The small town is located close to the most southerly western point of Europe, the Cape St. Vincent, named after the martyr Saint Vincent whose relics have been transported from the Holy Land to the cape according to the legend by ravens.

Sagres, located on the south side of the cape is naturally protected from the rough sea and the western winds. It was here that Prince Henry the Navigator founded his famous school devoted to navigation and exploration. He devoted his time and money to build vessels known as “Caravela”. From here Diego da Silva discovered the Azores in 1427 and Gil Eanes from Lagos sailed to the Cape Bojador at the west side of Africa. In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias succeeded to round the Cape of Good Hope on board of a caravel.

The impressive lighthouse providing the guiding beam for the ships passing the cape can be visited. On the surroundings cliffs, beaten by the strength of the vast Atlantic, local fishermen risk their lives wedged in dramatic perches with the thundering sea below.