One of the best things to do in Ericeira? Spend time at the beach! Here are 10 of the best beaches in Ericeira, and a few spots in the surrounding areas.
About Ericeira Beaches
- Surfing: Many of Ericeira’s beaches are protected as part of the official World Surfing Reserve. You’ll see surfers at pretty much every beach in Ericeira throughout the day as the tides and swells change.
- Parking: There are free parking areas at nearly all of Ericeira’s beaches. The hardest beach to park at is usually Praia dos Pescadores because it’s located in the center of town, so you’ll have more competition for the limited street parking spaces.
- Amenities: In my opinion, Ribeira D’Ilhas, Pescadores, Praia do Sul, and Foz do Lizandro have the best amenities for a day at the beach All these beaches have parking, bathrooms, shaded areas, and places to grab snacks or sunset drinks.
- For Families & Kids: Pescadores is the most sheltered for swimming. Foz do Lizandro has a river where little ones can wade, and Praia do Sul has a natural rock pool area that blocks the waves during lower tides
- Beach bus: If you’re visiting Ericeira without a car and want to get to one of the farther-away beaches, the Beach Bus runs from mid-June to mid-September. You can check the bus schedule on their app.
Praia dos Pescadores
Also known as Fishermen’s Beach, Praia dos Pescadores is a sandy beach located in the center of Ericeira’s old town. You can see colorful fishing boats docked on the shore and this beach is sheltered by rocks, making it one of the calmer spots for swimming. Pescadores is at the bottom of a C-shaped cliff, so there’s more wind protection here than many of Ericeira’s other beaches. This makes it a nice spot for sunbathing and beach games, but it’s usually too sheltered for surfing.
During the summer, there’s a pop-up beach bar with beach chairs and umbrellas for a bit of shade, and there are also plenty of bars and restaurants on the main road above. It’s a steep walk down to the beach, but at least the road is paved. (No need to go off-roading here!)
Praia dos Pescadores is the most central beach in Ericeira, and the rest of the beaches are either north or south along the coast. So heading south, here are the next Ericeira beaches you’ll find.
Praia do Sul
Praia do Sul is located on the south end of Ericeira town, and it’s a great beach for swimming, sunbathing, and spending a day by the water. There are beach chairs and umbrellas for rent during the summer, and there’s a nice walking path where you can stop for a meal at 7Sete, Balagan, or one of the little cafes. There are outdoor showers and public bathroom facilities, as well as park benches where you can enjoy the view.
On the far side of the beach, you can take a beginner surf lesson in the white water near the shore. Closer to town, advanced surfers can try their hand at the powerful Furnas surf break. And if surfing isn’t your speed, there’s a natural rock pool that makes a calmer swimming spot when the tide is low.
You can walk to Praia do Sul from town and there are free parking lots on both ends of the beach, or you can park in the paid garage at Praça dos Navegantes.
Foz do Lizandro
Foz do Lizandro is one of the most popular Ericeira beaches because it’s giant! Located south of town about 30-40 minutes walking, Foz do Lizandro has a massive sandy beach area, a peaceful river, beginner and intermediate surf spots, restaurants, bars, and board rentals.
What more could you need?
LaPointe and Rapture Surf Camps are both near Foz, so it’s common to see surf lessons at this beach. You can also grab food at Indigo or one of the other beach restaurants, relax in a beanbag, or set up your umbrella on the beach to catch some rays. At night, Indigo sometimes has big parties, so check out their Instagram to see what’s happening during your visit.
Foz do Lizandro has a large parking lot and overflow parking on the cliffs above the beach. When the wind conditions are right, you might even see paragliders taking off from these cliffs.
Pro tip: this upper parking lot is a great place to check the waves before you surf or watch a sunset!
Praia de São Julião
Drive about ten minutes south of Ericeira and you’ll reach São Julião Beach. The beach is tucked away in the cliffs and typically less crowded than the beaches in the center of town. In general, this area is much quieter and feels more connected to nature, so this is a great beach to visit if you need a break from city life.
Plus, if you want to go on an adventure, the hiking trails around São Julião will take you up and down the coast, and you can even hike along the cliffs back toward Foz do Lizandro Beach.
São Julião has street parking and a nice little cafe overlooking the beach where you can grab a bite and watch the surfers. When my parents visited, we went here for sunset and loved sitting outside with a Sagres and an amazing view. There’s also an amazing pizza restaurant right on the beach where you can grab a bite after your day in the sun. (See more Ericeira restaurants in this post!)
