On the southern coast is the extensive, but sheltered bay of Sines, and perched above it lies the town with its mediaeval castle.
The marina, situated close to the small Atlantic beach has 230 berths. Besides the usual facilities (reception, water and electricity supplies, public telephone and refuse disposal), the port of Sines has a permanent surveillance system, showers and washrooms, information about the weather, pump-out facilities for used oil disposal and the possibility of electronic payment through ATM system.
There are several interesting monuments in the town’s historical centre: the castle, whose keep houses a small Natural History Museum; the former governor’s palace (Paço do Alcaide-Mor), where Vasco da Gama, the great Portuguese navigator who discovered the sea route to India, was born in the C15th; the parish church and the chapel of Nossa Senhora das Salvas, rebuilt at the orders of Vasco da Gama in the C16th.
South of Sines there are beautiful golden sandy beaches stretching from São Torpes to the tiny island of Pessegueiro.