Hotel Mar Bravo
Why we like it: 16-room hotel on Praça Sousa Oliveira, facing Nazaré beach, with sea balconies, breakfast included and a fish and seafood restaurant.
Duration2 nights
From Lisbon1 h 30 by car along the A8
Getting aroundOn foot and by funicular; car for Alcobaça
Best timeMay – September for surfing · October – March for the waves
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Lisbon on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday after lunch. Nazaré is explored on foot and by funicular; you only need the car on Sunday for Alcobaça. If there is a storm in winter, swap the surf lesson for the waves at Praia do Norte.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival at Mar Bravo
Leave your bag at the hotel, on Praça Sousa Oliveira, and have dinner in its seafood restaurant on the ground floor, open until 22:30.
Saturday
- 110:00Surf lesson
Nazare Surf School, on the promenade, a couple of minutes from the hotel. Ninety minutes with board, wetsuit and insurance.
- 213:00Lunch at Taberna d'Adélia
Fish of the day on Rua das Traineiras. Book by phone; closed on Thursday.
- 316:00Funicular and fort
Go up to the Sítio on the 1889 funicular and walk a kilometre to the fort of São Miguel Arcanjo, above Praia do Norte. Stay for sunset.
Sunday
- 110:00The village beach
A stroll on the sand of the bay or a last swim in summer.
- 212:00Alcobaça monastery
13 km on the way to Lisbon: the Cistercian church, the tombs of Pedro and Inês, the cloister and the monumental kitchen.
- 315:00Back to Lisbon
You arrive around 16:30.
In a day from Lisbon, you see Nazaré; in two nights, you live it. With the hotel on the beach square you do not need to move the car: on Saturday you learn to surf in the village's sheltered bay, eat fish in the fishermen's quarter and take the funicular up to the Sítio to see Praia do Norte, home of the biggest waves ever surfed. On Sunday, on the way back to Lisbon, you stop at the Cistercian monastery of Alcobaça, 13 km away.
How do you get there from Lisbon?
By car, along the A8, about 120 km and an hour and a half. If you fly from Spain, you land in Lisbon and hire a car there, or take the scheduled bus to Nazaré, which takes a little over an hour and a half; in that case, leave Alcobaça for another time or go by taxi.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Mar Bravo | Beach square | Anyone who wants the sand and the funicular on foot |
| Miramar Hotel Spa & Apartments | Top of Pederneira | Spa, pool and views of the bay |
| Ohai Nazaré | Pine wood 4 km away | Families, dogs and motorhomes |
How much does it cost?
The surf lesson, €35 per person. Alcobaça monastery, €15. Taberna d'Adélia is mid-priced (€€ in the Michelin Guide); the rice dishes and cataplanas at Mar Bravo, from €22 to €28 per person. The funicular, with a ticket at the station.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Nazaré, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Nazaré
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Nazaré by car, from the Sítio to Alcobaça
With a car, Nazaré combines in a short while with Alcobaça monastery, 13 km away, and you reach Praia do Norte without depending on the funicular on wave days. In the town itself, though, the car is a hindrance: the Praia is covered on foot and the Sítio is reached by funicular.
60–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Mar Bravo, facing the…
- Getting aroundFrom Lisbon, the A8, a…
- Where to eatMar Bravo Restaurant, kitchen open…
- ServicesFunicular from the Praia to…
Where to stay
- Hotel Mar Bravo, facing the beach; ask about parking
- Miramar Hotel Spa & Apartments, high up in Pederneira, with a spa
- Ohai Nazaré, campsite and bungalows 4 km away, first car included
Getting around
- From Lisbon, the A8, a little over an hour and a half
- On big-wave days, leave the car below and take the funicular up
- Alcobaça, about 20 minutes
Where to eat
- Mar Bravo Restaurant, kitchen open from 12:00 to 22:30
- Taberna d'Adélia, fish on Rua das Traineiras; closed on Thursday
Services
- Funicular from the Praia to the Sítio
Flying to Lisbon, then car or bus to Nazaré
Nazaré is about 120 km north of Lisbon, which is the nearest airport, with direct flights from many Spanish cities. By hire car it is a little over an hour and a half along the A8; without a car, the scheduled bus from Lisbon takes a little over an hour and a half to the town, and there everything is done on foot and by funicular.
- Getting thereLisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS), about…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to stayHotel Mar Bravo, on the…
- ServicesNazare Surf School, on the…
Getting there
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS), about 120 km away
- Scheduled bus from Lisbon to Nazaré, a little over 1 h 30
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport, along the A8
- On foot around the Praia and by funicular to the Sítio
- Car for Alcobaça and Praia do Norte on wave days
Where to stay
- Hotel Mar Bravo, on the beach square, to arrive by bus and not move the car
- Miramar Hotel Spa & Apartments, with a spa for the first night
Services
- Nazare Surf School, on the promenade, open all year
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingif you're flying
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Miramar Hotel Spa & Apartments
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in the upper part of Pederneira, with ocean views, a spa with a heated pool, an outdoor pool and seven apartments, 700 m from the beach.
Ohai Nazaré Outdoor Resort
Why we like it: Campsite and resort among pines 4 km from Nazaré beach, with bungalows, apartments, glamping and pitches, a water park, a heated pool and dogs welcome.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Nazaré
Taberna d'Adélia
What to order: ask them to show you the fish of the day before cooking; if there is oven-baked redfish with açorda, it is the recipe the house keeps repeating.
Mar Bravo Restaurant
What to order: the seafood rice or the fish and seafood cataplana, for two (€50); if you are on your own, the seafood açorda in an individual portion (€22).
Mar Aberto Wine Bar Restaurant
What to order: ask for a table by the glass windows and ask about the fish and seafood of the day; if you only want to nibble, the wine bar serves light tapas.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Check the wave forecast in winter
With a storm, swap the lesson for the big waves of Praia do Norte.
- 2Book the lesson and the table before you go
The school takes bookings by email and phone; Taberna d'Adélia, by phone.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a car?
Not for Nazaré: everything is on foot and by funicular. For Alcobaça, yes.
When should you go?
From May to September for surfing and the beach; from October to March for the giant waves.
Can you go with children?
Yes. The village beach is sheltered and they like the funicular; the surf lesson, if they can swim.
Where can you eat on Sunday?
Mar Bravo is open every day from 12:00 to 22:30; Taberna d'Adélia, on Sunday at midday too.