Baleal
The beach of Baleal sits at the opposite end of the wide bay, around 4km (3 miles) from the town of Peniche. The sandy beach here connects the island of Baleal to the mainland around 100 metres away. Baleal is a great, clean beach popular with families and even more so, surfers. The variety of coastline here means there are waves suitable for all levels of surfer and all weather conditions.
Praia de Areia Branca
Praia de Areia Branca, whose name translates to White Sand Beach, is a traditional Portuguese coastal village with a long sweeping sandy beach suitable for both swimming and surfing. There are a number of bars, restaurants and cafes lining the promenade, which runs the full length of a beach popular for both surfing and volleyball.
Praia da Peralta
This long sandy beach stretches for just over a kilometre before it joins with the Praia do Areal. Despite having a wild and remote feel to it Praia da Peralta is an accessible beach with good facilities. It is a popular spot for both surfing and fishing.
Praia de Porto das Barcas
Porto das Barcas is a large sandy beach near the town of Lourinhã and about 15km south of Peniche. Within about an hour's drive of Lisbon the beach here was once very popular. However, things have quietened down over the years and the beach has something of a wild feel most of the year.
The beach is backed by high cliffs for most of its length. These rocks are of some interest to paleontologists with several fossils of dinosaurs being found here.
Praia de Porto Novo
The Praia de Porto Novo is located in a cove, sheltered by high cliffs, at the mouth of the Alcabrichel river. This sandy beach is somewhat protected from the wind but takes the full force of the Atlantic Ocean making it popular with surfers.
Porto Novo has a place in the history books as in 1807 it was the place where the Duke of Wellington landed his troops to take part in the Battle of Vimeiro. This was part of the Peninsula War in which the British aided the Portuguese to fight off Napoleon's army.
