The Costa Vicentina, named after Saint Vicentius, is a 100 k long stretch of coast at the Atlantic Ocean in the South-West of Portugal. It is a part of the 'Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejana e Costa Vicentina'. This park has the longest coastline in Europe. The park is a narrow stretch, that never is wider than ten kilometer. The coast is framed by magnificent schist and limestone cliffs with usualy small sandy beaches in between. Often sand dunes are topping the cliffs. The back country is flat to hilly and sometimes even mountainous. The park Costa Vicentina received the status of nature park in 1995, to prevent mass building like in the Algarve. For this, the Costa Vicentina remains a paradise for nature lovers and hikers. But also surfers and beach lovers adore this region.