In a country where the coast is often seen as a common heritage, there are places where access to the sea becomes a path with barriers. They are large beaches, with fine sand and open sea, sought during the hottest months of the year. But for those who try to arrive, the experience begins with a fixed cost. And there are no alternatives.
Between Troia and Melides, over 45 kilometers from the Atlantic front in the municipality of Grândola, the paths that lead to the sea are largely conditioned. According to a survey made on the ground by Expresso, about 80% of this track has limited or nonexistent access.
The obstacles go through poorly signposted rails, lack of public parking and zones closed by tourist enterprises. In many cases, the sand is only accessible to those who can pay.
The price of the sea begins in Rio
One of the first costs arises right on the crossing. The ferry between Setúbal and Troia costs 21 euros per car with driver, plus 5.50 euros per passenger. In two decades, the value was multiplied by four, while the number of users dropped 57.6%. Ana Rodrigues, resident in Setúbal, tells the same source that a trip to the beach with her children can surround the 50 euros. “When I was a teenager, I went to the Trojan with my friends. Now it’s almost impossible,” he laments.
The singer The girl does not criticize this transformation in the song Ferry Goldwhere it denounces the “ordinary privatization of the Trojan Peninsula” and the destruction of the dunes. In an interview with Podcast Emitterit also states that luxury tourism caused a “segregation” of the local population, which could no longer enjoy a territory that has always considered its.
According to Expresso, Portuguese law ensures that all beaches are public. But in practice, many of them are surrounded by private infrastructure, with closed or highly conditioned access.
The (inconclusive) response of the municipalities
The concern reached the municipalities. In 2023, the presidents of the chambers of Setúbal, Alcácer do Sal and Grândola suggested to the government the integration of the Sado crossing into the sailor pass. The proposal received a favorable opinion from the authority of mobility and transport, which recommended the renegotiation of the concession.
However, nothing changed. Atlantic Ferries’ monthly pass currently costs 99.30 euros. Write the same publication that, despite the alerts, the measures continue to apply.
When contacted by Expresso, the mayor of Grândola, António Figueira Mendes, refused to make statements. He argued that he would not be subject to “journalistic instrumentalization,” invoking his “history of struggle for freedom of the press.”
Luís Vital Alexandre, opposition councilor and candidate of the PS, considers that the municipality “failed in the answer” and defends a model of mobility with parking and measures to support the resident population.
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Resorts decide where
South, between the Pestana resort and the future project On the beacha venture promoted by the heiress of the Zara brand, scheduled to open in 2026, accesses to the Areal are practically exclusive to customers.
The Portuguese Environment Agency has confirmed to the same source that there will be a pedestrian public access with the Pestana Resort, but can only be used by emergency vehicles. In the area of On the beacha wooden fence is extended for three kilometers without offering any parking alternative.
This physical block is the result of years of permissiveness. Since 2002 several projects of Potential National Interest (PIN) have been approved that profoundly altered the local landscape. According to Expresso, these authorizations led to the elimination of 76% of the national ecological reserve in the county.
The Zero Environmental Association has qualified the process as a “clear favor of private interests”. Geographer Sérgio Barroso stresses that projects should never have advanced without guaranteeing public access. “We are talking about a collective good,” he says to the same source.
In the sites where there are no resorts, access is still difficult
Even in areas where there is no urbanization, accesses remain fragile. South of Troia, to the behalf, the parking lot is made in the bems. The summer then follow improvised rails between dunes and pines, contributing to the degradation of the ecosystem.
Biologist Maria Santos, from the Dunas Livres Association, defends the creation of walkways and alternative transportation systems to reduce environmental impact. “We lost an inglorious fight against luxury resorts. The millions of the PIN was worth more than ecosystems,” he says.
In addition to access, the price practiced in concessions is another factor of exclusion. On the most sought after beaches, as it holds, Carvalhal and Pego, the rent of a shadow can reach 200 euros a day. A simple hamburger in a beach restaurant goes beyond 20 euros in many cases. According to, this trend turns a day of beach into a luxury for the few.
Only 20% of the coast is accessible
The Espichel-Odaceix Coastal Orla Program reveals that only 20% of the coast in this section has free and formal access. The remaining 80% are reserved in practice. This limitation results not only from the lack of physical access but also from the absence of affordable signaling and transport.
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