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Sines History
The culture, the character and the economy of the people of Sines were, from
Prehistory to nowadays, moulded by the sea.
Sines has been a place of attraction for the human communities since Prehistory.
Visited by Celts and Carthaginians, under the power of Rome, Sines and
Pessegueiro Island become poles of the fabrication of fish salting and the most
important ports of the region. The most probable origin of the word Sines is
Roman: "sinus" - bay. Evolving as a small fishing community, Dom Pedro I grants
the charter to Sines in the 24th of November 1362, interested in its strategic
position for the defence of the coast. In return of the administrative autonomy,
the wise men of the new district built the Castle, the most important monument
of Sines. Navigator Vasco da Gama, Portuguese national hero, is born in Sines
ca. 1469. Costa Bandeira, presuming that a fishing harbour and a commercial
harbour were to be built there, founds the village of Porto Covo in the end of
the 18th century (the port was never built). During the first two thirds of the
20th century, fishing, cork industry and tourism remain the basis of the
economical life of the district. Around 1970, its deep sea, among other factors,
lead to the choice of Sines for the establishment of a large harbouring and
industrial facility.
Sines Description
Sines is a county located 150 km south of Lisbon at the very centre of
South-western Portuguese coast. Bordering the sea and the countryside, Porto
Covo is a picturesque village with some of the most beautiful and preserved
Portuguese beaches, protected by the natural park of Sudoeste Alentejano & Costa
Vicentina. Sines, the capital of the municipality, hometown of the navigator
Vasco da Gama, is a small town by the sea, where culture is a priority.
Sines� historic centre and fishing harbour are the soul of this town. In Porto
Covo, find a jewel of popular architecture. Sines� historic centre goes along
the cliff, from the Castle to the Fortress of Revelim, and remains charming, in
spite of all the changes in the land. Besides the magnificent views to the
Atlantic, in all its length, we must highlight, among the points of interest,
the shopping streets, around the ancient medieval axis (Rua C�ndido dos Reis and
Rua Te�filo Braga), the Largo dos Penedos (with the ancient watch-tower, where
fishermen watched the sea) and Rua Vasco da Gama, where the manor house that
caused his expulsion from Sines was supposed to be, or even, if we trust
tradition, the house where Vasco da Gama was born (Note: the house is presently
a private residence, not open to visitors). Working as gate between the old and
the new city, don�t miss the daring building of the new Centro de Artes de Sines
(Sines� Art Centre).
The history of Sines was, until 35 years ago, the history of a fishing village.
Nowadays, in spite of not having the importance of times past, fishing continues
to employ hundreds of men and to give the bay of Sines a charm and colouring
unique in Alentejo. Before or after your meal, in summer or in winter, a visit
to the fishing harbour and to the marginal avenue of Beach Vasco da Gama may be
an incursion to the emotional centre of the city.
Porto Covo: a jewel of popular architecture
Largo Marqu�s de Pombal (Square Marqu�s de Pombal), one of the wonders of
Portuguese popular architecture, inspired in the model of Marqu�s de Pombal in
downtown Lisbon, keeps almost intact the outline of the eight hundredth century
and it is a compulsory visiting space.
Sines Beaches
In only 30 kilometres of coast, Sines has beaches for everyone, from families to
adventurers.
Family beaches: bathing pleasures with quality and safety
The main beaches of Sines have permanent surveillance during the bathing season,
are equipped with the appropriate beach resources and have an excellent sanitary
quality. The Beaches of Morgavel, Vale Figueiros, Grande of Porto Covo, Ilha do
Pessegueiro and S. Torpes, which, in the last few years, were rewarded with the
Blue Flag of Europe, are excellent due to their natural characteristics, and due
to the possibility of receiving the whole population, from the children to the
elders.
There are no beaches as the beaches of Porto Covo, one of the most beautiful
villages of the country, and, for certain, one of the most beautiful coasts.
Praia Grande and the Beach of Pessegueiro Island are the widest and the most
accessible, but the whole parish's coast is full of small beaches with fine sand
and clear waters, separated by large rocks, that look like they were made to
create a feeling of intimacy and exclusivity. The beaches are for everyone, but
we feel like saying: choose yours! Vieirinha, Oliveirinha, Foz, Burrinho,
Samouqueira (the magnificent Samouqueira...), Pequena, Espingardeiro, B�zios,
are some of the names of these treasures as small as they are precious. All
these beaches have good sanitary conditions, but some of them have a difficult
access and have no permanent surveillance.
Naturist beaches
One of the small beaches of Porto Covo is Praia do Salto (Beach of Salto).
Located between Cerro da �guia and Cerca Nova, with a private and peaceful
environment, it is part, since 2002, of the restricted group of naturist beaches
officially recognised in Portugal.
Historic beaches
The beaches of Sines do not offer only sun and sea. They also offer history and
soul.
Praia Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Beach): Integrated in the urban tissue of the
city of Sines and testimony of the main events of its history - from the pirates
attacks to the embarkation of D. Miguel to Brazil -, it is part of the face of
Sines and of the heart of its people. Adjoining the Fishing Harbour, it remains
charming and deserves to be visited, both in the summer and in the winter. Its
marginal avenue is much used for walks and jogging.
