Many years ago the little fishing town of Nazaré started to grow as a popular holiday resort. Whilst not known to many outside of Portugal the resort has grown some might say to its own detriment. In the summer the main beach in front of the town can be absolutely heaving. However, over recent years it is not the town beach that has become internationally famous but the long stretch of virtually empty coast to the north of the towering headland of Sitio.
Praia do Norte is a 1.5 Km...
Nazare is a fascinating place, steeped in history, but sadly overwhelmed by tourism. Very crowded in summer, with a sprawl of holiday apartment buildings obscuring much of the town's former unique atmosphere, this is a crowded, raucous beach resort with all the hustle, bustle and hassle that goes with it. Formerly known for the traditional costumes worn by fishermen and their wives, old women can still be seen standing on street corners in traditional headscarves and aprons...
Praia de São Pedro de Moel is a pleasant little coastal resort just over a kilometre west of Marinha Grande. Follow the cobbled streets through the low-rise whitewashed houses and you are bound to find the beach, and a fine beach it is too!
The beach stretches off from the cliffs at the town end as far as neighbouring Praia das Valeiras when the tide is out. Towards high tide things become a little cosier but at the town end the beach runs back quite a long way where it meets the...
São Martinho do Porto is a typical Portuguese holiday resort in that everyone in Portugal knows about it but no one in the rest of the world has even heard of it. This is somewhat of a shame as São Martinho do Porto is a fantastic and unique spot.
Set in an an almost perfectly scallop shaped bay, with twin headlands guarding the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean, the crescent of beach stretches from the mouth of the Tornada river to the town at the northern end. At the far end the beach...
Praia da Concha is a small and cozy cove located less than a couple of kilometres from the town of Marinha Grande. The name means "seashell beach" and this refers to the shape of the cove which is cut into the cliffs.
Access to the beach is via a pair of wooden walkways and steps on either side of the beach.