5 Best Best Beaches in Ericeira

The Praia dos Pescadores (Fishermen's beach) is Ericeira's central beach, but not by coincidence. Rather, the town was built around this beach which also serves as a harbour. Sheltered to the south by the small headland of Furnas and from the north swells by a breakwater, this is about the most protected beach on the Ericeira coast.

As the name suggests, Praia do Sul is on the southern fringes of Ericeira, or at least the old village. As the seaside village constantly expands the area around the beach feels more and more developed.

Set in a valley between high cliffs, just to the north of Ericeira is the beach of Ribeira d'Ilhas. A lovely sandy beach complete with river and lots of interesting nooks and crannies, there's plenty here for the kids to do.

What Ribeira d'Ilhas is best known for though is the surf. Having hosted numerous rounds of the WQL surfing World Tour championships there is no doubts this is a world class break. There are actually better waves in the Ericeira area but most are harder to get too, more dangerous and none are as consistently surfable as Ribeira.

Just before you reach Ericeira from the Lisbon direction there is a deep valley through which the river Lizandro flows. At the mouth of the river ("Foz") is a wide sandy beach that extends inland, along the banks of the river for some considerable distance.

The beach at Foz do Lizandro is actually the biggest patch of sand in the area. This feeling of space is further added to by the fact the beach is not backed by cliffs. Instead there is a low headland to the south and behind the river meanders through a hilly landscape.

At a around 7km from Ericeira, Praia de São Lourenço is the most northerly of what are considered the area's beaches. This wide sandy and sheltered bay is a popular spot and is best known for two things; surfing and seafood, although sunbathing is pretty high on most people's list too.
São Lourenço is home to a number of quality restaurants specializing in fresh and seafood fish.