If you’re enticed by the idea of a no-nonsense Portugal—and don’t need to be beside the sea—take a look at Leiria, not far from the central coast.
Read OnFigueira da Foz is one of the largest resorts on Portugal’s Atlantic coast. Stretching north toward the fishing village of Buarcos (now more a resort suburb than a village), Figueira’s fine golden sands are vast.
Read OnAs some readers are aware, I’m not exactly convent material. Trudging up the endless stairs, I’m thankful the whitewashed building has proper rooms instead of Spartan cells.
Read OnWhy it gets ignored is puzzling. Hemming a rugged coastline of cliffs, coves, and whitewashed windmills, the Atlantic beaches of the Beira and Estremadura provinces resemble broad golden ribbons.
Read OnClad in thick woolen socks, head-scarves, bunched skirts, and pinafores, more than a few old ladies in Nazare seem determined to keep some of their traditional ways intact.
Read OnThis was where Portugal's most tragic romance came to an end.
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