Santo André between Lagoon and Atlantic

Lagoa de Santo André covers around 500 hectares and is considered the largest lagoon on the Alentejo coast. Praia da Costa de Santo André lies beside it, entirely within the nature reserve. Its long sandy beach is washed by both the Atlantic and the lagoon’s calm waters.

Lagoon, Beach and Coastal Trails

The lagoon side of Praia da Costa de Santo André offers conditions for windsurfing and canoeing. Praia da Fonte do Cortiço, also known as Areias Brancas, is likewise entirely within the Santo André and Sancha Lagoons Nature Reserve. Dunes and pine landscapes surround this beach.

The wider regional setting includes a coastal area in the Alentejo: the Santo André and Sancha Lagoons Nature Reserve extends across coastal areas of the municipalities of Sines and Santiago do Cacém.

The trails pass through a range of landscape features. Poço dos Caniços runs along a dune ridge parallel to the coast; nearby are moist interdune depressions connected to the central basin of Lagoa de Santo André. Poços do Barbarroxa runs past freshwater interdune wetlands at the foot of a foredune rising to around 47 metres.

For planning your time, the Salgueiral da Galiza circular trail can be described in more detail: it is about 1.65 kilometres long and takes approximately 90 minutes. It starts in Galiza, and access is restricted. Check access conditions before travelling. The trail includes a wooden boardwalk about 900 metres long. The Casa do Peixe boardwalk is another named boardwalk and is about 170 metres long.

Orientation and Wildlife Watching

The Centro Nacional de Educação Ambiental e Conservação da Natureza (CNEACN) serves as a visitor reception centre for the nature reserve. There, you can get information about the protected area and guidance on suitable birdwatching spots. The centre also houses a permanent exhibition on local biodiversity. In this way, it helps visitors find their way around the protected area while offering an insight into its flora and fauna.

Archaeological Traces and Local Cuisine

Place names also point to different periods in time. Neolithic archaeological materials have been found at the site in Santo André. Evidence of Bronze Age settlement has been documented at Casas Novas and Cerradinha on the eastern shore of Lagoa de Santo André. Figueirinha is designated as a Roman archaeological site in Santo André. Together, these sites bring Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman remains into focus.

Beside the anchorage near Casa do Peixe stands a traditional building, now in ruins, that was once used as a fish auction hall. It adds another connection to the area’s history alongside the archaeological traces of earlier periods: its former use as a fish auction hall.

The Lagoa de Santo André Eel Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2025. Nine restaurants in the Freguesia de Santo André took part in the food event. They served eel as caldeirada and ensopado, cooked in a cataplana, as escabeche, and fried or grilled. If you are planning to attend the festival in another travel year, check the dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Setubal, Castelo, Grândola, Montijo, Alcochete, Canha, Almada, Seixal.

Go to the main travel overview: Setubal.