Nazaré and Region

Considered by many to be Portugal’s most typical beach, it charms visitors through its natural beauty.

With a temperate climate, its warm and welcoming people, wonderful light, its fishing traditions, artisanry and craftsmanship, the town of Nazaré became a muse to countless painters and artists, hence its renown around the world.

The wonderful Nazaré bay is protected and sheltered by its majestic headland, on the Summit of which lies Sítio da Nazaré. An integral landmark for the locality, the Sítio must be reached by land on the funicular lift, which provides a memorable view of the horizons around the beach. At the highest point of the Sítio, on the Suberco mirador, one’s sight is lost in some of the most beautiful sea-side landscapes the country has to offer. Here, legend and religious devotion become one through the worship of Our Lady of Nazaré.

Pederneira, an age-old locus for the local fishing community, is the peaceful guardian to memories of past eras. Once the seaport of the Coutos de Alcobaça and an active shipbuilding yard, it nowadays beholds the progress of the beach, laid out at its feet.

The Fishing Harbour and Marina, to the south of the beach also carry the town’s history, here the past and present come together to provide a better future for the Nazaréans.

To stroll through the narrow streets, perpendicular to the sea, where life unfolds to the rhythm of winds and tides, is to discover the essence of these people. Joyful and larger than life, they harbour sadness with an open smile, speak in song and entice you with their manner and dress.

Surrounded by salty scents and the fresh sea air, Nazaré invites its guests to enjoy a nice plate of grilled sardines or a succulent “caldeirada” chowder, among other typical delicacies of the region’s riviera.

Vibrant, active and sports-filled, lively, entirely suited for holidays, leisure or outings and excursions, Nazaré offers all of the delights needed to ensure your return.

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Fishing Porto

Succesive and continual shipwrecks which made a dark impression and cast a spirit of mourning on the people of Nazaré over the decades, meant that the building of a shelter port which would grant increased sea-faring security and reduce the risk of life-loss in the fishing community, was the greatest wish of the town’s people, throughout most of the 20th Century. In the 1950s, the level of life-quality was low, due to the fact that the conditions of its natural port did not allow for fishing of a more lucrative kind, such as practiced in other coastal towns. Its women often worked, in order to mitigate low incomes provided by the men through their work, further supporting the home by selling fish in the region’s markets. Nazaré began to be known as a land of departures and arrivals.

The community saw its sons leave, in search of better living standards. After construction began in 1979, the Port was officially inaugurated on September 3rd 1983, promoting daily sea outings and the beach’s fishing activities with greater security for the men and the vessels. The Port of Nazaré, protected by two piers, includes two spaces intended for its fishing fleet and also a Marina. It is known as Porto Santo because the Nazaré gate has never been closed to passing ships and boats.

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Nazaré and Region

Fishing Porto