The Château de la Cigogne — Stork Castle — stands on a promontory at the northern edge of the medina with views over the estuary mouth and the Atlantic beyond. The fortress was built by the Spanish in the 17th century on the site of an earlier Portuguese tower, and its thick walls and angular bastions are characteristic of the period. The name comes from the white storks that nest on its towers every spring.
The castle itself is not always open to visitors, but the clifftop terrace around it is freely accessible and is one of the best vantage points in town. In the evening, locals gather here to watch the sun drop into the Atlantic. The estuary below, with fishing boats and the occasional boat taxi crossing to the beach, makes for a fine foreground.