Praia de Paço de Arcos is one of several sandy beaches that line the broad River Tejo as it leaves Lisbon to empty into the Atlantic. Like the other beaches it is backed by the busy N6 "Marginal" road and also within a couple of minutes walk of the nearest station on the Lisbon-Cascais train line. The downside of all this is that the water quality here is quite bad and personally I wouldn't swim here.
The beach itself is actually pretty pleasant. In fact there are two beaches...
Caparica itself is a lively if not particularly pretty town whose overwhelming popularity with holidaying locals from Lisbon and the surrounding area rests largely on the access she offers to some ten kilometres of sandy beach.
The beach, known as Costa da Caparica, is backed by acacia and eucalyptus trees and home to a string of campsites, packed out during the summer months.
The first five kilometres of...
Set on the Atlantic west coast just north of Cabo da Roca is a little gem of a beach - Praia da Ursa. Unspoilt and wild, this little beach is often cited as one of the most beautiful in the area. The name of the beach comes from the "Rocha da Ursa" (bear rock) one of two huge sea stacks at the northern end of the beach. It is said that the rock resembles a bear with its cub, although I can't quite see this myself!
This beach is a little off the beaten track and access is difficult to...
Praia Grande is probably the closest, and certainly the mostly easily accessed, beach from Sintra. The name translates to "Big beach" and whilst the beach isn't massive, it is the biggest on the Sintra - Cascais coast, rivaled only by Guincho in terms of size. The expanse of golden sand is big enough to hold the summer crowds who flock here, many coming straight from Sintra on the tram which stops close to Praia Grande before continuing on to Praia das Macas.
As you'd expect for a...
Praia das Maçãs (Apple beach) is one of the most popular beaches within striking distance of Lisbon. The name comes from the fact that once upon a time apples would fall off trees upstream of the (Ribeira de Colares) river that flows along the southern side of the beach. These would then wash up on the beach - hence the name.
One reason for the popularity of this beach is the tram line which connects Praia das Maçãs to Sintra during the Summer months.
Being on the Atlantic...
Backed by imposing cliffs this long sandy beach is located at the mouth of the river Mata.
Long established as the cosmopolitan holiday destination of the rich and famous on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril has an elegance more commonly attributed to resorts on the Côte d’Azur. Exiled royalty and deposed despots...
