Blink and You’ll Miss Portugal’s Sleepy, Secret Paradise

Just 40 minutes’ drive south of Lisbon, Arrábida Natural Park flies incongruously under the tourist radar, despite having some of Portugal’s most gorgeous beaches, nestled below the lush mountains of the Serra da Arrábida. Its near neighbor, Comporta, is far more crowded with both people and mosquitoes, and the seas are colder there, too.

Arrábida’s state of blessed quiet seems likely to continue despite Unesco approving its application for Biosphere Reserve status in September 2025. Despite publicity ...