Another plus: you don’t need to go far from Lisbon to experience some of the most exciting beach landscapes. I’ve lived in Lisbon for 9 years and as a very picky sun seeker, I accumulated some expertise on how to get around and where to go to escape the crowds.
Here are my suggestions for the best Lisbon beaches you can go on a day trip. In the end, I added some recommendations as to where NOT to go too. Enjoy the sun!
Ready for a dive?
The Best Lisbon Beaches On A Map
To make your life easier, I’ve put all the best beaches I’ve visited in this map. The first thing you should note is that there aren’t any good quality beaches in Lisbon per se. They’re all scattered around Lisbon in different regions:
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1Beaches in Sintra
Sintra beaches are some of the best! All of them are near the stunning Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, which means they are pretty much unspoilt.
Praia Grande
Praia da Adraga
Praia das Maçãs
Praia da Ursa
Praia do Magoito
Best beach in Sintra
Remember this name: Adraga. For me, it’s the best beach around! Located in the bottom of a valley, it stands out as an hidden gem enclosed in the green hills. It doesn’t get as crowded as its neighbours Praia das Maçãs and Praia Grande and it is decorated with huge rocks and caves that only add to is natural beauty.
Parking is available but it can get crazy during summer weekends. Oh – and don’t miss the sunset!
Getting to beaches in Sintra
How far is it? It takes roughly 40 minutes to get there from Lisbon by car.
Public transport easily available?: No.
Tip: Take a walk to the south side of the Adraga beach where you will find the Pedra de Alvidrar, a huge rock formation which drops almost vertically into the sea.
The beaches in Cascais and Estoril are the easier ones to get to from center Lisbon.
Because they are still considered urban beaches, they tend to be smaller and more crowded. They still hold the Blue Flag atesting water and sand quality, so it’s a safe place for a beach day!
Praia de São Pedro do Estoril
Praia das Avencas
Praia da Torre
Praia do Tamariz
Praia da Rainha
Best beach in Cascais
Quite frankly, I only resort to beaches in Cascais/Estoril in case of an extreme tanning emergency and/or when I can’t persuade anyone to go elsewhere. In any case, the more interesting options in this area is Praia de São Pedro do Estoril. It’s a small beach backed by cliffs with a shoreline of 330m that gets even smaller during high tide!
Praia das Avencas is also enjoyable and fun, despite the very rocky ocean bottom during low tide. Can be fun for some seaside explorations though!
Getting to beaches in Cascais
How far is it? It takes roughly 15/20 minutes to get there from Lisbon by car.
Public transport easily available?: Yes. Approximately every 20 min from Cais do Sodré station there is a train heading to Cascais that stops near all of these beaches.
Tip: Consider going only to the beaches east from Carcavelos. While there are quite a few other beaches between Lisbon and Carcavelos, they consistently fail to pass water and sand quality standards.
3Beaches in Margem Sul
Located in the south margin of river Tejo, this is undoubtely the favorite destination of day trippers from Lisbon.
Considering a value-for-distance criterion, these would probably be the best beaches around Lisbon.
There is a gigantic strip of sand with 15km of beaches to choose from. As a rule of thumb, the further south you head, the more likely you are to find less crowded beaches as well as better beach bars.
Praia da Mata
Praia Morena
Praia da Fonte da Telha
Praia do Meco
Praia da Sereia
Favorite beach in Margem Sul
It’s hard to pick a favorite here. My favorite would probably be Praia do Meco.
Known since the 1970s as a naturist/nudist paradise, the beaches near Meco have gone more mainstream, but still didn’t lose its appeal as a getaway with perks such as sand space. The cliffs surrounding the beaches even have waterfalls for indulging in fun mud baths. A natural spa!
The oceanside Bar do Peixe, is popular even outside bathing season and it has great seafood.
Getting to beaches in Margem Sul
How far is it? Without traffic, it takes roughly 15/20 minutes to get there from center Lisbon by car.
