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Ericeira and the beaches around the resort are some of the best beaches in Europe and are just a gorgeous stretch of golden sand. It is also popular as it has some of the best surfing spots in Europe.
All the way along the coast north from Ericeira is a stretch of sandy beaches with some spectacular cliff and rock formations. Lourinha is an increasingly popular resort for exploring the coast edging into the Silver Coast, Costa de Prata. The countryside nearby is well worth exploring and you'll see the characteristic old windmills dotted about. This is also the only region in Portugal designated for its brandy production - equal to the best French brandies.
The tourist information centre is at Rua Dr Eduardo Burnay 46. Tel: 351 261 863 122. Open: Jul-mid Sept 9.30am-midnight, Mon-Fri & Sun 9.30am-7pm, Sat mid-Sep-Jun 9.30 am-10 pm. Their website has some interesting virtual tours around the town and beaches. You need to open the link (right) in Internet Explorer for it to work fully
Three of the beaches around Ericeira are within 15 minutes walk from the town. Praia do Sul, South Beach is also called Praia da Baleia, Whale Beach, after an enormous whale was stranded here in 1872. This is a popular wide sandy beach half a kilometre from the town centre. It was a popular destination with the English at the turn of the century and remains so today. There are bars, restaurants and a club along this stretch of beach. Lifeguards patrol the beach and you can hire boats and sunshades. Two kilometres south of Ericeira is Praia do Lizandro a good base from which to explore by boat and are available for hire here. This is a Blue Flag beach with disabled access. There is a 200 space car park, a bar and restaurant as well as sunshade hire. Lifeguards patrol the beach.
At the centre of town next to the harbour is a path leading down to Praia do Peixe, Fisherman's Beach which is the main boat launching beach. Praia do Norte, North Beach also called Algodio Beach, extends up to the Moita cliffs. There are a couple of snackbars here and you can hire sunshades. Lifeguards patrol the beach. Praia de Sao Sebastiao named after So Sebastio Chapel that overlooks the beach is a small but popular beach with a bar available for refreshments, sunshade hire and lifeguards during the bathing season. It is also popular for more amateur surfers.
Praia da Ribeira de Ilhas, the surfing World Championship site, is 3.5 kilometres north of Ericeira town. This is a Blue Flag beach with disabled access. There is parking and a bar here and lifeguards patrol the beach during the bathing season. Just south of Ribeira de Ilhas is a small and relatively private beach, Orelheira beach which is accessed by a precarious path down the cliffs. Car parking is at the Ribeira de Ilhas car park. There is no lifeguard service here.
Praia de Sao Lourenco, is a wide unspoilt beach 7 kilometres to the north of Ericeira again with Blue Flag status and disabled access. Access from Ribamar leads to the 150 space car park. From Sao Lourenco there is a cliff footpath that leads down to the beach itself.
The old town obviously has the majority of historic attractions within it. These include churches and chapels including the 15th century Santa Marta Chapel and the So Sebastio Chapel located at the north end of Ericeira. This dates from the 17th century and is renowned for its unusual architecture - a hexagonal shape with a round dome reminiscent of Arabian buildings. The pillory of Ericeira dates from 1513 and is carved in the popular Portuguese Manueline style.
The former Grand Casino dating from 1919 was later transformed into cinema. More recently it has opened as the Jaime Lobo e Silva Cultural Center.
Between Ericeira and Peniche is a string of smaller, quieter beaches that are often uncrowded outside the holiday season and weekends. All offer stunning views, long sandy beaches and are often popular with families, surfers, jet skiers, divers, fishermen and those just wanting some quiet time to enjoy the coastline. The more popular beaches have restaurants and bars close by like Areia Branca beach north west of Lourinha. Porto Dinheiro and Valmitao are the only beaches along this stretch awarded Blue Flag status.
The countryside around Lourinha is dotted with beautiful windmills particularly around Moita dos Ferreiros, 9 kilometres from Lourinha. These are now largely disused although one has enterprisingly been turned into a bar. Check out the Lourinha website for more information on events and attractions along this part of the coast.
Lourinha has also produced a brandy, Aguardente da Lourinha, that has been used for 200 years in port wine production of some of the best ports. The brandy is comparable in quality to the French Cognacs and Armagnac. Lourinha is the only demarcated region in Portugal for the production of aguardente.
Carrying on the dinosaur theme is the Museum of Lourinha near the coast. Here they have Portugal's most impressive collection of fossils and a fossil treatment lab. Portuguese and international archaeologists have found a wide variety of remains in western Portugal that have built up a picture of how the dinosaurs would have roamed this area in prehistoric times.
In 1993 Paimogo was the site of the discovery of the largest nest of dinosaur eggs in the world and the only eggs ever found in Europe to contain embryos. An incredible find that you can find out all about at Lourinha Musuem, Rua Joo Luis de Moura, 2530-157 Lourinha. Tel: 351 261 414 003. Fax: 351 261 423 887. Email: museulourinha@mail.telepac.pt
One of the more popular resorts further south is Praia de Santa Cruz north west of Torres Vedras. Praia de Santa Cruz and the beaches around are all gorgeous stretches of sand with spectacular cliffs and rock formations sheltering the various bays. Praia do Centro and Praia da Fsica in Santa Cruz are both Blue Flag beaches with easy access to the sand including ramp access. Praia do Centro is the main and busiest beach at the resort itself with lots of bars and restaurants and is more suitable for families. Praia da Fisica is used mainly for surfing, kite-surfing and has a bar, shower, car parking and bar.
Praia Azul, Praia Formosa, Praia do Pisao, Praia do Mirante, Praia do Navio, Praia de Santa Rita Sul are also all Blue Flag beaches, but have less easy access. Check the Blue Flag website for more detail on these beaches. Also check out the Praia Santa Cruz website (links right) for more information on all aspects of the beaches around this part of the coast, including information on walks, tourist attractions and festivals. There are also lots of photos of the different beaches and sights around.
The town is also attributed with having had several poets and writers living there: Antero de Quental, Jayme Batalha dos Reis, Joao de Barros and Kazuo Dan. The fantastic scenery of the area seems to have been particularly inspirational.
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