Nazaré, Portugal — a place I visit EVERY time I am in Portugal. I have never been to Portugal and not visited Nazaré. If your in Lisbon, Nazaré is the perfect beach getaway from the big city (even if you go there off season its still a place to visit, you may get lucky and see a pro surfer ride an unbelievable wave!). It only takes 1 hour and 25 minutes to get there (from Lisbon), and I recommend staying here if you plan on visiting near by places like Fatima or Batalha (there are also day tours from Lisbon that do all three places in a day). Nazaré has about 10,000 inhabitants and is divided into 3 parts: Praia, Sítio and Pederneira.

Praia: 

This is the lowest and main section of Nazaré. It has a large curved sandy beach where you can find places to stay, gift shops, and of course their fantastic restaurants known for their fish platters.  The main beach is where you can sunbath and swim if the water is safe to do so. The fishermen neighbourhood is full of very small perpendicular streets that lead to the sea.   South of the main beach is the fishing port.  Nazaré is one of very few towns in Portugal that still holds on to its fishing tradition. You will see many colourful, narrow wooden fishing boats with curved prows that are still used today.  Many of the ladies still wear their traditional seven skirt outfit, you will often see these women selling sun dried fish, nuts, and souvenirs on the main street.  The seven skirts are said to resemble the seven days of the week, seven colours of the rainbow, and the lucky number seven. It has also been said that they wore many layers of skirts because many years ago the wives would wait on the shore for their husbands to return from long fishing trips and often apply layers to prevent them from the cold winds off the ocean.  

It is best to park your car and explore Nazaré by foot – especially in the summer months where it is very busy.  The streets are very narrow – and can become intimidating to drive on — GPS will take you through them!  Coming from North America, these streets look like sidewalks!     

Sítio: 

O Sítio is located at the top of the hill.  It can be accessed by walking, car, or  for the low cost of 2.90€ (round trip) ride the funicular (best option and fun experience and its available every 15 minutes).  The Viewpoint is 110 metres in altitude and offers one of the best views of the Atlantic Ocean and the main beach. It is also a great spot to watch the sunrise and/or the sunset! 

It has been a religious place since the 13th century. The legend of this small town says that in 1182 a hunter named Fuas Roupinho was hunting on a foggy day, a deer appeared and ran away. He chased the deer and noticed he was going toward the cliff. He was not going to be able to stop his horse in time from going over the cliff, so he gave control to the Virgin Mary, where she appeared and helped stop the horse saving his life. To express his gratitude he promised to build a chapel on the cliff. The chapel is still there today to visit (Capela da Memoria), it is said that you can still see the hoof mark on the cliff from the horse stopping. The Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré) was ordered by King Fernando to be built in 1377 to honour Our Lady of Nazaré as the Capela da Memoria was to small due to the rising of pilgrims. Every September there is a festival here in her honour. 

If you keep walking north you come up to São Miguel Arcanjo Fort with its famous lighthouse that separates the two beaches. If your lucky you can see some large waves and watch the surfers from here. There is also a small surf museum with donated surf boards and pictures of surfers in action. Praia do Norte (North Beach) is on the north side of this lighthouse.  You may have heard of Nazaré back in 2011 when Garrett McNamara (a Hawaiian surfer) rode the record breaking beach wave in the world, at 78 feet high. Ever since surfers all around the world keep coming to Nazaré trying to catch the next big wave. In 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa, beat McNamara’s record – riding a wave 80 feet high.  Praia do Norte is not supervised with lifeguards and not recommended for swimming as its known for its massive waves due to the Nazaré Canyon – the largest undersea canyon in Europe.  It is 227km long and 5000m deep!   Don’t believe me that the waves get that big! Watch this video of Koxa riding the 80 foot wave! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLOiZugeqA

Pederneira: 

Pederneira is another older village now part of Nazaré. It was said that locals moved here to live further from the beach because of the invasion of pirates. It is nice to go walking through and enjoy views offered by the Pederneira Viewpoint. 

Attractions: 

Nazaré has a lot to offer, the locals are friendly, there is something always happening on the streets of the Praia area both day and at night. There is also traditional bullfighting in the summer months – the arena is located at the top (O Sítio). This doesn’t happen every day, but on nights that its on you will notice cars with speakers advertising the event and large posters posted along the main street. If the beach is too rough and you have children (or that inner child) that want to go swimming, there is a water slide park called Norpark. It is 13€ to get in. I personally have not been to this water park as I have always enjoyed being at the beach – and if couldn’t swim would enjoy the sand and walk along the streets of Nazaré. There are rentals for ski-dos, parasailing, surfing courses and much more to help you enjoy the fun in the sun! 

Food:

The main dish here is anything to do with seafood. There are multiple restaurants on the main strip that are good but for better pricing and in my personal opinion better food, travel the narrow streets to the smaller restaurants.  Some of my favourite dishes are:  plate of small clams, arroz de marisco (seafood rice), grilled squid, and grilled shrimp. 

Of course while laying on the beach don’t forget to try a BOLA DE BERLIM! They sell them right on the beach warm out of the fryer! You can get them with filling or no filling.  My husband LOVES these! This is his must have when on the beaches in Portugal! 

BEST DESSERT place here in Nazaré is Gelatomania. If your looking for a cool summer treat (or meal because the servings are huge) this is the spot! The lineup can be long (depending on day and time of year) but it is totally worth the wait! 

Accommodations: 

There are many hotels in Nazaré to stay at and affordable. Booking.com is a great place to look when planing your trip as they offer hotels, apartments, houses, hostels, all at comparable prices. When I do decide to stay the night in Nazaré I usually rent an apartment off of the ladies on the side of the main street advertising places to rent (they will be holding signs). You can get a place to sleep that is walking distance to the beach for about 30€ a night. Most advertise them at 50€ a night but they negotiate well! 

Watching the men make their fishing nets, seeing all the fish drying on the racks, how the ladies still wear their authentic seven skirt outfit, enjoying the sandy beach, swimming in the ocean, strolling through the main street visiting all the little shops, and enjoying authentic Portuguese cuisine are just some of the reasons I love going to Nazaré. You will not get bored in this authentic town. The view from the top of the cliff is unforgettable. I only wish one day to be able to see the large waves and surfers riding them when I am there (If in Portugal in winter months its the best chance of seeing this).

Have you been to Nazaré? Leave comment and let me know what is your favourite thing to do here!

Until next time and remember to live ~ laugh ~ e amar.