# Peniche and the Berlengas The boat to Berlenga island, Peniche fortress, Cabo Carvoeiro and the waves of Baleal and Supertubos, an hour and a quarter from Lisbon. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/peniche-and-berlengas · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Peniche was once an island and is today a limestone peninsula joined to the mainland by sand, with a fishing port, a fortress that was a prison under the dictatorship and waves on one coast or the other almost every day. Opposite, 45 minutes away by boat, Berlenga is an island of reddish granite with a 17th-century fort, clear waters and bird colonies. From Lisbon it can be done in a long day, but the boat and the surf call for a night's stay. ## How do you get there from Lisbon? By car, about 90 km on the A8 to the north and the IP6 to Peniche: a little over an hour and a quarter without traffic. By bus from Lisbon it is around an hour and a half to the centre of Peniche. If you fly from Spain, you land in Lisbon, which is the nearest airport; hire a car there or take the bus. For the morning boat to Berlenga you must be at the marina 45 minutes before departure, at 10:00 or 11:00 depending on the season. Leaving Lisbon first thing you will make it; if you go by bus, it is safer to sleep in Peniche the night before. ## What is the trip to Berlenga like? Viamar leaves from Peniche marina, beside the fortress, from 8 May to 30 September, and all its departures give five hours on the island. The return trip for an adult costs from €19.90 in May, June and September on weekdays to €34.90 in the weeks of August; children from 3 to 11 pay less. The BerlengasPass, the nature reserve fee, is bought separately, at €3 per adult per day. No more than 550 people may be on the island at once: weekends in July and August sell out weeks ahead. On the island, take the path up to the lighthouse and go down the stairs to the Fort of São João Baptista, joined to the island by a stone bridge. By the jetty there is a small beach with very clear water and a restaurant. The glass-bottom boat trip through the caves is paid for separately on the island. There is no shade: bring water, a hat and sun cream. ## What to see in Peniche? The 16th-century fortress, beside the harbour, is today the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom: it was a prison for political prisoners and Álvaro Cunhal escaped from here in 1960. To the west, Cabo Carvoeiro has a lighthouse above layered cliffs and, in front, the rock stack of Nau dos Corvos. To the north, Baleal, the former island of whales, has beaches on both sides of the isthmus; to the south, Supertubos is the beach of tubular waves, a regular venue of the world surf tour. To learn, Baleal Surf Camp, Portugal's first surf camp, open since 1993, gives lessons in groups of up to five from €38. ## Where to eat and sleep? For fish, Tasca do Joel, beside the harbour since 1982, is open Wednesday to Sunday and on Sunday only at midday. To sleep, PenichePraia, on the north coast, has rooms, bungalows, pitches and heated salt-water pools, and admits pets; Baleal Surf Camp has a hostel and apartments on the sand at Baleal. ## When should you go? June and September are the best months: there is a boat, the price is lowest and the island is quiet. July and August are high season. From October to April there is no boat to Berlenga, but Peniche is still a surf destination, with the biggest waves of the year. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Óbidos (a 19.2 km), Nazaré (a 38.1 km), Ericeira and Mafra (a 43.8 km), Sintra (a 61.9 km) ## Qué hacer - **Boat from Peniche to Berlenga Island** (6 h 30 · Everyone who does not get seasick; children aged 3 to 11 pay less · Desde 19.9 € per person, return): Berlenga is the only inhabited island in the Berlengas archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011: reddish granite, turquoise water, sea caves, birds and a 17th-century fort joined to land by a stone bridge. You get there by boat from the Peniche marina, next to the fortress, in about 45 minutes. Viamar, which has run the crossing for 68 years, sails from May to September and all its departures give 5 hours on the island. In 2027 the return fare runs from €19.90 (May, June and September on weekdays) to €34.90 (31 July to 22 August) for an adult, and from €11.90 to €24.90 for children aged 3 to 11. You must also buy the BerlengasPass, the compulsory nature reserve fee: €3 per