Beachy near Lisbon
 

Aside from Cascais, is there a close beach town that I could go to upon landing in Lisbon. I have been to Lisbon twice prior. I was thinking of going straight to Sintra too. Any Fodor thoughts?

I'll certainly defer to aulop regarding Lisbon area beaches, as I only know the ones in Cascais. This Fodorite is our resident expert on Lisbon area beaches and has posted about them here in his trip reports. I'll just mention the Praia de Carcavelos. Trains from Lisbon's major station, Cais do Sodré, run all day, and you will reach it before you reach Cascais by train. More info here.

I would only head to Sintra upon arrival if planning a 2 or 3 night stay, as many of our Fodorites have done and have chronicled in their trip reports. The Sintra touring day after an arrival at Lisbon airport will not be a relaxing experience given the huge crowds, unless you plan on tackling just one easy site (National Palace, for example) on arrival day and leave the rest to the next day and have at least an overnight to escape the day crowds.

Thanks Maribel. I am glad you replied. You gave me so much valuable advice for my last trip to Portugal.

The last time I was in Cascais, it was very very busy. I am going in August so I am sure it will be the same. I am meeting my adult kids and my son has to fly out from Lisbon. I am trying to find a beach with a quaint town for some family time.

Here's a recent article from Conde Nast Traveller about the Lisbon area best beaches. I haven't had the chance to experience them all. :)

Thank you Maribel

Maribel
Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Kelsey22
The beaches on the Cascais line start at Paço de Arcos and end at Cascais, as Maribel mentioned Carcavelos is the largest.

If you're staying in Sintra the closest beaches are Praia das Maçãs, Praia Grande and Guincho.
Guincho is isolated the others have small villages but I don't consider them quaint.
You could stay in Sintra and either drive or take public transit to those beaches.
If you're not driving there are buses from Sintra and a streetcar from Sintra to Praia das Maçãs but unfortunately only works occasionally.
Streetcar
https://visitsintra.travel/en/discover/sintra-tram
Bus
https://carrismetropolitana.pt/

If you want to stay at the beach in Praia Grande
https://www.arribashotel.com/

In Guincho there's a fort converted into a hotel
https://www.fortalezadoguincho.com/

The closest village to Lisbon that is beachfront that some may consider quaint is Sesimbra.
Sesimbra has great seafood.
My favorite is Tascas do Isaías a tiny place with great grilled seafood, real Portuguese food.
There's a direct bus from Lisbon to Sesimbra.
https://sintracascaissesimbra.com/se...-portugal.html

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately the accommodations are a bit out of my budget. They look stunning!

I looked up Setubal and that might work for us. Still a work in progress and I don’t have much time to get the plans settled.


Ericeira has some wonderful beaches…an hour or so from Lisbon via public transportation.

From Setúbal you can take the Ferry to Tróia península that has a beach several kilometers long or do day trips to Sesimbra.

For me Setúbal doesn't evoke quaint but if you go avoid the neighborhood Bairro Bela Vista, at one time one of the worst in Portugal, it has improved considerably but best to use caution if going that way.

kelsey22,
I forgot all about very pretty Ericeira and mike's suggestion is spot on if you're willing to travel 45 km. northeast of Lisbon. It really is a charming seaside town with lodgings in all price ranges. You can reach Ericeira from Campo Grande in 80 minutes by bus. See bus info here.
Take a look at You and the Sea.

But look also at Sesimbra, closer to Lisbon. More info here.

Hello Kelsey,

Saw your question on my thread as well. I have an acquaintance who is a frequent traveler to Portugal and he said his favorite beaches are in Comporta which is apparently 1 hour south of Lisbon (He told me to skip the Algarve.) He is a 5 star kind of guy so not sure if this is relevant to your decision or not. (I would consult him more but he would have little patience for my gazillion questions 😉 and as a bit of a regular, he likely has a different perspective than first or second-timers.)

scratch that then.

Thanks for that input.

Thank you for post. I think that Comporta is a bit too costly for me…it is so beautiful.

About Comporta: It's become known as the Saint Tropez of Portugal, where celebrities (George Clooney), royalty are buying up property as oceanside hideaways and where luxury resorts are being built. It's evolved into a very "elite retreat".

Hi Maribel, it certainly is luxury. Even if it was in my budget, I prefer a more down to earth atmosphere.

Thank you for the input from everyone so far. I have narrowed it down to 3 general locations:

14 days on the ground
fly into Lisbon
go directly to Sintra (3 nights)
go to Evora (3 nights - too long?) - day trips included
go to Lagos (3 nights)
take bus to Faro and go to Seville for 2 nights)
go to Tavira overnight
go to Lisbon and sleep overnight for overseas flight
leave Lisbon.

still debating if I want to go to Lagos or stay on the Silver coast
alternately, drop Lagos.

I am very interested in history and libraries (I have seen the Coimbra university and the bookstore in Porto.

I will be solo and using public transport the whole trip so I am really looking for safe beaches where I can walk to my accommodations. (Primarily, so I can leave my valuables and pop back to the room if I want to get my wallet) Travelling solo has its perks but beaches are not an easy bit.

Hi Kelsey22,
Please remind me, what month is your trip? It makes a lot of difference, and I've lost track.

I like the idea of going directly to Sintra as some Fodorites have. I don't think 3 nights in Evora is too long with day trips, but Evora is beastly hot in the summer. The Evora tourist office organizes day trips. After Evora, you'll need to backtrack to Lisbon for that bus to Ericeira if you want to substitute Ericeira for the long ride down to Lagos. Plenty of safe beaches in Ericeira.

There is no train from Lisbon to Sevilla. The bus takes a minimum of 6 hrs 45 min. Spain and Portugal are currently very poorly communicated by public transportation.

