Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
10 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
13 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Portugal Labruge Praia de São Paio

Praia de São Paio

Iron Age runes and ruins hide in plain sight along this Portuguese beach.

Labruge, Portugal

Added By
Shaheen Alikhan
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
São Paio Beach   www.twin-loc.fr / CC BY 2.0
São Paio Beach   www.twin-loc.fr / CC BY 2.0
  Anajpereira / CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Along most of its length, the narrow boardwalk that parallels the ocean at Labruge shows you tourist-free expanses of sand and exquisite rock formations verdant with algae. But there’s more than these splendid natural scenes. For those who prefer to avoid crowds and those who get a thrill stumbling upon ancient history, this stretch is unbeatable.

While exploring this sliver of coast, the average wanderer doesn't need to look far to find some fascinating glimpses into Iron Age life. With the assistance of occasional plaques, it’s possible for keen-eyed visitors to spot ruins, runes, and what amount to massive whetstones scattered along the beach.

The carvings are somewhat hard to see and harder to photograph, as they’ve faded into the weathered granite over time. But thankfully, the helpful plaques hint at the runes hiding within the stones. The sharpening stones, large boulders with deep grooves etched by countless spears being turned to a fine point, are slightly easier to see. You'll also come across a small church and the ruins of an Iron Age house.

Though well off the beaten path, the beach and its historic secrets aren’t completely unknown. Locals and the rare in-the-know visitor sometimes use the sheltering rock formations as a public bath.

Related Tags

Beaches Ruins Iron Age Plaques Rocks Bath House Geology

Know Before You Go

There's free street parking close to beach. The trail is a few miles long and there is one restaurant along it. A boardwalk runs the length of the beach, but there are a number of stairs. It's not a hard hike, but it is not wheelchair-accessible.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon

Explore Portugal through food, from the cities to the seaside.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Shaheen Alikhan

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

July 11, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://fugas.publico.pt/Viagens/284658_praia-do-castro-de-sao-paio-fora-do-mundo-a-beira-mar?pagina=2
  • https://gailatlarge.com/blog/2016/04/09/43064
  • http://rb-pescasub.com/praia-de-castro-s-paio/
  • http://web.letras.up.pt/asaraujo/Trabalhos/37%20SPaio%20parque%20biologico.pdf
  • https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castro_de_S%C3%A3o_Paio
  • http://podeslevar.blogspot.com/2016/06/fernando-lanhas-e-o-castro-de-san-paio.html
Praia de São Paio
Praia de São Paio
Labruge
Portugal
41.283236, -8.731277
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

miles away

Conservas Pinhais

Matosinhos, Portugal

miles away

Jardim Botânico do Porto (Porto Botanical Garden)

Porto, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portugal

Portugal

Europe

Places 166
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

miles away

Conservas Pinhais

Matosinhos, Portugal

miles away

Jardim Botânico do Porto (Porto Botanical Garden)

Porto, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portugal

Portugal

Europe

Places 166
Stories 11

Related Stories and Lists

18 Beautiful Beaches That Have Secrets

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Bonhomme de Bourail

    Bourail, New Caledonia

    Bonhomme de Bourail

    A beachside monolith shaped by years of waves crashing against hard quartz.

  • Shorakkopoch Rock.

    New York, New York

    Shorakkopoch Rock

    A large boulder marks the place where the island of Manhattan was purportedly "sold" to the Dutch.

  • The limestone landscape.

    Borgholm N, Sweden

    Neptuni Åkrar

    An otherworldly, fossil-rich cobble beach holds Viking graves, cairns, and other remains.

  • Rock formations of Hamelin Bay.

    Hamelin Bay, Australia

    Hamelin Bay Beach

    Incredible rock formations jut from the southern end of this spectacular stingray-viewing spot.

  • The Crocodile Stone at the ruins of Wat Phu.

    Champasak, Laos

    Crocodile Stone

    This mysteriously shaped boulder may have been used for human sacrifice in ancient times.

  • Roche Hermitage from below.

    Roche, England

    Roche Rock Hermitage

    This ruined 15th-century hermitage is steeped in myth and mystery.

  • Cave dwelling in Santa Cecilia.

    Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

    Santa Cecilia Necropolis

    A fascinating assortment of cave dwellings, medieval ruins, and sarcophagi are being devoured by the forest.

  • Trollskogen

    Borgholm, Sweden

    Trollskogen (The Troll Forest)

    Crooked windswept pines give this old forest an enchanted and magical look.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.