
The secret side to Portugal crowned one of the best places in Europe to visit this year
Just 35 minutes south of
5
Arrábida has lots of beaches perfect for swimming and snorkelling
Credit: Alamy
5
There are lots of hidden coves to explore around the shoreline too
Credit: Alamy
Located
next
to the sea, between Setúbal and the lively fishing town of Sesimbra, Arrábida Natural Park has incomparable natural beauty.
It was described by
It went on to describe the
The Arrábida comprises miles of land and sea on the southern coast, close to
Read More on Portugal
It has white sandy coves and huge mountains, but it isn't as popular as other
But with rave reviews, it should be. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "You will be amazed! It's just wonderful!
"It feels like we're on the other side of the world UNAVOIDABLE. You must visit the park and the heavenly beaches."
Another added: "Breathtaking landscape! The colour of the sea ... a mixture of green and blue.
Most read in Beach holidays
"The waters are transparent. You can sea fish around you! A paradise on land!"
Arrábida has crystal-clear waters and stunning coastline, so it's no surprise that it'a great place for water sports, particularly
Explore Algarve with The Sun's Best of Beaches
5
Swimming, snorkelling and coasteering is popular in Arrábida
Credit: Alamy
5
The Natural Park also has mountains and vineyards
Credit: Alamy
On the water are often boat tours and coasteering, which involves exploring the coastline by
cliffs.
There are also dolphin-watching tours because there are often sightings of Bottlenose and Common Dolphins.
Sesimbra is in the foothills of Arrábida and is often known as a good place to stay for anyone wanting to visit the park.
It has
Getting to Arrábida only takes four hours after leaving the UK, including a 50-minute drive south from Lisbon airport.
Plus, the
And the
5
Arrábida has plenty of beaches, mountains and vineyards
Credit: Alamy

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Travel chaos as TWO flights have mid-air emergencies within A MINUTE at major UK airport
TWO flights endured mid-air emergencies within 60 SECONDS at the UK's second biggest airport, sparking travel chaos. A British Airways Boeing 777-200 declared a dramatic "full emergency" due to "toxic fumes" in the cabin and was forced to land at 3.29pm. Advertisement 3 Two flights at Gatwick experienced mid-air emergencies within a minute of each other Credit: Alamy 3 An easyJet flight requested an emergency landing after a suspected bird crash Credit: Alamy 3 A BA flight had to deploy oxygen masks due to 'toxic fumes' in the cabin Credit: Alamy Meanwhile an easyJet flight landed at Gatwick airport at 3.30pm after declaring a "pan pan" alert following a bird strike. British Airways flight BA2203 Oxygen masks were deployed and the pilots were even forced to open the windows in the cockpit to let in fresh air. Passengers among the 340 flyers and crew onboard reported a 'smell of used socks' which left them 'dizzy'. Advertisement Read more News Emergency services lined the runway as the plane landed at 3.29pm - almost an hour after the 2.11pm take-off. The The Sun understands staff and passengers required medical attention on landing due to exposure to the mystery fumes. BA's flight to Mexico was postponed for 24 hours, with passengers forced to stay in local airport hotels. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking Tuesday's chaos meant the Gatwick to Cancun service did not operate until today. BA told The Sun: 'The aircraft landed safely at Gatwick after our pilots identified a technical issue. Customers disembarked normally and we've apologised for the disruption to their travel plans.' Four dead after medical jet 'corkscrewed in air & nosedived into ground' at Southend Airport At the same time easyJet Flight EZY8520 declared a "pan pan" drama caused by a suspected bird strike en route from Madeira in sun-kissed Portugal. The alarmed pilots requested a "continuous descent into Gatwick airport" and "sterile runway'" for the twin-jet Airbus A320 with around 190 crew and passengers onboard. Advertisement After landing at 3.30pm on Tuesday, officials had to inspect the runway before it was allowed to re-open. EasyJet told The Sun: "Flight EZY8520 from Funchal to London Gatwick on 15 July requested a priority landing into London Gatwick. "The aircraft landed normally was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution. 'The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines.' Advertisement


The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Meet the ‘SAS' parents saving thousands on summer holidays by taking kids out of school early… and even risking JAIL
