Nature Fix - Lisboa
Além Lisboa Wild Guide - Lisbon
Featured Article
Best Views
The high sea cliffs and abundance of hills in the area around Lisbon give the landscape plenty of opportunities for stunning vistas.
The trail from the cliff tops down to the beach at Praia da Ursa is a particular favourite with its wonderful views out over the golden sand, clear blue waters and impressive sea stacks(Walk 6). The views from Cabo da Roca, mainland Europe’s most westerly point, are similarly impressive with hundred-metre high cliffs and rocky bays in both directions .
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Nearby in the hills of Sintra, the views from the top of the Penedo do Amizade below the castle offer a totally different landscape, with trees and white houses all the way to the sea .
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To the south, the panoramic view from the top of Formosinho makes the steep hike completely worthwhile, with views across the beautiful bay and beaches of Arrabida and the stations of the cross marching up and along the ridge to the south-west .
Closer to the beach, the views from the Fendada Arrabida are literally breathtaking. Scrambling up to reach the top of the ravine will leave you short of breath, and the steep drop to the south and sheer cliff wall to the front are similarly dramatic .
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The 5 Best
Pedras Gigante e Ursa
Cabo da Roca
Penedo do Amizade
Formosinho
Fenda da Arrábid
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Photography and Sunset
Any of the beaches in the Sintra-Cascais National Park in particular, are fantastic places to watch the sun go down. Still, for this list we’ve chosen beaches that have all the elements for great sunset photographs, like seastacks and fascinating foregrounds.
Some of these are harder to get to than others. Louriçal can be particularly challenging in the final section before the beach. Still, the rewards are certainly worth it when you reach the edge of the ocean and are just spoiled for choice about where to point your camera. Bear in mind that photographing the sunset from the beaches means heading back up the trails in the twilight or dark, so make sure you take a torch with you, preferably a head torch so you can keep your hands free.
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Our choices:
1.Praia do Louriçal
2.Praia da Ursa
3.Praia do Porto do Touro
4.Praia da Aroeira
5.Praia do Abano
Remote Places
Despite being a capital city, it’s surprising how easy it can be to get away from the crowds in the Lisbon area. The dolmen of Anta is a standing stone on a hill with fantastic 360º views across the trees and the ocean, where, sitting on top of the stones, you can almost feel the history of this ancient place.
Close by is the beach of Praia do Louriçal. As you descend towards the ocean, the crowds of Cabo da Roca quickly disappear, leaving you alone for the final stretch of the path to the rocky beach, surrounded by stunning cliffs, towering rock stacks and the sound of the waves turning over the large boulders on the beach.
To the south, the stone shapes of Marmitas and the Cabo Espichel stone arches are well off the beaten track and a great place to get away from it all in a beautiful location.
The hike through the trees up to Formosinho has a remoteness and sense of quiet that feels a million miles away from the bustle of Lisbon as you rise above the surrounding countryside
Refreshing Swims
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The first beach we have chosen is Praia da Samara , which is a stunningly beautiful beach that is a perfect place for a swim in the summer.
Walk down the steps to Praia Grande and have a swim in the Atlantic rollers. It is a famous surf beach and strong currents can be an issue here. It’s well worth it though, as it gives you the chanceto view some of Portugal’s finest cliffs from the sea.
Skinny dipping at Praia da Ursa is a firm favourite, and it's hard to imagine a more beautiful location. Ursa is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
You are simply spoilt for choice between the seaside resort of Fonte da Telha and the Albufeira Lagoon. The suggested walk down from the cliffs is probably one of the best places for a swim, as there are fewer people. Wave-free and backed by stunningly forested limestone cliffs,
Portinho da Arrábida is a wonderful place for a swim after climbing up to the cliffs. The small island of Anixa is a possible swim away and offers clear waters in this marine-protected area.
Rock Climbing
Most climbs are in an area of outstanding natural beauty offering plenty to tempt the experienced rock climbers who value exhilarating climbs. We have chosen 5 that are regularly climbed and have fixed anchors. There are other climbing spots in the Lisbon region, all of which are unregulated and will remain secret.
Probably Portugal's oldest rockclimbing destination is at the huge granite wall below the castle in Sintra. Access to this wall has improved with the opening of the Sassetti hiking trail.There are over 60 routes to choose from.
The impressive basalt rock at Casal dos Pianos in Serra de Sintra looks like it has been made specifically for climbers. It is perched on the cliffs above the vast Atlantic Ocean, that have truly awe-inspiring views.
The stunning cliffs just west of Cascais are regularly climbed and are home to a climbing school -Escola de Escalada da Guia. The coast is south-facing and well protected from winds.
The limestone caves in the cliffs above Praia da Adraga are a completely different challenge and are only accessible to very experienced rock climbers with suitable equipment.
Serra da Arrábida has many places to climb, but its biggest draw is the subterranean ravine that is locally known as ‘Fenda’. The limestone vertical walls offer a number of challenging routes to choose from
Wild Trails
You really don’t have to go far out of Lisbon to find yourself in the wilderness. Much of Arrábida's 108 square kilometres is unsigned and unmarked and many of the trails are dependent on being walked regularly; if they don’t, they quickly get covered by foliage.
The hike to Arrábida’s highest point, Formosinho, involves walking through shoulder-high bush on either side of the trail.
Access to the top of the cliffs to reach the hidden crevice of Fenda requires some exhilarating scrambling
The carved canyon at Marmitas de Gigante can be difficult to find at first as it is very well hidden in a bush-covered valley. It may require some exploring.
