilt and monks remained there until the abolition of religious orders in 1834.

Just outside Setúbal rises another great castle turned pousada, São Filipe, with a magnificent view of the Sado estuary. Felipe II of Spain ordered its construction in 1590, to keep a watch over the area – Portugal was under Spanish rule at the time. The chapel is decorated with tiles that recount the life of the king’s namesake, St Philip, signed by the master painter Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes and dated 1736.

Palmela’s castle-pousada.

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Setúbal and the Tróia peninsula

According to local legend, Setúbal ‚ [map] was founded by Tubal, the son of Cain. It is said that the Phoenicians and Greeks, finding the climate and soil similar to those of their homelands, planted vineyards here. Setúbal is known to have been an important fishing port since Roman times. Today it is an industrial town, a centre of shipbuilding, fish-canning, and the production of fertilisers, cement, salt and muscatel wine.

Setúbal’s pride is the Igreja de Jesus (Tue–Sat 9am–12.30pm, 2–5.30pm), a spectacular monument dating back to 1491. The church was designed by Diogo Boytac, one of the founding fathers of the Manueline style of architecture. The narrow building has a high arched ceiling supported by six great stone pillars that look like coils of rope; its apse is etched with stone and lined with tiles. Arrábida marble was used, and the pebbled, multicoloured stone gives it a distinctive appearance. There are also lovely tiled panels along the walls. The cloister houses a museum, the Museu de Setúbal (same hours as the church), which contains religious art from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

Nearby is the Praça do Bocage, with palm trees and a statue honouring one of Setúbal’s illustrious sons, 18th-century sonneteer, Manuel Barbosa du Bocage. Off the square stands the church of São Julião with a handsome Manueline doorway, built in 1513. The inside walls are decorated with 18th-century tiles showing fishing scenes and depicting the life of the saint.

Also of interest is the Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia (Tue–Sat 9am–12.30pm, 2–5.30pm) with models depicting the main industries: fishing, farming and textiles.

Setúbal’s harbour is fascinating, especially in the early morning, when brightly painted trawlers arrive loaded with fish. There is a continual show, as fishermen mend nets and work on their boats. Best of all is the lively fish auction.

Setúbal is the main point of departure for the peninsula of Tróia ⁄ [map], a long, narrow spit jutting out into the Sado estuary. Ferry boats make the 20-minute crossing frequently in season. On the northern end of the peninsula there are apartment blocks, houses and a glamorous new resort. The Tróia Golf Club has an 18-hole course designed by Robert Trent Jones. On the southern end of the peninsula, however, there are still many kilometres of pine forest and glorious empty beaches and dunes. Tróia is said to be the site of the Roman town of Cetóbriga ¤ [map], destroyed by a tidal wave in the 5th century. Substantial ruins have been found at the nearby site but little has been excavated except for a temple and some tombs. Underwater, you may see remains of the walls of Roman houses.

Enjoying the waves at Costa da Caparica.

Lydia Evans/Apa Publications

Serra da Arrábida

A delightful excursion from Setúbal goes west through the Parque Natural da Arrábida, along the ridge of the Serra da Arrábida, which rises to 600 metres (2,000ft). As you leave the city, the only sight that mars the natural beauty of the coast is the cement factory, usually spitting black smoke. A road descends to Portinho da Arrábida ‹ [map], a popular bathing beach with transparent waters, white sand and the splendid Gruta da Santa Margarida. Hans Christian Andersen, who visited the region in 1834, marvelled in his diaries at this cave, with its imposing stalactites. But it was the poet and historian of the Peninsular War, Robert Southey (1774–1843), who consecrated Arrábida for English readers, calling it “a glorious spot”. He tells of going swimming at the base of the mountain and writes: “I have no idea of sublimity exceeding it”. Today, scuba diving is also popular here.

Regaining the ridge, continue along the skyline drive. The next turn-off leads to Sesimbra › [map], a fine resort with a nearby port and a long fishing tradition. The castle (daily, daylight hours; free) above the village, although known as Moorish, has been entirely rebuilt since the time of the Moors. Afonso Henriques captured it in 1165, but the Moors utterly razed the structure in 1191. King Dinis almost certainly helped with the rebuilding, and King João IV again enlarged, enhanced and repaired it in the 17th century. Inside the walls are ruins of a Romanesque church.

João IV also ordered the fort of São Teodosio to be built, to protect the port from pirates. A newer fort, the Nova Fortaleza on the seafront, now occupied by the police station, is at the heart of the town. Small bars and restaurants fill the streets around it and they are always full of appreciative customers at weekends. Swordfish is the local speciality.

Going westward about 11km (7 miles) the road ends at Cabo Espichel fi [map]. This promontory, and the shrine of Nossa Senhora do Cabo, used to be an important pilgrimage site, as shown by the long rows of dilapidated pilgrims’ quarters on either side of the church. There is still a fishermen’s festival here each October, and on the edge of the high cliff is the small fishermen’s chapel of Senhor de Bomfim, with a breathtaking view; the cliffs are wonderful for walking.

Sesimbra.

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Olive tree village

The road back to Lisbon goes through Vila Nogueira de Azeitão fl [map], sometimes simply called Azeitão, which means “large olive tree”. In the centre of this attractive village is the stately Palácio Távora, where the Duke of Aveiro and his friends are said to have plotted to overthrow King José. They were burned at the stake in Belém in 1759. Lovely Baroque fountains border the town’s main street. The Igreja São Lourenço has been restored and has beautiful 18th-century altars, paintings and tile panels.

The Azeitão fair, held in the central square on the first Sunday of the month, became so popular that it caused havoc and had to be moved to the outskirts of town. Less picturesque now, it is still a major attraction, offering everything from shoes and pottery to furniture, plus a large section devoted to livestock.

The small town of Vila Nogueira de Azeitão.

Lydia Evans/Apa Publications

In the village is the original José Maria da Fonseca Winery ‡ [map] (tel: 212 197 500; www.jmf.pt; admission via pre-arranged tours), founded in 1834. The old family residence, which now houses a small museum, stands nearby. The winery still produces one of Portugal’s best red table wines, the soft rich Periquita, as well as Setúbal’s popular muscatel wines. Reservations should be made by calling the telephone number above to tour the factory and see its assembly-line production.

Not far from town stands one of the oldest inhabited manor houses in the country, the Quinta da Bacalhoa, built in 1480. It had fallen into ruins and was saved by an American woman from Connecticut, Mrs Herbert Scoville, who bought it in 1936. The gardens are admirable, with their clipped boxwood hedges in geometric design, orange and lemon groves, and a pavilion with beautiful tile panels. One of these tile scenes, showing Susanna and the Elders, is dated 1565, and is said to be the earliest known dated panel in Portugal.

The beautiful estate is now owned by the renowned Bacalhoa winery, and may be visited on an hourly pre-booked guided tour with tasting (Mon–Thu 9.30am–4.30pm, Fri 9am–11.30pm).Another attractive manor house, the Quinta das Torres, stands just outside the neighbouring village of Vila Fresca de Azeitão. This 16th-century quinta, decorated with tile panels and set in a romantic garden, has been converted into a cosy inn and restaurant. In the village, there is yet another lovely church, São Simão, with more ancient tiled walls and polychrome panels.