DROPPING her two daughters off at school, Wendy Nicholls* sensed an eerie quiet at the gates. Gone is the usual rabble of stressed parents dispatching their children, while the class WhatsApp group is conspicuously quiet. 5 Carrie Ann Booth, 43, reveals she's saved £1,500 by going on holiday during the last week of term Credit: Dan Prince 5 Paulomi Debnath, 45, received a £120 fine after taking her son out of school to save £1,200 on a family trip to Kos, Greece 5 Kids who stay in class are said to have better grades and confidence Credit: Getty At pick-up time, the youngest of her two daughters, aged five and eight, tells her that lessons have hardly any kids in them. No, this isn't a flashback to the dark days of Covid. This is what the final week of school looks like in 2025, when the We have entered the era of SAS – Skiving And Saving – parenting , says mum Wendy, and office worker from Derby, as she tells The Sun why families are totally unfazed by term-time fines... AS someone who sticks to the rules, I've booked a week-long holiday in a five-bed ramshackle cottage with my husband Bobby, a truck driver, in Cornwall. Costing an eye-watering £2,000, I can't help feeling like a mug. My little ones' pals, meanwhile, are enjoying a week in Turkey – while school is on – for a fraction of the cost. A quick web search on popular holiday website First Choice reveals prices start at around £1568 per person for a seven night all inclusive holiday for a family of four in Turkey in the week before schools break up - and the lowest price you can get two weeks later for the same break is £2072 . And while I'm looking forward to my English seaside trip, it rankles that my potentially soggy beach days will cost more than their sun-soaked, free bar-fuelled ones. A recent study found that parents have saved an average £567 by taking their kids out of school during term time. The same report by states that 16 per cent of families scored a term-time offer that was over £1,000 cheaper than travelling in peak summer. My daughter is never going to school because our eight family holidays per year are more important - parents who only take trips during the official breaks are 'utter muppets' But while bagging a hot holiday deal seems tempting, fines for unauthorised term-time absences in England and Scotland are now £80 per child – and per parent – if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid within 28 days. Repeated fines can lead to a potential fine of up to £2,500, or even a jail sentence. But parents are clearly not put off by the fines, as in the 2023/24 academic year, 487,344 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences – a 22 per cent increase from 2022/23. I'm so angry about this whole system. It feels like a tax on people with constrained budgets. Carrie Ann Booth 'SAS' mum One parent who is unfazed by the fines is Carrie Ann Booth, 43. The mum-of-one from Carlisle, Cumbria, who is married, says: 'We saved £1,500 by taking my daughter out of school and going on holiday during the last week of term. 'We're going on a two-week cruise around Europe, visiting Rome, 'For us, it's about the history, the art, the culture and languages my daughter will soak up. 'She would certainly not get that in school during the last week of term, when it is lots of drawing and reflecting on the year.' Despite saving big, Carrie Ann, a former teacher and now the owner of an educational business, The Science Booth, says the fines are unfair. 'I've been fined £160 – £80 per parent – for taking my nine-year-old daughter on our holiday of a lifetime,' she says. 'I'm so angry about this whole system. It feels like a tax on people with constrained budgets. 'I tried to find a way to skip the fine, but the only exemptions included home educating my daughter. I seriously considered de-registering my daughter from school – just for a week – saying she'd be officially home-educated. But I worried she'd lose her place for the September term.' But Rachel Vecht, 51 , a former teacher from central London, who founded the parent support group Educating Matters, warns that prolonged gaps in school attendance have a 'Missing school even sporadically can impact long-term learning, resulting in poor grades,' she explains. 'It can also impact children's self-esteem and mental wellbeing if they return to school and feel like they are far behind their peers academically.' 5 Families face hefty fines for taking holidays during term Credit: Getty 5 Rachel Vecht warns that prolonged gaps in school attendance have a major impact on learning Credit: Supplied School attendance: the law In the UK, children are legally required to be in some form of education from the school term after their 5th birthday until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16. They must attend school or be otherwise educated – such as through home education – during that period. You can be prosecuted if you do not give your child an education. You will normally receive warnings – including fines – and offers of help from the local council first. Children can be absent from school if they are either too ill to attend, or have advance permission. Quality time Mum-of-one Paulomi Debnath, 45, from Romford, east London, downplays the negative impact taking kids out of school might have. 'I want to set a good example to my son, 14, about not breaking rules, but I also want him to experience different countries,' says Paulomi, an artist who owns the jewellery company Handmade By Tinni. 'I saved £1,200 on a family holiday to Kos, Greece two years ago, just by taking my son, then 12, out of school one week early. 'But I have not done this since, as I was threatened with legal action in the school's 'telling off' letter that accompanied our £120 fine. The note said I could be prosecuted if I took my son out of school again in the next three years.' Teachers are also stuck with expensive, out-of-term-time holidays Alice Abraham Teacher As I drag my two little girls to school, the sense that I'm one of the few mugs taking their kids on holiday at the official time is confirmed by primary teacher Alice Abraham, 41. 