Getting back up from Louriçal beach in Serra de Sintra also involves a little bit of climbing and has a demanding section that may deter some
Ancient Places
Take in the history of the region by walking to some of its prehistoric sites. The dinosaur footsteps at Pedra da Mua near Cabo Espichel date from the Jurassic period (145+ million years ago) and were made by plant-eating Sauropod dinosaurs. The PR2 trail markers will take you to the viewing platforms.
Dinosaur footsteps can also be found in Serra de Sintra, near Praia Grande. These are also from the early Cretaceous period (125 million years old)and are very impressive, especially as you can get up close to a few of the footsteps
An early human presence (Palaeolithic) was discovered in Arrábida at Lapa de Santa Margarida. This cave was probably used by Neanderthals as evidence has been found in the neighbouring cave, Figueira Brava.
Aligned with Europe’s most westerly cape, the Adrenunes Dolmen is believed to be a megalithic monument that clearly had some importance.
Again in Sintra,a 4000-year-old settlement once existed on the cliffs overlooking Praia da Samarra . There is little evidence of this today but it certainly gives your walk an extra sense of history
Articles
Rock Pooling
Going to the beach at low tide provides youwith the chance of rock-pooling ;observing marine life thatyou would never normally get the chance to see.
To avoid disappointment and rising tides we suggest checking the tide times before setting out .
Thebeaches around Cabo da Roca are possibly the best place to do this. However, as rock-pooling is usually a family activity, we have chosen four beaches that are easy to access when with little ones. Practically all of the Lisbon south-facing beaches have rock pools, which are easily accessible at low tide and have a wealth of fascinating marine life.
The best place in the whole of the Lisbon region is Praia das Avencas, where crabs, sponges, starfish and sea anemones are easy to spot. Praia da Azarujinha and Praia da Bafureira offer similar conditions, especially when the tide is at its lowest.
At low tide, Praia da Aroeira has rock pools that are full of an incredible variety of life but the trail to this beach is not recommended for those with young children.
The 5 best
1.Praia das Avencas
2.Praia do Pescoço do Cavalo
3.Praia da Azarujinha
4.Praia da Bafureira
5.Praia da Aroeira
Kayaking
Kayaking offers you the chance to explore all the beaches, secret coves and islands of the region andsubsequently opens up new places to visit and explore that are not easily accessible on foot.
Fortunately, those with a sense of adventure, kayaks and especially their inflatable versions have become
reasonably inexpensive and are now a regular sight on the Lisbon coast. Probably the best region for kayaking is the south-facing beaches of the Serra da Arrábida due to their calmer conditions.
Praia da Anicha or even Portinho daArrábida are great beaches to launch from, where it is possible to paddle to the island of Anixa and then east to the beautiful beaches of Coelhos, Galapinhos and Galapos.
Praia de Alpertuche is also a wonderful place to paddle from and explore the sea caves of the Arrábida coast. Paddling from the Sesimbra marina to Ribeira do Cavalo is highly recommended and is becoming increasingly popular as an activity provided by tour guides. Finally, in the summer
Months, Praia da Azarujinha is a firm favourite with kayakers.
The 5 best
1.Praia de Alpertuche
2.Praia da Ribeira do Cavalo
3.Praia deGalapinhos
4.Praia da Anicha
5.Praia da Azarujinha
Hidden Beaches
The sense of adventure you get from making the effort to get to some of the more difficult-to-access beaches is often a reward in itself, as there’s something innately satisfying about clambering and climbing through nature.
The twin beaches of Inferno and Temporal have probably themost heart-in-mouth pathwith a stretch that looks almost impossible when you first see it, but the nnotice that there’s a narrow channel of rock which the local fishermen have cut steps into that cuts acrossthe vertical cliff. If you suffer from vertigo, it may be best avoided.
Nearby Mijona is similar with stepscut into a sheet of rock that slopes at a ridiculous angle down to the beach. Fishermen frequent all of thebeaches on this coast and often leave ropes going down to the more inaccessible beaches like Louriçaland Giribeto. It’s worth remembering that these ropes are often quite old and it’s not advisable to trustthem with all your weight.
The 5 best
1.Praias do Inferno &Praia do Temporal
2.Praia do Louriçal
3.Praia da Mijona
4.Praia da Aroeira
5.Praia do Giribeto
Beach Hikes
The Lisbon region has two beautiful and incredibly different natural parks (Sintra-Cascais and Arrábida)that have many beaches to explore and provide plenty of trails to walk.
In the absence of maps, we havechosen 4 marked trails that are easy to follow and a linear coastal walk. Two of the walks are a part of theGR11 Caminho do Atlântico, which in full is a 35-kilometer trail. The GR11 has red and white markers thathugthe beautiful coast ofSintra.
FromPraia do Magoito you cantakethe cliff walk north to Praia daSamarra or continue following the markers through a spectacular valley and then further inland to thevillage of Odrinhas.
The only circular walk chosen (PR3-yellow and red markers) starts at Malveira daSerra and passes through a beautiful valley to the cliffs near Praia da Grota and then back up again to
Malveira.
Serra da Arrábida has only two marked trails that are bythe coast. We have chosen Maravilhasdo Cabo SSB PR2 that passes Praia dos Lagosteiros.
The 5 best
1.Praia Pequena to Praia do Magoito-GR11
2.Praia do Magoito to Odrinhas-GR11
3.Praia do Magoito to Praia da Samarra
4.Praia da Grota-PR3
5.Praia dos Lagosteiros-Maravilhas do Cabo PR2
Waterfalls
Coming Soon
Beaches for Dogs
