Nazaré Off The Beaten Path Tips by solopes Top 5 Page for this destination

North Beach

The beach to the north of Sítio is wide and wild.

Excellent for those who want to stay away from the crowds, it has the drawback of a dangerous sea, not advisable to swim, even in summer. However, nature dominates the area.

Allow me to replace my poor pictures by the awesome work of Tó Mané, the lucky and skilled guy who caught Garret MacNamara surfing the "impossible" 30 meters high wave in this beach.

I replaced the photo but not the speech - this beach is not advisable to swim, and though this news and picture may attract many curious people, those waves are quite irregular, don't happen each year, so, I believe that the crowds will remain away.

Pederneira

Easy to access from the road to Alcobaça, Pederneira, the old village (and, despite seeming so high, the old port), keeps the flavour of the old days, and challenges Sitio as the best sightseeing spot (Sitio is awesome, but we can't see Sítio from there).

Pederneira is an excellent spot to take a photo from a different angle, and, since you are there, relaxing from the crowds, why not a visit to the churches of Nossa Senhora das Areias, from the 16th century, or Misericordia, from the 18th?

The Lift

Parking in Nazaré is a nightmare.

Finding a place in a restaurant in August is an adventure. There's an old trick that keeps working: Go up to Sítio, where parking is not so difficult and the restaurants are not so crowded.

If you decide to go to the beach, n 5 minutes of descent you're in the middle of everything. And so,you may appreciate one of the highlights of Nazaré, more than 100 years old.

%Last sunday I decided to park in Sitio, and use the lift to descend to the beach. My God! I forgot we were in August!

The line was so long that we went back ant took the car down, to park... far... far... in the south.

Lagoa do Valado

For a picnic, about 6 Km far from the beach, but nested in the pine forest, the lagoon of Valado de Frades is very attractive.

Don't risk to swim, and leave before dusk, otherwise you will be "eaten" by the mosquitoes.

Salgado

Not far from town, going south to Famalicão, another access leads to the sea, to a place called Salgado.

Dangerous to swim, it is a good place to sunbath far from the crowds, and it allows good sights.

Last week an english tourist died in the waves! Be careful, the sea is tricky

Picnic area n. 3

In the road to Alcobaça, a nice and easily accessible area is my third option. The site is good, but misses water and a few more tables.

There's a steep mount with great views from the top.

Picnic spot number 2

If you find the best place overcrowded (or don't like it) go a few hundred meters ahead from Nazaré, in the Estrada do Pinhal, north of Sítio, you will have at your right a smaller place but also calm and well equipped.

Picnic spot number 1

In the beginning of Praia do Norte street, in the roundabout with Estrada do Pinhal, in Sítio, there's the best picnic spot of Nazaré. Its problem is being... the best, which means that in the good days, though equipped with several fireplaces, it uses to be crowded.

Going early is a wise decision.