adult per day. No more than 550 people can be on the island at once, so summer weekends sell out weeks ahead. With a swell the boat moves: if you get seasick, take something beforehand. Arrive at the marina 45 minutes before departure. - **Cabo Carvoeiro and the Nau dos Corvos** (45 min · Everyone; windy almost always · Free): The western tip of Peniche: a white and red lighthouse above limestone cliffs carved in layers, and in front the rock stack of the Nau dos Corvos, which looks like a stranded ship. On clear days you can see Berlenga on the horizon. You get there by car or bike along the road that circles the peninsula, about 3 km from the centre, with parking next to the lighthouse. The wind blows hard: do not go near the edge. - **São João Baptista Fort and the Berlenga trails** (3 h · Everyone; the trails have steps and slopes): The São João Baptista fort, dating from 1651, occupies an islet at the foot of Berlenga and is crossed by a stone bridge over the sea. From the quay, a path climbs the island to the lighthouse and descends by steps to the fort; along the way you see gulls and cormorants nesting on the rocks. On the island there is a small beach of very clear water next to the quay and a restaurant. The glass-bottom boat trip through the caves, of about 25 minutes, is paid separately and leaves from the island itself. Wild camping is forbidden; there is a camping area with prior booking. - **Peniche Fortress and the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom** (1 h 30 · Teenagers and adults; 20th-century history): The great fortress that closes Peniche to the south, next to the harbour, was during Salazar's dictatorship one of the harshest political prisons in the country. Álvaro Cunhal escaped from here in 1960. Today it is the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, with the cells, the visiting room and the history of the repression and of the Carnation Revolution. It is a few steps from where the boats to Berlenga leave: if you have the afternoon boat, it fits in the morning. Check the opening times at the museum before you go. - **Baleal, the former island joined by sand** (3 h · Families, surf and walking): Baleal was once an island, and its name comes from the whales that were butchered here in the Middle Ages. Today a tongue of sand joins it to the mainland and leaves two beaches, one on each side: depending on the wind, one has waves and the other calm water. On the island there are whitewashed fishermen's houses and a rocky path. It is about 5 km from the centre of Peniche. In summer the car park on the isthmus fills up early. - **Surf lesson in Baleal with Baleal Surf Camp** (Beginners and intermediate · Desde 38 € per person): Peniche and Baleal have waves almost every day because the peninsula faces two ways: if one coast is not working, the other is. Baleal Surf Camp, Portugal's first surf camp, open since 1993, gives lessons on Baleal beach in groups of five at most, with an instructor, board, wetsuit and insurance. A lesson costs €38 from November to March, €43 in April, May, June, September and October and €48 in July and August; the 5, 10 and 15-lesson passes work out cheaper. Single lessons are Monday to Friday. - **Supertubos beach** (1 h · Watching surf; swimming only in calm seas): Supertubos is a sandy beach south of the Peniche peninsula where the waves break hollow and fast, in a tube, over a sandy bottom. It is one of the regular venues of the world surfing tour. It is no place for beginners: it is for watching from the sand as the good surfers get tubed. With a small sea in summer, the beach is long and quiet. ## Dónde comer - **Tasca do Joel** (Restaurant, Peniche, €€€). Qué pedir: the fish of the day and, for dessert, the rice pudding that Joel's mother still makes. ## By car: Peniche by car, from the peninsula to Baleal A car gives you the freedom to go round the peninsula in a short time: Cabo Carvoeiro, Supertubos and Baleal are only a few kilometres from each other. You do not take it to Berlenga: you leave it in Peniche and board on foot at the marina. Presupuesto orientativo: 60–130 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **PenichePraia** (Campsite): More than a campsite PenichePraia sits above the cliffs of Peniche's northern seafront road, with beaches a few minutes away. It mixes camping and caravanning with standard and deluxe rooms and several types of bungalow, family ones too. Parking is free and there is a barbecue