Central Portugal

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 attractive town square.

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.

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.

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.

To the north of the resort of Figueira da Foz is a virtually endless stretch of fine sandy beach backed by low dunes and thick pine forest. Whilst much of this coast is equally sandy, the sea is the same blue and the pines smell just as piney there are only a few points where you can actually drive down to the coast.

Set between the river Lis and the ancient pine forest of Pinhal de Leiria is the resort of Praia da Vieira. There are plenty of places to eat and things to do along the beachfront including the Mariparque water park.

To the south the beach stretches off for several kilometres with a backdrop of low sand dunes and pine forest.

Situated on a quiet stretch of the "Silver Coast", between the city of Aveiro and resort town of Figueira da Foz is the pleasant little beach town of Praia de Mira. Despite its off the beaten track feel Praia de Mira is a popular, lively spot which gets pretty busy in the summer months.

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 is backed by extensive dunes becoming increasingly built up as you near the other.

The sun sets over the Berlangas Islands, 10km off the coast of Peniche. These islands and the surrounding waters are now a nature reserve rand can be reached by boat trip during the summer months.

The Forte de São João Baptista is set on a rocky islet just off the Ilha de Berlenga, which itself is set just off the coast of Peniche. This 17th century fort was built to prevent the strategically important islands being occupied by North African pirates, or worse, the Spanish.