Beyond São Julião, you’ll have even more great beaches in the Sintra National Park area, and you can follow the coast around to Cascais… but that’s a topic for a different blog post.
Let’s head back to Praia dos Pescadores and make our way north to the rest of the Ericeira beaches.
Praia do Norte
As the name suggests, Praia do Norte is located just on the other side of Pescadores Beach toward the north side of town. You can walk here from the city center and it tends to be a bit more quiet than Pescadores and Praia do Sul, but in summer and on the weekends, all beaches in this area will have their share of crowds.
Praia do Norte is best for watching the waves, having a picnic, relaxing away from crowds, and occasionally even surfing. There are also public restrooms available nearby and places in town where you can grab a coffee (or cocktail!) for takeaway.
Praia de São Sebastião
Praia de São Sebastião is the beach at the very northern edge of Ericeira town and a great place for surfing, walking, and exploring rocky tide pools at low tide. This beach can mostly disappear on high tide, so be aware of the time of day you visit! That said, there’s an amazing walkway at the top of the cliff where you can enjoy sea views no matter what the ocean is doing below.
São Sebastião has a large parking lot and on Saturday there’s a market with produce, crafts, antiques, and local goods. There’s also a playground, outdoor gym area, and cafe.
Praia do Matadouro
Praia do Matadouro is the next beach moving north from São Sebastião, and it’s easy to find because it’s located directly below the Boardriders Surf Shop. Matadouro Beach is a popular place for surf lessons, which you can book through Boardriders. There’s also a flat area where kids can run around and play, as well as restrooms and a little outdoor snack shack by the water.
Praia de Ribeira d’Ilhas
Praia de Ribeira d’Ilhas is one of the most popular beaches in Ericeira for surfing and beach activities. Ribeira has a few different areas to accommodate different types of surfers – you can take beginner lessons in the white water, rent surfboards and wet suits, or surf the main peak with the intermediate-advanced crowd. There’s even a WSL Surf Competition here every October, and it’s not uncommon to see pros out in the lineup.
One of my favorite parts about Ribeira is that it’s so well set up for a day at the beach. There are restrooms, showers, a beach restaurant, a walk-up bar, and plenty of seating. There are umbrellas during the warmer months and lots of sandy beach space for relaxing and playing beach games.
The water is usually a bit rough for swimming, but it’s possible to jump in and cool off. Plus there’s a little river that runs toward the sea where kids can splash around. You can also follow the trails up the cliffs from the beach to go on a beautiful walk through the World Surf Reserve. Follow these paths long enough and you’ll make it to Praia dos Coxos!
Ribeira is located north of downtown about 30-40 minutes walking, but you’ll probably want to drive if you’re bringing your own surfboard. There’s a large parking lot plus overflow parking for busy summer days, but parking at Ribeira is notoriously chaotic when the surf is good so give yourself plenty of extra time.
You can also take the beach bus which stops at each beach in Ericeira about every half hour.
Praia dos Coxos
Coxos Surf Break is famous for being one of the most advanced surf spots in Ericeira and all of Europe. Nearby, you can enjoy Praia dos Coxos, a secluded cove beach that’s known for being peaceful and quieter than the beaches in Ercieira city. Coxos Beach is about a fifteen-minute drive north of Ericeira town and a five-minute drive north of Ribeira d’Ilhas. There’s a sidewalk the whole way there from Ericeira, but beware of some extreme hills!
(I’ve ridden a bike to Praia dos Coxos before and it was… challenging. An e-bike is a must unless you’ve got legs of steel!)
Praia de São Lourenço
Located about a fifteen-minute drive north of Ericeira is Praia de São Lourenço, a beautiful large beach surrounded by peaceful nature. Praia de São Lourenço is a great beach for families and can even work for surfing when the conditions are right. (Because the waves and currents are strong here, it’s not the best for swimming.)
Praia de São Lourenço has a beach restaurant, bathrooms, and umbrellas you can use for shade. There’s a large parking area and a nice nature path and bridge along a little river that you can explore.
If you continue north along the coast, you’ll find more great little beaches and beach towns and I imagine it would take years to explore them all. Eventually, you’ll hit popular surf spots like Peniche and Nazare – which make fun day trips from Ericeira. But for now, you should have plenty of Ericeira beaches to keep you busy!
After spending an amazing day at the beach, you’ve probably worked up an appetite. So next, let’s look at some of the best restaurants in Ericeira.