and picnic area. Spa and pools It has two heated saltwater pools with a hot tub and jets, and a spa with a sauna, a steam room, underwater bikes and aqua gym classes; guests get a 20% discount at the spa and the gym. There is a restaurant with a terrace over the sea, serving all three meals, a self-service laundry and electric bikes to hire at reception. Pets are accepted. Getting there By car from Lisbon it is a little over 90 km along the A8 and the IP6. From here, by bike, the coast runs from Baleal to Consolação; the boarding point for Berlenga, at the marina, is about 2 km away. - **Baleal Surf Camp** (Hostel): Sleeping on the beach, among surfers Baleal Surf Camp is a family business opened in 1993, Portugal's first surf camp, and the only one in Peniche right on the sand. It has two types of accommodation: the hostel, the budget option, and private apartments, more secluded. The house bar, Bar do Bruno, is on the beach. Surf and more It works as a surf camp: accommodation with lessons in groups of five at most, according to each person's level, and special camps each season. You can also sleep there and sign up for just a few lessons. Reception, check-in and the school have different phone numbers on their website. Getting there From Lisbon, about 90 km; by bus, around an hour and a half to Peniche and then a taxi or a bike to Baleal. The nearest airport is Lisbon. ## As a family: Peniche and Berlenga with children The boat to Berlenga is the day they will remember: 45 minutes at sea, an island with a fort, birds everywhere and a beach of clear water. On land, Baleal has a calm beach on one side of the isthmus and Cabo Carvoeiro has a lighthouse and a rock stack shaped like a ship. ### What works best The boat to Berlenga, children aged 3 to 11 at a reduced fare The São João Baptista fort, crossing the bridge over the sea Baleal, with a surf beach and a calm beach Cabo Carvoeiro and the Nau dos Corvos ### Where to stay PenichePraia, with family bungalows and heated pools ### Where to eat Tasca do Joel, with homemade desserts ### Bear in mind On Berlenga there are steps and slopes: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair With a swell the boat moves; bring something for seasickness There is no shade on the island: hat, sun cream and water ### Qué hacer as a family - Boat from Peniche to Berlenga Island - Cabo Carvoeiro and the Nau dos Corvos - São João Baptista Fort and the Berlenga trails - Baleal, the former island joined by sand ## With teenagers: Peniche with teenagers: surf and an island Peniche is one of the best places in Europe to learn to surf, and it suits teenagers: lessons in small groups at Baleal, world-tour waves to watch at Supertubos and an island to explore. ### What works best Surf lesson in Baleal, in groups of five Berlenga, with its trails and the fort Watching surf at Supertubos Peniche Fortress, a political prison under the dictatorship ### Where to stay Baleal Surf Camp, a hostel on the beach ### Where to eat Tasca do Joel, fish of the day ### Bear in mind Single lessons at Baleal Surf Camp are Monday to Friday ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Boat from Peniche to Berlenga Island - São João Baptista Fort and the Berlenga trails - Peniche Fortress and the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom - Baleal, the former island joined by sand - Surf lesson in Baleal with Baleal Surf Camp - Supertubos beach ## Consejos ### Book the boat and the BerlengasPass before setting out They are two separate purchases and both are needed to disembark. ### Choose the 10:00 departure in summer You reach the island before the heat rises. ### Check the sea forecast With a ground swell the boat rocks and some departures are cancelled. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much does it cost to go to Berlenga? With Viamar, from €19.90 to €34.90 return for an adult, depending on the week, plus the €3 BerlengasPass. ### When is there a boat to Berlenga? From 8 May to 30 September, with one or two departures a day depending on the season. ### Can you do Peniche and Berlenga in a day from Lisbon? Yes, by car leaving early. By bus it is tight; better to sleep a night in Peniche. ### Where can you learn to surf in Peniche? At Baleal, with beaches on both sides of the isthmus. Baleal Surf Camp gives lessons in groups of five from €38. ### Can you sleep on Berlenga? Only in the authorised camping area, with prior booking. Wild camping is banned.