Praia de S�o Torpes (S�o Torpes Beach): The most crowded beach of the district
is associated with the legend of S�o Torpes, whose martyrised body was supposed
to rest on its sands in the first century of the Christian era. The raft of S�o
Torpes, a curiosity of the Portuguese naval archaeology, is still used in
fishing, but not very often.
Praia da Ilha do Pessegueiro (Beach of Pessegueiro - "Peach-Tree" - Island): The
channel of Pessegueiro Island was used as a harbour of refuge by the
Carthaginians and the Romans in the difficult climb of the coast of Alentejo. In
the Island, there are traces, laid open, of a Roman fish salting factory (it is
from the word fish, "piscis", that comes the name of the island, and not from
the fruit-tree). In the 18th century, there were plans to use the Island as a
large seaport (the blocks that confirm the beginning of the building works are
still visible).
Evading beaches: Northern Coast
The cape of Sines divides the coast of Alentejo in the middle. In the south
there are small beaches cut by rocks. In the north there are kilometres and
kilometres of continuous sands, until the peninsula of Tr�ia. It is another way
of being and living the beach. It is the domain of the large spaces, of the
vigorous sea. Due to the roughness of the sea and the dangerous depths, the
Northern Coast of Sines is not appropriate for bathing, but it can be a
rewarding experience for those who look for solitude and the power of the
elements. The rich fishing banks in the underwater caves attract divers and
underwater fishermen.
Sines Map (Click Here)
Sines Weather
     
Sines Events
With the climax in Festival M�sicas do Mundo and the new Centro de Artes
activities, the cultural programming in Sines has interesting events during the
whole year.
The biggest world music festival in Portugal
The Festival M�sicas do Mundo (FMM), organised by the City Council of Sines,
since 1999, is the most important event of the cultural year in Sines and the
biggest of the kind in the country. Held, every year, in the last week of July,
in the historic scenery of the Castle, FMM gathers the most important names of
the world circuit in world music, jazz and blues. With a programme and an
environment that allows joining every kind of audiences to enjoy good music, it
is a festival that is at the same time young and for the family. Its programme
has already included names like Kronos Quartet, Hedningarna, The Skatalites,
Taraf de Haidouks, Masters Musicians of Jajouka and Kimmo Pohjonen, and the
quality of the FMM has been recognised by the Portuguese and the international
presses. For more information: www.fmm.com.pt
Centro de Artes de Sines: a space for the arts and culture
The great cultural equipment of Sines for the 21st century is open since 2005
and includes a public library, a multipurpose auditorium, an exhibit room and an
historic archive. In the centre, an architecturally innovative space (the Aires
Mateus architects� project was awarded the AICA/MC 2005 prize), are held
exhibits, concerts, theatre plays, book presentations, and so on. Guided visits
available. More info: www.centrodeartesdesines.com.pt
Archaeological Museum and Salas' treasure
In 2007, Sines� Archaeological Museum (Museu Arqueol�gico Municipal) can be
visited within the walls of Miseric�rdia Chapel, a building immediately next to
the Mother Church and the Castle. It�s an historical church, rebuilt in 1585 by
D. Felipe I and reconverted to cultural functions in the 1990�s. The museum
includes pieces from the Palaeolithic to the Baroque period. Its most important
piece is the Punic treasure of Gaio. The Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Salas, at
the west end of the town, is open to visit since 2006.
Collective culture
The cultural life of Sines has the important contribution of its associations
and groups. In the domain of plastic arts, there is the Centro Cultural Emmerico
Nunes - Cultural Centre Emmerico Nunes - (close by the Chapel of Miseric�rdia
and the Mother Church), which includes a show room for non-permanent exhibitions
in the different areas of plastic arts. As to the performing arts, the Teatro do
Mar (Theatre of the Sea) assures, the whole year, and mainly in the summer -
when it goes to the quarters of Sines and Porto Covo with its street shows - a
theatrical programming for adults and children. The Associa��o Recreativa de
Dan�a Sineense (the Dance Recreational Association of Sines) holds, in autumn,
an important festival of salon and Latin American dances, counting with the
participation of hundreds of dancers from Portugal and abroad.
Sines Information
 800 296 296 - Support to Tourists
112 - SOS
269 630 600 - Town Hall
269 634 472 - Tourist Office (Sines)
269 959 124 - Tourist Office (Porto Covo)
269 632 405 - Taxi (Sines)
269 905 193 - Taxi (Porto Covo)
269 860 612 - Marina
Sines Locations of Interest
All the Alentejo Coast & Beaches
Castle (Town)
Church - Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Salas
Church - Igreja Matriz
Church - Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Soledade
Church - Igreja da Miseric�rdia
Forte do Revelim
Forte do Pessegueiro
Esta��o dos caminhos-de-ferro
Casa de Vasco da Gama
Ermida de S�o Sebasti�o
Ermida de S�o Bartolomeu
Cruzeiro de S�o Torpes
Moinho de Monte-ch�os
Lojas �Art Deco�: Primorosa e Adega de Sines
Museum - Museu Arqueol�gico de Sines
Museum - Tesouro da Ermida de Nossa Senhora das Salas
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