Nazaré
With a warren of narrow, cobbled lanes running down to a wide, cliff-backed beach, Nazaré is Estremadura’s most picturesque coastal resort.
Running up the Atlantic coast from the mouth of the Rio Tejo almost to the Rio Mondego, Estremadura has long been a land of plenty, its rolling hills and valleys offering up some of Portugal’s richest farmland. For proof, visit the elaborate kitchens that fattened up the monks at Alcobaça’s extraordinary monastery. The coast is blessed with miles-long strands, which also catch some of Europe’s best surf.
Estremadura earned its name the same way as Spain’s Extremadura: for a time, it represented the furthest reaches of the Reconquista.
With a warren of narrow, cobbled lanes running down to a wide, cliff-backed beach, Nazaré is Estremadura’s most picturesque coastal resort.
Surrounded by a classic crenellated wall, Óbidos’ gorgeous historic centre is a labyrinth of cobblestoned streets and flower-bedecked, whitewashed houses livened up with dashes of vivid yellow and blue paint.
First planted by a forward-looking monarch some 700 years ago, the Pinhal de Leiria is a vast forest of towering pines whose fragrance and stippled shade make this one of the loveliest stretches of Portugal’s Atlantic coast.
Leiria is an agreeable mixture of medieval and modern influences, a lively university town built at the foot of a promontory fortified since Moorish times.
Families seeking a safe place for their kids to swim can’t do much better than São Martinho do Porto.
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