Setúbal is a working port city at the mouth of the Sado estuary, the sort of place that tourists tend to skip and locals quietly love. Fishing boats, ferries and cargo ships share the water, and across the estuary the long, flat sand spit of Tróia stretches out. Out in the water lives a small resident community of bottlenose dolphins, which you can sometimes see from boat trips leaving the harbour. Behind the city rises the Serra da Arrábida, a steep ridge of limestone covered in Mediterranean scrub.
The city is proud of its food. Choco frito, fried cuttlefish strips, is the local dish, and grilled fish is usually fresh and simply cooked. The sweet fortified Moscatel de Setúbal is made from grapes grown on the slopes nearby and is a good drink to end the meal with. The poet Bocage, famous for his satire and wit, was born in the city in the eighteenth century. Another highlight is the Convento de Jesus, where the church has remarkable twisted stone columns that look like rope, a very early example of Manueline style.
On the bike, Setúbal is the gateway to the best coastal road south of Lisbon. From the city, the road climbs along the northern flank of the Arrábida range, passing through pine and holm oak, with views of the sea and the Tróia peninsula. The bends are fairly frequent, the road is narrow in places, and the surface is generally good, though sand and pine needles can gather on the corners. On weekends in summer the beaches and viewpoints attract a lot of traffic, so go early or on a weekday. In winter the days can be damp and windy, but when the sun is out the sea is a vivid blue and the hills are green.
The city has well over a hundred thousand people in the wider area, so all the practicalities are easy: fuel, supermarkets, repair shops and a lot of places to eat. The market near the centre is a great place to see what the local fishermen bring in. Before leaving, take a coffee on the main square and enjoy the comparative peace of a city that has not been remade for visitors.