It’s summer, it’s hot, you’re on holiday in Lisbon and want to dedicate one day of your stay to reptiles’ favourite activity: basking in the sun 🙂 Small problem: you don’t have a car available. What to do?
Don’t panic! There’s plenty of choice around Lisbon because we’re incredibly lucky to have access to magnificent beaches less than an hour from the capital. Accessible by public transport, getting there is easy and rather quick.Voyage à Lisbonne shares one of its well-kept secrets for enjoying a beach day that will stay etched in your memory 🙂
Head to the Costa da Caparica, this huge strip of sand located opposite Lisbon towards the south of the country, facing the Atlantic Ocean and very popular with surfers for its magnificent waves.
Made up of different beaches, sometimes nudist, the Costa da Caparica is the ideal place to escape the crowds of tourists and discover magical beaches — and all by bus!
Indeed, from Lisbon, several buses leave from different points in the city: Alcântara, Praça da Espanha, etc… and take you directly to the entrance of the Costa da Caparica, i.e. the northernmost point of the beach. Then you simplyeither decide to walk a little along the beach to find your favourite spot, or take the little train that runs along the beaches and takes you much farther down.
It leaves from “Nova Praia” and follows a sublime route, between dunes, cliffs and beaches as far as the eye can see. The journey alone is worth the detour! You’ll passiconic beaches, but alsopractically deserted beaches. It stops at “Fonte da Telha” beach. Few people know this tip, so it’s with pleasure that we share it with you to make your stay even more unforgettable.
Taking the little beach train will take you more than an hour from Lisbon, and it only runs in summer, i.e. from 1 June to 30 September. It leaves every half hour, at fixed times (e.g. 2pm, 2:30pm).
Another, slightly longer way is to take a bus to Almada and change to another bus that takes you to certain beaches of the Costa da Caparica (e.g. Praia da Princesa), but I wouldn’t recommend this route, which is far more unpredictable than the first one advised.
We obviously recommend that youchoose your beach day on a weekday, preferably, andoutside school holidaysto maximize your chances of experiencing a Robinson Crusoe day 😉
Also remember — and we rarely do — to bring your sunscreen, your hat, your sunglasses, water bottles and a picnic if you plan to reach the less crowded beaches…
We reserve for our clients our best secret paradise-beach spots, known to locals and only accessible by car, which we’ll be delighted to include in your personalized travel programme: contact ushere(contact section) to find out more!
We also know fishing villages that have kept their charm and sit by the sea — a nice activity to do with family or with your partner 😉
