Itineraries

How long in Ericeira?

Whether you have an afternoon away from Lisbon or a full week, here is how to spend your time well. Mix and match, the town is small and everything is close.

1 day

Ericeira day trip from Lisbon

A relaxed full day: the old town, a beach, fresh seafood and a clifftop sunset, easily done by car or bus from Lisbon.

Morning
Leave Lisbon after the morning rush: by car on the A8 and A21, or on the Carris Metropolitana bus from Campo Grande. Check the return times before you go, so the last bus back does not decide when your day ends.

Getting here
Late morning
Wander the white-and-blue old town, the Praça da República and the clifftop Largo das Ribas over the harbour. Stop for coffee and a pastel de nata at O Pãozinho das Marias before lunch.

Things to do
Lunch
Grilled fish or arroz de marisco at A Panela, which fills up fast, so book ahead, or fresh shellfish with a sea view at Mar à Vista. Take your time: a long seafood lunch is the point of the day.

Eat
Afternoon
Walk down to Praia dos Pescadores, sheltered by the breakwater and the calmest swim in town, or to Praia do Sul right below the old town. With a car, drive a few kilometres north to Ribeira d’Ilhas and watch the surfers on the long right-hand point from the viewpoint.

Praia dos Pescadores Praia do Sul Ribeira d'Ilhas
Sunset
Finish on the clifftop boulevard above Praia do Sul as the sun drops into the Atlantic, or with a glass of wine and small plates at Mar das Latas, before heading back to Lisbon.

2 or 3 days

A weekend in Ericeira

Two or three days to mix surf or beach time with the town, the food scene and one trip out to Mafra or Sintra.

Day 1
Settle in and learn the town on foot. If you want to try surfing, book a first lesson at Foz do Lizandro, the wide river-mouth beach where most schools teach. If not, swim at Praia dos Pescadores. Dinner at A Panela, booked in advance.

Foz do Lizandro Surf schools
Day 2
Check the webcams before breakfast, then choose your water. Beginners head south to São Julião or back to Foz do Lizandro; intermediates can try Matadouro on a mid tide, a walkable reef right by town. In the afternoon drive north to watch the Reserve’s reefs, then end the day at Mar das Latas for sunset.

Webcams São Julião Matadouro
Day 3
Drive 15 minutes inland to the UNESCO palace at Mafra and its baroque library, or push on to Sintra if you start early. Back in Ericeira, grab a prego at Taberna Lebre and make a final stop at Praia da Calada, a quiet cove north of town that needs a car.

Around Ericeira Praia da Calada

1 week

One week in Ericeira

A full week to progress your surfing, work through the beaches and food, and explore the wider coast at an easy pace.

Days 1 and 2
Find your feet in town and start a multi-day surf course at a beginner-friendly beach such as Foz do Lizandro. A course beats single lessons: the same instructor sees your progress. Start the mornings with a pastel de nata at O Pãozinho das Marias.

Surf schools Foz do Lizandro
Days 3 and 4
Work along the coast. One day south to the long bay of São Julião; the next north to Ribeira d’Ilhas and the clifftop above Coxos, a heavy point best watched rather than surfed unless you are experienced. Swim in the São Sebastião cove on the way back, and treat yourself to percebes in season at Ribas Marisqueira.

São Julião Coxos Praia de São Sebastião
Days 5 and 6
Rest your arms with two day trips. Inland, Mafra in the morning and Sintra after it: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira are the highlights, so go early. Return along the coast via Azenhas do Mar and Praia das Maçãs. On the other day, drive about an hour north to Peniche and Baleal, where boats leave for the Berlengas islands.

Around Ericeira
Day 7
A slow last day: a final surf or swim at your favourite beach, sourdough pizza at Secret Oven, and one more sunset over Praia do Sul.

Beach finder

Choosing your dates

The season changes the trip more than the length of your stay. Summer is the gentlest and warmest time, with smaller swells, forgiving beach breaks and surf schools in full swing. It is ideal for beginners and families, but it is also the busiest period, so book accommodation and the popular restaurants early.

Autumn, and October in particular, is widely considered the best time to surf: consistent, clean swells, fewer crowds and water that is still relatively warm. If you are an intermediate surfer, this is when the weekend and one-week plans above work best.

Winter, from November to March, belongs to experienced surfers, when the heavy reefs of the Reserve come alive. For everyone else it is a quiet, local season: shift the balance of the itineraries towards the town, long lunches and the day trips to Mafra and Sintra, and keep beach time for the calmer days. Whatever the month, the water sits roughly between 14 and 18°C, so pack a wetsuit even in summer.

If you do not surf, or travel with children

Every plan on this page works without a board. Swap the surf sessions for beach time at Praia dos Pescadores, the sheltered town beach below the harbour and the safest place to swim with children, or at the small São Sebastião cove a short walk north of the centre.

Watching is part of the fun too. From the viewpoint above Ribeira d’Ilhas you can follow the surfers on the long point for an hour without getting wet, and the clifftop boulevard above Praia do Sul is the town’s natural meeting place at sunset.

On the days you would spend surfing, give more room to the palace at Mafra, the gardens and palaces of Sintra and the seawater pool at Azenhas do Mar. Our things to do page and the journal post on Ericeira for non-surfers have more ideas.

Doing it without a car

You can enjoy Ericeira without driving. The Carris Metropolitana bus runs from Campo Grande in Lisbon, and once you arrive the old town, Praia dos Pescadores, Praia do Sul, São Sebastião and the Matadouro reef are all within walking distance of each other.

The one-day and weekend plans work well on foot if you keep to those town beaches. Foz do Lizandro, São Julião and Ribeira d’Ilhas are further out, and Calada and Coxos really need a car, so plan a taxi or ask your surf school how students get to the beach.

Day trips are harder without a car. Check the Carris Metropolitana site or app the night before for current routes and timetables, especially the last bus back, and see our getting here page for the options from Lisbon and the airport.

Making the plans your own

Treat these itineraries as a starting point, not a timetable. The ocean decides a lot here: check the webcams and a forecast in the morning, keep a backup beach in mind, and be ready to swap a beach day for a day trip when the wind turns onshore.

The town is small, so you rarely need to rush. Use the beach finder to match a beach to the day’s conditions and the trip cost calculator to estimate a budget before you book.

Keep exploring the guide

01 Getting here 02 Surf 03 Beaches 04 Around Ericeira 05 Trip cost 06 Beach finder