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What Are The Best Vacations Beaches In Lisbon?

Published at 07/19/2011 15:11:03

 Lisbon offers several nearby beaches. Even though the waters are not as warm as in the south of the country, the beautiful beaches serve neatly to the interest of everyone; Are you looking for a quiet cove? Somewhere to practice windsurfing or kite boarding? Or just want to relax under the sun? Most of the beaches are clean and fly the European Union Blue Flag for excellence.

It is a tradition for Lisbonites to go to the beach every chance they get, on holidays, at the weekends, or even for a couple of hours after work, so the beaches are never empty. Even in the winter time, it is possible to find Lisbonites having a stroll or merely gazing on the beach.

 The beaches are located along the railway line linking Lisbon to Cascais. The most popular one is Carcavelos Beach, always packed with people. From Carcavelos to Cascais there are several other beaches to choose from, all within 20 minutes of reach. One of the most attractive is São Pedro do Estoril.

Praia da Adraga

Considered by the BBC as one of Europe's best beaches, this beach is located just 15km north of Guincho, close to Sintra. Surrounded by tall cliffs, the beach is definitely unspoiled with its clean blue waters.

Costa da Caparica Beach

Located on the south bank of the river Tagus, Costa da Caparica offers the best beaches around Lisbon stretching south for approximately 30 kilometers. The coast isn’t all about vast and lovely beaches but also about restaurants, cafés and lively nights in the summer. One will never itself isolated on this coast. Most bars are open until very late.

Buses depart from Lisbon's Praça de Espanha bus terminal to Caparica town, a 5-minute walk from the beach.

In season, a little open-air train passes through most beaches along this coast - ring the bell to stop at the beach of your choice (stops are numbered). The best ones are Morena and Sereia, surrounded by dunes and with good bars.

Ericeira Beach

Ericeira is lovely village located 54 km away from Lisbon. This village is surrounded by several beautiful beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. One of the best is Ribeira das Ilhas, regarded as one of Europe’s best surfing spots. Since 1985, this beach has been hosting World Surfing Championship.

To reach Ericeira, you can catch the bus in Campo Grande. The journey takes one hour and thirty minutes.

Guincho Beach

Located on cliffs outside Cascais, this beach is one of the most beautiful beaches around Lisbon. Although the beach is not the best for swimming due to powerful waves and wind, it is regarded as one of the greatest beaches for windsurfing and surfing.

Guincho Beach can be reached by bus from Cascais.

Lagoa de Albufeira

A lovely beach with calm waters. Close by is Praia das Picinas, a fine beach surrounded by pine forests and excellent for long strolls by the sea.

Unfortunately, there is no public transport, you’ll need your own car to reach there.

Portinho da Arrábida

Beautiful and tranquil with crystal blue waters, this beach is absolutely one of the most beautiful beaches around Lisbon. It is excellent for swimming and diving. Nearby is another fantastic beach Coelhos Beach with golden sand.

Unfortunately, there is no public transport; you’ll need your own car to reach there.

Meco Beach

Regarded as one of the cleanest beaches of Lisbon, it is likely to find yourself isolated in many areas. No wonder why the final stretch of the beach serves for nudists.

The beach is not the best to be reached by the public transport. You’ll need to catch the bust to Sesimbra from Praça da Espanha bus terminal in Lisbon and get off at Santana. From Santana, several buses run to Meco on a regular basis.

Praia Grande

One of the safest beaches outside Sintra and is accessible by train. The beach often hosts surfing competitions and has several inexpensive restaurants and bars.

Praia das Maçãs

With its fine sand, this is a family beach and can be easily reached by an old tram from Sintra. The beach offers a good number of restaurants and bars.

Santa Cruz

Located in north of Ericeira, this beach is popular among surfers and undiscovered (yet) by the tourists. The powerful waves and the wind don’t allow much safe swimming, but the beauty of the coastline is worth of seeing it.

To reach there, you can take an express bus to Torres Vedras from Campo Grande bus terminal in Lisbon, where there us a connecting bus to Santa Cruz, ending right by the beach.

Sesimbra Beach

Sesimbra offers long and calm beaches for safe swimming. It is also famous for several seafood restaurants.

Tamariz Beach

Lined with cafes and bars, this beach is often packed by the tourists and the locals in the summer.

Overlooked by as castle owned by the royal family of Monaco, the beach can easily be reached by train departing from Cais de Sodre to Cascais every hour, stopping by Tamariz at the Estoril station.

Tróia Beach

The Troia peninsula has excellent soft sand beaches. Some parts of the peninsula are highly developed, yet some other parts offer untouched sandy beaches.

To reach there take a frequent car ferry departing from the port in Setubal. The entire journey takes only 15 minutes.

Tips and comments:

 The best time to visit Lisbon is either from March to May or September to October, because the weather is still warm, hotel rates are cheaper and there are fewer crowds than in summer. In those seasons you might also be able to squeeze in a few beach days. The summer sees hot temperatures and crowded shores. Winters in Lisbon are warm for Europe, in the 50s on average.

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