If your heart is set on Sevilla (again, which month??-- I just don't remember), you'll need to go to the Algarve then take the 3-hour Faro-Sevilla bus, as we did. It just assume that Tavira for one night means that you want to break up that long 6 hr, bus ride from Sevilla to Lisbon with another overnight in the Algarve.

Had you considered staying the whole time in Portugal rather than move to Sevilla, then back to Lisbon? What areas of Portugal have you not yet visited?

Maribel, thank you! I am going in August. It is around the corner (not ideal: teacher here so no other time to go).

I have been to Lisbon twice, Porto, Coimbra, Sintra (but only for a day and it was too rushed), a Duoro day tour (also not enough - it was gorgeous), 30 years ago in the Algarve.

I am rethinking that you might be right about Seville. I have been there (the 30 year ago trip). I am not set on going back this trip. I just thought it might add a bit of an adventure into the trip. And you were correct about Tavira to break up the trip.

The heat is a bit daunting, but Évora looks stunning. I also have Tomar on my list.

I will take another look at the Ericeira area today again. I am looking for history, calm and beach which I might be able to find in that area without traversing the country.

I have a very good friend who has lived in Sevilla for 30+ who just wrote a lengthy article on Substack saying that no one should venture to the city in July and August. The heat has become just unbearable. But in Evora the heart can also be unbearable in August (been there, learned that, driving through in August on the way to Sevilla.) I'm afraid that we're all in for a very, very hot summer here. At my house, it reached 36 C today. It might be a better idea to keep to the Portuguese shores, where at least you can get some relief with sea breezes.

Example: we're headed to the Cantabrian coast in August (Ribadesella to Cartavio, where the high was 22C today) in hopes of some relief from the heat.

I meant the "heat" not the "heart". regarding Evora. Too late to edit. The high today in Ericeira on the coast was 25 C.

A bit more about this very up-and-coming beach destination:

https://juliedawnfox.com/best-things-to-do-in-ericeira/

https://ericeirainsider.com/things-t...ericeira-town/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabel...h=2b9ee27062d1

great links ! It is definitely a contender now.

Just looked at Marvao as a day trip from Évora.

We've done both medieval Marvão and Monsaraz as day trips from Evora. The former to me is much more impressive, dramatic in terms of scenery, up into the Parque Natural de Serra de São Mamede, as it's a true eagle's nest.

https://juliedawnfox.com/marvao-cast...LzkPfY-zEgL9z5

great article 😀

as I won’t have a car, I will reach out to the tourist office.

We drove past Lisbon last year to visit some areas along the coast and saw many nice beaches. Have no idea however as to how to get to them without a car. Tascas do Isaías
had great grilled seafood and very inexpensive. Tiny restaurant though with tables crowded together.

These are the tours that the tourist office in Evora provides---not, though, to Marvão, but instead to closer Monsaraz, the other fortified white town on the Portugal-Spain border.

https://www.visitevora.net/en/alentejo-tours-evora/

So finally I am getting this trip going. I would love your insights.

Modified itinerary:
14 days on the ground
fly into Lisbon
go directly to Sintra (3 nights) - hope for no fires (have Lisbon as an alternative)
go to Evora (3 nights) - day trips TBD
go to Lagos (4 nights)
go to Ericeria (more beach and day trips to Mafra and perhaps Nazare - 4 days)

Here is where I am having trouble,,,and perhaps someone has a good suggestion. I thought about going to Ericeria and basing there for a few days and doing day trips from there. I see that I have to either take a direct bus to Lisbon and then to Ericeria or a train and then a bus. Seems like a long ride.

As always much appreciation for all your help so far.




I

If you go to Nazare from Ericeria then stop in Obidos, preferably early in the day as it gets busy and is small. It' a very pretty town.

Have you considered Sintra --> Ericeria --> Evora --> Lagos --> Lisbon? (I assume you are flying out of Lisbon?) I could be wrong, but I think that might be easier.

Originally, I thought of bypassing Lisbon by staying outside Lisbon at the end of the trip to get to the airport. That was the thought process …

Thanks. I might do that as an organized day trip.

My itinerary is shaping up but I am back for some suggestions. Due to my adult children's' work schedule (great to travel with family... and solo)
Arrive in Lisbon and transfer to Sintra for 3 nights
Pick up rental car at Lisbon airport - drive to Monsarez 2 nights
Drive to Evora 2 nights
Drive to Lisbon (2 nights) one son is leaving from Lisbon
Travel from Lisbon to Lagos (4 nights)
- day trips on 2 days
- 2 days beach days
Lagos to ? - my options are: stay in Lisbon or make the very long and complicated journey from Lagos to Ericeria (was my first choice) or Cascais (my second)
I was hoping to not spend too much time in a big city, but after going through Rome to Rio, the Flix bus schedule and Omio app, I think Lagos to Lisbon would be the easiest option.

My questions are (I know a lot of them this time around):
1. Has anyone taken a private transfer from Lisbon to Ericeria? Cascais? I would reserve it for my arrival from Lagos.
2. Is there any option that I have possibly missed?

As always, I appreciate all the suggestions. I have some fantastic ideas for this trip from all of your trip reports and posts.

I believe you can take a bus from Lisbon to Nazare.

FWIW, I think you would benefit from a decent guidebook. The Michelin Green, Rough Guide...

i have the Rough Guide right here 😀. And some other guide books. I know what I would like to see and do, but as always, transportation is an issue. There are lots of easy day trips from Lisbon, but I wanted to stay in a smaller place. Just looking for suggestions . Perhaps I am missing something.

Well again, Nazare has a lovely beach and seems to be an easy bus ride from Lisbon.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7e26b18aa.jpeg