# Ericeira and Mafra Mafra palace with its library, the Tapada deer park and Ericeira, a white surfing village above the Atlantic, an hour from Lisbon. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/ericeira-and-mafra · Revisado: 2026-11-12 An hour north-west of Lisbon, Mafra and Ericeira are two outings in one. Mafra is an inland town dominated by an 18th-century palace-convent, so big it can be seen from the road, with a Rococo library and a former royal hunting reserve full of deer. Ericeira, 10 km away, is a fishing village of white and blue houses on the cliff that has become the surf capital of the Lisbon coast. They can be seen together in a day; with two, you add a surf lesson and an afternoon on the beach. ## How do you get there from Lisbon? By car, about 50 km on the A8 and A21, with tolls: a little under an hour to Ericeira and about 40 minutes to Mafra. Without a car, bus 2751 of Carris Metropolitana leaves from Campo Grande, in northern Lisbon, with metro on the yellow and green lines, stops in Mafra and ends at the Ericeira terminal. Allow an hour or a little more, depending on traffic, and check the timetables on its website before setting out. If you fly from Spain, you land in Lisbon. You can hire a car at the airport, which has the A8 close at hand, or take the metro to Campo Grande and catch the bus there. ## What to see in a day? Start at Mafra, which opens at 9:30. The palace, the convent and the basilica share a single façade; the visit goes through the royal rooms and the friars' infirmary and ends at the library, a wooden gallery lined with old books which is what everyone comes to see. Note: it is closed on Tuesdays. If you have energy left, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, the royal reserve, is 5 km away: waymarked paths among cork oaks and pines, with deer and fallow deer. After lunch, go down to Ericeira. The centre can be walked in an hour: Praça da República, the chapel of Santo António and the viewpoint at Largo das Ribas, above the fishermen's beach. To the south are the Furnas rocks, with fish restaurants; to the north, the road to Ribeira d'Ilhas, the beach with the most famous wave in the world surfing reserve. Look out from the cliff at sunset. ## Surf or beach? Ericeira is a World Surfing Reserve and there are waves almost all year. To learn, the schools in the village take each group to whichever beach is best that day; Surf Riders, in the centre, gives group lessons from €40. For a quiet beach with children, Foz do Lizandro, 3 km to the south, has a calm-water ria beside the sea. ## Where to eat and sleep? Fish on the rocks at Esplanada Furnas, which opens every day; or Onda D'Mar, on Avenida São Sebastião, with rice dishes and a wider menu. To sleep, the Vila Galé Ericeira is on the beach, with pools and a children's club; the Ericeira Camping has bungalows and pitches without booking, ten minutes' walk from the centre. ## When should you go? Spring, summer and early autumn for the beach and the village. The big waves arrive in autumn and winter, and in autumn there are activities to listen to the deer rut at the Tapada. In July and August Ericeira fills with surfers and, at weekends, with Lisboners: arrive early. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Sintra (a 18.4 km), Cascais and Estoril (a 29.6 km), Lisbon (a 35.1 km), Costa da Caparica (a 39.0 km) ## Qué hacer - **Mafra National Palace, basilica and library** (2 h · History and architecture; with children, a short visit is better): A huge building, commissioned by John V in the 18th century: royal palace, Franciscan convent and basilica behind a single facade. Inside you tour the palace rooms, the convent infirmary and, at the end, the library, a rococo wooden gallery lined with old books. The palace is open every day except Tuesday, from 9:30 to 17:30, with last entry at 16:30. The basilica is open daily from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:30. They close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday (local holiday) and 25 December. With the Lisboa Card you get in free; check the ticket price at the ticket office. - **Ribeira d'Ilhas beach** (1 h 30 · Watching surf from above; swimming only in calm seas): A small beach at the bottom of a valley, about 3 km north of the centre, with a wave that breaks over a ledge of rock and is the most famous on the Ericeira coast, which is a World Surfing Reserve. You go down a narrow road to the beach car park. Even if you do not surf, it is worth it: from the cliff edge, next to the road, you can watch the sets come in and the surfers waiting. At low tide there are pools among the rocks. - **Ericeira's centre and the fishermen's beach** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Free): A fishing village of white houses with their skirting boards and windows painted blue, perched above the sea. Stroll through Praça da República, climb to the chapel of Santo António and look out over Largo das Ribas, the viewpoint over the harbour. From there, steps go down to Praia dos Pescadores, where the boats are still hauled up. South of the centre, the Furnas are rocks with tidal pools and fish restaurants; to the north, Praia do Sul and São Sebastião beach have sand and a path above the cliff. - **Tapada Nacional de Mafra** (2 h 30 · Families and walkers; also by mountain bike): The fenced woodland that served as the palace's hunting reserve, with 282 years of history, red deer, fallow deer and wild boar. You enter by the Portão do Codeçal, about 5 km from Mafra, and explore along signposted trails on foot, by mountain bike or running; there are also guided activities, such as the deer rut in autumn or firefly watching in spring. From 9 November to 8 December 2026 it is open from 9:00 to 18:00, with last entry for walking or cycling routes at 16:00; the hours change by season, so check its website. Tickets are bought at the ticket office or online. - **Foz do Lizandro** (3 h · Families; children bathe in the lagoon): The widest