Tróia Peninsula
Tróia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtɾɔjɐ]) is a peninsula located in Grândola Municipality (parish of Carvalhal), Portugal, next to the Sado River estuary. Tourism is the peninsula's main activity due to its long beaches facing the Atlantic. There is a ferry boat connection between the peninsula and the city of Setúbal. Tróia has important archeological sites dating from the time when the peninsula was an island called Acalá, settled by the Romans.
Getting there
There are two ferries; one, a catamaran, carries only foot passengers from Setubal to the point nearest the mainland; the other carries cars, bikes etc. to a point some 4 km south-east.
Main attractions
The peninsula has a casino, many hotels, some restaurants, a swimming pool and white sand beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean. Here you will also be able to find the Roman ruins and the Porto Palafítico da carrasqueira.
Beaches in Troia
The beaches nearest to Setúbal are busy during summer months, especially at weekends. Stilted walkways link these beaches to the harbour and marina areas, protecting the vulnerable dune flora. There are small cafes on the beaches and larger ones around the marina near the foot-passenger ferry.
Marina of Troia
In the Marina of Troia, get onboard of a boat and sail away while you watch the dolphins that provide an additional natural beauty to this area. In the summer you can even dive and swim with these amazing animals.
Roman ruins
The Roman ruins are a place that was occupied until the 6th century. Here the ancient people took advantage of the abundance of fish and salt in this area. Nowadays it is possible to observe the ruins of the thermal baths with the rooms for hot and cold baths, the houses with 2 floors and necropolis of several kinds of graves.
Porto palafítico
The Porto palafítico is a unique harbor that was built in the 20th century. Resting on wood pillars driven into the mud, this harbor seems to move from the margin and moving inside the river.
The sea around the Tróia peninsula is also home to a school of bottlenosed dolphins; boats from the marina and from Setúbal offer ½-day trips for dolphin-sighting.
Coordinates: 38°27′56″N 8°52′20″W / 38.46556°N 8.87222°W