At Vila do Conde you get the best of both worlds; the fascinating historic old town and a long stretch of beautiful sandy beach. While it is a good 20 minute walk from the town centre to the seafront it is more than worth it, and quite a contrast.
If Vila do Conde has a main beach then it would be Praia Azul. This is a good-sized expanse of west facing beach that runs northwards from a little way north of the Forte de São João. The golden sand here is punctuated by a number of rocky outcrops beyond the shoreline, but it is still a popular spot with surfers. It is quite an exposed beach so the waves here can get pretty big and powerful.
To the back of the beach is a wide dual purpose cycle / walking path which runs the length of the beach (and much further). Beyond this is an large area of scrubby dunes which adds further separation from the wide road and apartment blocks of Avenida do Brasil.
As a Blue Flag beach Praia Azul has plenty of facilities such as cafe and lifeguard cover along with the guarantee of clean bathing water. It does get busy here in the summer with a mostly Portuguese crowd.
