Beaches in Leiria

So, I believe you are watching the sun and thinking about going to the beach, right? You are not alone! Portugal is knows for having 10 hours of sun in the summer! Amazing right? Leiria, being a city in the west, has more than 10 beaches for you to choose from!

Today my job is to give you the beaches (and lagoons) to visit while you are doing your Erasmus in Leiria. After doing that, I will also give you top tips to get there, so prepare your sunscreen!

Nazaré Beach

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Nazaré is a vibrant city. From drying fish in the beach to renting rooms. From students to woman dressed with 7 skirts (the common dress in Nazaré), this city has it all!

But this city is not only a beach. You can go to coffee shops, a beach tournament and amazing parties at night (in the summer)! Also, don’t forget about the huge rock that separates the main beach (on the picture) and the north beach. Don’t forget to catch the lift and see the huge waves from the lighthouse. Remember that Garrett McNamara broke a world record in this place!

São Pedro de Moel Beach

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Unfortunately São Pedro de Moel isn’t what is used to be. We had some pools that are currently closed, and that had an effect in their economy. But the beach is still awesome! You can even buy some souvenirs, eat something in a coffee shop or restaurant or even taste the popcorn!

São Martinho do Porto Beach

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São Martinho do Porto has an amazing beach, as you can see from the picture.  The city is also full of good restaurants and coffee shops where you can eat or drink something. The good thing about this beach is that the railway is really close to it, so you can practically catch the train to go anywhere you want.

Paredes de Vitória Beach

Paredes de Vitória offers a small list of coffee shops and restaurants. It’s mainly populated during the summer since most houses were built only for vacation. However, the town has a park to do picnics and camping!

Vieira Beach

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Vieira has an awesome beach and it’s a great town! If you walk in the main street you can find a huge selection of restaurants and coffee shops. You can also buy stuff from the souvenir shops around town or visit the aquatic park. You can even stay the night and have fun in the selection of bars like Oceano, Pianus or a random bar that opens during the summer!

Pedrogão Beach

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Pedrogão is a small city that seems to only work in the summer. It has only a small choice of restaurants and coffee shops. With this in mind, our city council started to develop activities in this town, to push more people into this town. We’ve got tons of activities like silence parties, sports on the beach, dancing and even a library on the beach! Check out our post regarding major events in Leiria.

Top tip: When you enter the city, there is a small beach on the left that receives more sun and it’s less windy. Sometimes it’s raining on the bigger beach and it’s sunny in this small beach. It’s very fun to watch sometimes.

Ervideira Lagoon

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Ervideira Lagoon is a hidden gem near Pedrogão and Vieira beach. Unfortunately the fires from October made a lot of damages to the vegetation, so this lagoon is not so nice like in the other years. Near the beach of this lagoon you’ve got a small coffee shop and a picnic area.

Baleal Beach

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Baleal beach is an amazing beach in Peniche. Some international students even go there so they can learn to surf! Want to visit a small town that is driven by the fish and tourists? Want to visit Berlengas island? Want to have a huge party with international students? Peniche has it all!

How to get there?

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There are regular buses or trains that go to the beaches that I said above. In the summer you can even buy a group of 5 tickets and go to the beach with way less money.

You can also go by car, if you rent one, or hitchhike! Check out post regarding hitchhiking in Portugal!