Silver Coast Portugal

Friendly village at a beautiful and calm bay

São Martinho do Porto is a friendly village overlooking a famous shell shaped bay with a very narrow entrance from the sea. Because of this the water in the bay is very calm, which makes it ideal for a day at the beach with young children.

Although the number of fishermen is decreasing, they still catch fish and shellfish on a daily basis, which is often sold directly to the restaurants at the bay.

Every year many tourists from Portugal as well as from abroad visit the bay to swim, surf, sail or canoe, or to enjoy the sun on the beach. At night they go for a stroll on the promenade before they have dinner in one of the many restaurants.

Across the bay is Salir do Porto. It has a beach with a famous sand dune of almost 49 meters high. The beach is located near the river Tornada that flows into the São Martinho bay.

It is very nice to walk along the bay. Starting at the port you can walk either on the street or on the beach. From restaurant O Farol there is a boardwalk that takes you through the dunes, and gives you a good view on the variety of flora in the dunes. The boardwalk takes you across the river into Salir do Porto.

From the viewpoint Miradouro do Cruzeiro you have a great view over the bay, São Martinho do Porto, and the area. On a clear day you can even see Peniche and Nazaré.

The market is open every Tuesday to Sunday, offering you a wide range of vegetables, fruit and fish.

Modern restaurant, on the beach, for a great lunch or diner with a view to the Óbidos lagoon.

Endless pine forests, quiet beaches and Roman excavations

North of Nazaré and Sítio you can explore endless pine forests and quiet beaches: Praia do Norte, Praia da Légua, Vale Furado. Some beaches are guarded in the summer season, so you can safely swim there when the sea behaves itself. On the other beaches swimming is prohibited, because of the steeply sloping sand banks and the strong undertow in the ocean. South of Nazaré there is another beach, the vast Praia do Salgado.

North and south of Nazaré and Sitio there are two marked hiking trails, that take you to beaches, forests and rocks.

On the east side, between Nazaré and Valado dos Frades, in the middle of the woods, you will find a lookout on Mount São Bartlomeu (S. Brás), from where you can see the whole area.

Along the road from Valado dos Frades to Alcobaça, you will find on your left the porcelain factory of SPAL. At the factory outlet you can buy Portuguese porcelain with decorations from very simple to very exuberant, all at reasonable prices.

On the right side of this road, at the village Bárrio, you can find the archaeological site Parreitas. Here are for instance the foundations of an ancient Roman villa.