Europe's southwestern edge: historic fortress, towering cliffs, and legendary sunsets over the Atlantic.

At Portugal's southwestern tip, Sagres and Cape St. Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente) represent the end of continental Europe. For centuries, navigators considered this dramatic promontory the edge of the known world. The windswept Sagres Fortress, built by Prince Henry the Navigator in the 15th century, served as the cradle of Portuguese exploration. Cape St. Vincent's lighthouse stands atop 75-metre sheer cliffs battered by Atlantic swells. The raw, elemental landscape is profoundly moving. Migratory birds gather here in autumn, and the sunsets — viewed by travelers for millennia — remain among Europe's most spectacular.