Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Planning Your Time
While the far north of Portugal has considerable charm, those with limited time can enjoy
maximum travel thrills here—in its “Midwest.” This area is an ideal stop if you're in-
terested in a small, resort-town side-trip north from Lisbon, or if you're coming in from
Salamanca or Madrid, Spain.
On a two-week trip through Portugal, Nazaré merits a day. There's another day's worth
of sightseeing in Alcobaça, Batalha, and Fátima (I'd prioritize in that order). See Óbidos
on the way between Nazaré and Lisbon.
I got hooked on Nazaré back when colorful fishing boats littered its long, sandy beach.
Now, rather than crashing through the surf to reach the beach in the town center, the boats
motor comfortably into a new harbor 30 minutes' walk south of town. Today Nazaré's
beach is littered with frolicking families, and it seems that most of the town's 10,000 in-
habitants are in the tourist trade. But I still like the place.
You'll be greeted by the energetic applause of the surf, widows with rooms to rent, and
big plates of
percebes
(barnacles). Relax in the Portuguese sun in a land of cork groves,
eucalyptus trees, ladies in petticoats, and men who stow cigarettes and fishhooks in their
stocking caps.
