The town's own beach, tucked below the fishing harbour and sheltered by the breakwater, the safest place to swim with children.
Right below the old town and the Largo das Ribas, Praia dos Pescadores sits beside the working fishing harbour that gives it its name. The breakwater calms the water, making it the most reliable place in Ericeira for a family swim.
The setting is pure old Ericeira, with whitewashed houses stacked on the cliff above, fishing boats hauled up on the slipway and the smell of the sea drifting down from the restaurants. It is a small, curved beach rather than a vast open one, and that intimacy is the point.
The sand is soft and golden, and because the breakwater blocks the worst of the Atlantic swell the water is calmer and clearer than at the exposed beaches. In summer the sea is inviting if bracing, warming through July and August, while in spring and autumn it is quieter and cooler, better for a quick dip than a long swim.
Through the summer season lifeguards watch the beach and fly the usual Portuguese flags, green for safe swimming, yellow to wade but not swim, and red to stay out of the water altogether. A chequered flag means the lifeguards are off duty for a while. Even here, keep an eye on children near the harbour wall and the boat ramp.
In season you will usually find showers, and cafés and ice cream are only steps away up in the town, so you are never far from a cold drink or a bathroom. It suits families with young children best, along with anyone who wants to swim without walking or driving anywhere.
Being the town beach, it fills quickly on hot August afternoons, so come in the morning for space and calmer water. There is no dedicated car park, but you are right in the centre and it is easiest reached on foot. On bigger winter swells a surf peak appears off the breakwater, and the wall itself is a fine place to sit and watch the boats come in.