'Classrooms are empty,' she tells me. 'There is hardly any point being there as the kids have clocked off mentally, ready for their summer holidays. 'Teachers are also stuck with expensive, out-of-term-time holidays.' Switched-on parents are embracing the challenge of getting cheap holidays. They are also wising up to the fact that councils across England have differing rules. Retail worker Louise Brown, 35, who has two sons aged 18 and 15, says: 'My 15-year-old's attendance throughout the year is over 95 per cent, so I never feel guilty about taking him out at the end of a school term for family holidays. 'Every year, I flout a school rule loophole that states we can never take our child out of school for longer than five days – after five days, the school would issue a fine. Four days away from school isn't the end of the world Louise Brown 'So I book a holiday right at the end of the school year, or close to half term, saving around £1000 on the cost of a two-week holiday – even though a week of our break overlaps with the school holidays when prices shoot up.' Louise, who is married to Brian, 48, who works in retail and lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire, also doesn't believe short absences have an impact on education. 'Families need quality time together,' she says. 'Four days away from school isn't the end of the world.' While I might feel like the only parent NOT taking my children on holiday during the last week of school, it looks like more parents may be forced to follow my lead in coming years. Family law solicitor Kaleel Anwar, of Slater Heelis, warns that missing the last week of the term doesn't make a large fine less likely. 'Families are going to have to accept that in the near future, they are not going to be able to get a cheap holiday during term time,' he says. He adds: "We've already seen a big clamp down form the government in terms of fines recently. "At the moment, families are still saving quite a considerable amount of money by paying the fines in comparison to the thousands they save on holidays. "I think we will see them clamp down even further with higher fines if the rate of school absences continues to stay high. 'And it is worth remembering you cannot generally 'fight' a fine for taking a holiday during term time in the same way you might challenge a parking ticket. 'You can attempt to have the notice withdrawn by contacting the school and providing evidence that supports your case, but if the fine is upheld and not paid, you could face prosecution.' With the threat of prosecution, plus the dirty look I'd get from the headteacher, I think I'll take an outrageously expensive staycation over a humiliating court appearance. * Some names have been changed


The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
The tiny French peninsula where you can spot pink flamingos in the wild – and there are barely any tourists
THERE'S a peninsula in France that's barely touched by tourists and is home to hundreds of pink flamingos. Hyères, also known as the Giens Peninsula, is on the 4 The French peninsula is home to hundreds of pink flamingos Credit: Alamy 4 Hyeres is on French Riviera but is much lesser-known than other spots Credit: Alamy Along the peninsula is the Les Salins de Hyères, which translates to The Saltworks of Hyères. It's a protected wildlife reserve for birds, in particular The pink birds are found in the Hyères salt marshes year-round, but there are lots more in the spring and summer months after migrating from Other birds are found there too, like herons, avocets, cormorants and black-winged stilts. You can visit the marshes quite easily by travelling on the "Route du Sel", the Salt Road, either on foot or by bike, Another option is by car, parking up and walking, taking the "Levée de Saint-Nicolas" trail. Other sites in Hyères are the Old Town, which in French is called Vieille Ville. There you'll find Most read in Travel It's estimated that 200,000 tourists visit Hyères per year, meanwhile As you can imagine, being part of the Europe's best beach hotel revealed - with seafront swimming pool and huge gardens 4 Hyères has a charming Old Town with outdoor cafes Credit: Alamy A little-known one is called Plage du Port Helene - it's not a tourist spot and is actually more popular with the locals instead. Other popular beaches include Almanarre, which is popular for anyone doing La Badine is known for shallow waters and is perfect for families. Or Darboussières is a pebble beach, great for snorkelling and hiking. The peninsula also has islands That being said, it's only 7 km long and 3km wide and again, hasn't been visited much by British tourists. Being so small, there's not much to do on the island that 's covered in olive groves, vineyar ds and cycle paths. Cars are banned on the island, so any holidaymakers will either have to explore by foot, or rent out a bike. Back in 2015, one of the island's beaches called Plage de Notre Dame, was named the most beautiful in Europe. Read more on the Irish Sun Here's an Plus, the 4 The peninsula has salt marches where there are hundreds of pink flamingos Credit: Alamy