beach near Ericeira, where the Lizandro river meets the sea and leaves a tongue of calm water among the sand. Children bathe in the river while the sea breaks on the other side. It is about 3 km south of the centre, next to the coast road. At high tide the river fills and the water rises; at low tide, the lagoon becomes almost like a swimming pool. In summer there are lifeguards and bars on the sand. - **Surf lesson in Ericeira with Surf Riders** (Beginners and intermediates · Desde 40 € per person): Ericeira has beaches to start on and waves for those who already know how, and the schools choose each day the one that fits the sea. Surf Riders, in the centre since 2016, gives group lessons for beginners and intermediates for €40, and a week of five lessons for €200. You meet at their shop at Rua do Carmo, 33A, and from there you go to the beach of the day. ## Dónde comer - **Esplanada Furnas** (Restaurant, Ericeira, €€€). Qué pedir: choose the fish of the day from the display case at the entrance and order some clams à Bulhão Pato to start. - **Onda D'Mar by Furnas** (Restaurant, Ericeira, €€€). Qué pedir: a seafood rice to share or the grilled fish. ## By car: Ericeira and Mafra by car The car links the two halves of the destination well: the palace and the Tapada are inland, 10 km from the coast, and the surf beaches are spread north and south of Ericeira. In the centre of Ericeira, park and walk. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Vila Galé Ericeira** (Hotel): A hotel with its feet in the Atlantic The Vila Galé Ericeira is the town's big hotel: a renovated historic building in the centre, right above the beach. It has four stars and 202 rooms; 116 face the sea, some with balconies, and five are junior suites. One is adapted for people with reduced mobility. For families It has two adult pools, one of them saltwater, water slides for children, a kids' club and a playground. The Satsanga spa has an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, gym and massage rooms. There is a restaurant and two bars. Getting there By car, about 50 km from Lisbon along the A8 and A21. The Carris Metropolitana 2751 bus runs from Campo Grande, in Lisbon, to the Ericeira terminal, about ten minutes' walk from the hotel. Sintra and Mafra are about 20 minutes away by car. - **Ericeira Camping (Parque de Campismo de Mil Regos)** (Campsite, desde 7 € / night): A campsite a short walk from the centre The Mil Regos campsite is on Avenida São Sebastião, north of the centre of Ericeira, on the way to the surf beaches. It has one and two-bedroom bungalows with kitchens (for four or six people), studio bungalows, tipis and pitches for tents, vans, caravans and motorhomes. How it works Pitches cannot be booked: you enter in order of arrival from 12:00 and leave before 12:00. Bungalows and tipis can be booked, with a 50% deposit; check-in is from 17:00 and check-out before 11:00. In 2026, each adult pays €7 per night and each child aged 5 to 11, €4, plus the pitch according to season. Animals are accepted with an up-to-date vaccination record, but not in bungalows or tipis. What is nearby The centre of Ericeira is about ten minutes' walk; São Sebastião beach is next door and Ribeira d'Ilhas about 2 km away. The 2751 bus to Lisbon leaves from the Ericeira terminal. ## As a family: Ericeira and Mafra with children With children, mix a bit of palace with plenty of fresh air: the Tapada has deer and car-free trails, and Foz do Lizandro has a calm river next to the sea. In Ericeira, the centre can be covered in an hour and ends at the fishermen's beach. ### What works best The Tapada de Mafra, with red deer and fallow deer Foz do Lizandro, for swimming in the lagoon The centre of Ericeira and the fishermen's beach The Mafra palace, as a short visit ### Where to stay Vila Galé Ericeira, with slides and a kids' club Ericeira Camping, with bungalows for six ### Where to eat Onda D'Mar, a broad menu with rice dishes ### Bear in mind The palace and basilica close on Tuesdays At the Tapada, last entry to the routes is at 16:00 ### Qué hacer as a family - Mafra National Palace, basilica and library - Ericeira's centre and the fishermen's beach - Tapada Nacional de Mafra - Foz do Lizandro ## With teenagers: Ericeira and Mafra with teenagers Ericeira is a surf town and teenagers get hooked: group lessons, beaches with waves and a small, safe centre to move around on their own. The Tapada by mountain bike and the palace, with its library, round off the day. ### What works best Surf lesson with Surf Riders, in a group Watching surf from the cliff at Ribeira d'Ilhas The Tapada de Mafra by mountain bike The library of the Mafra palace ### Where to stay Ericeira Camping, close to the surf beaches ### Where to eat Esplanada Furnas, on the rocks ### Bear in mind At Ribeira d'Ilhas swim only in calm seas ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Mafra National Palace, basilica and library - Ribeira d'Ilhas beach - Tapada Nacional de Mafra - Surf lesson in Ericeira with Surf Riders ## Consejos ### Do Mafra in the morning The palace opens at 9:30 and last entry is at 16:30. ### Remember Tuesday The palace and the basilica are closed that day. ### Go to Ribeira d'Ilhas at sunset The wave sets and the low light are best seen from the cliff. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can you see Mafra and Ericeira in a day? Yes. The palace in the morning, lunch in Ericeira and the afternoon in the village and on the beaches. They are 10 km apart. ### How do you get from Lisbon to Ericeira without a car? On bus 2751 of Carris Metropolitana from Campo Grande, with a stop in Mafra. ### Which day is Mafra palace closed? On Tuesdays, and also on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday and 25 December. ### Can you learn to surf in Ericeira? Yes. There are schools in the centre with group lessons by level from €40. ### Are there beaches for children? Foz do Lizandro, with a calm-water ria beside the sea, is the best for little ones.