Sagres is the most south-westerly village in mainland Europe and, as such, was on the edge of the known world right up to the late Middle Ages. Henry the navigator is thought to have had his headquarters - his so-called "school of navigation" - in the vicinity of Sagres, though the exact location is not known.

Perhaps it was within the fortaleza, defended on the land side by mighty, man-made ram parts, and on the seaward sides by towering cliffs. From the headland fortress, the awesome cliffs curve round past the 17th-century fort at Beliche to the famous lighthouse on the point of Cape St. Vicent. Steeped in history, this is a windswept place of rugged beauty. Nowadays, it is the end of the line, well-beloved by backpackers from all over the world, and of considerable interest to botanists and bird-watchers.