Public transport easily available?: Yes. There are buses to Caparica departing from Areeiro and Praça de Espanha. You could do a combination of a bus plus a mini-train that runs along the beaches during the summer months.
Tip: Traffic is a pain to get here. Avoid going around lunch time (11-15h) on weekends or you’re likely to get stuck before, during or right after crossing 25 de Abril bridge. Alternatively, use the Vasco da Gama bridge.
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4Beaches in Arrábida
Arrábida beaches are one of my favorites.
I have only been a handful of times to the beaches in the Arrábida coast, but it was more than enough to understand how stunning this area is. This scenic bay with the Arrábida Natural Park as the backdrop nests several beaches with crystal-clear waters:
Praia dos Galapinhos
Praia dos Galapos
Portinho da Arrábida
Praia da Figueirinha
Praia dos Coelhos
Favorite beach in Arrábida
Most people praise the beach at Portinho da Arrábida, but I personally love Praia de Galapinhos. Maybe it’s the 15min hike to get there that gives it a more secluded vibe. Getting there, the contrast between the blue of the waters, the white of the sand and the green of the hills is just amazing!
Getting to beaches in Arrábida
How far is it? It takes you at least 45/50 minutes to get to these beaches by car.
Public transport easily available?: Technically, you hop on a Fertagus train to Setúbal. From there, a bus service connects you to Setúbal to the beaches in Arrábida. This is likely to take more than an hour though.
Tip: To limit the number of people in this protected region, cars aren’t allowed by the beaches between June 15 – September 15. You’ll have to park in one of two parking lots: one just before Praia da Figueirinha, and the other is above Praia do Creiro. There is a TST bus #722 linking the parking lot and the beaches.
5Beaches in Sesimbra
Praia da Califórnia in Sesimbra.
Talk about seaside towns! Right in the heart of Sesimbra, there are two of them, divided by a 17th old century fort. A to-go destination among Lisboners’ families, beaches in Sesimbra boast calm and pristine waters.
In fact, beaches only compete with restaurants here. The town is known for its great seafood that attracts lots of day trippers from Lisbon, so make sure you stay for dinner!
Praia do Ribeiro do Cavalo
Praia do Ouro (Sesimbra)
Praia da Califórnia (Sesimbra)
Favorite beach in Sesimbra
I’ll go ahead and say it: this is probably one of Portugal’s most beautiful beaches. A hidden secret until very recently, Praia do Ribeiro do Cavalo is truly something out of a postcard. Keep in mind you’ll need to follow a steep 20-min trail down the cliff to get there and there aren’t any facilities there.
Getting to beaches in Sesimbra
How far is it? It takes you at least 50 minutes to get to Sesimbra.
Public transport easily available?: Transportes Sul do Tejo has a bus connecting Lisbon (Sete Rios) and Sesimbra.
Tip: The problem here is parking. There are a few parking lots in the city, but come too late on weekends and you’ll be sure to have a hard time finding a spot.
6Beaches in Comporta
Comporta as seen above by my drone.
When I discovered Comporta I fell in love. Great food, an unique natural scenery of rice fields and a river estuary and of course, top-notch beaches with clear waters will make you fall in love too. It may be a stretch to get here from Lisbon, but boy, is it worth it.
Praia da Comporta
Praia do Carvalhal
Praia do Pego
Praia de Tróia-Mar
Favorite beach in Comporta
Honestly, you can’t go wrong here with any of the side-by-side Praia do Carvalhal, Praia do Pego, or Praia da Comporta. Pick a square meter of sand to put your towel on and you’re already on your way to a perfect summer getaway.
Getting to beaches in Comporta
How far is it? Comporta is a 1h30 drive away from Lisbon.
Public transport easily available?: No.
Tip: Tróia peninsula is a popular beach getaway for the more wealthy. If you decide to head there, bring everything you need and avoid the super expensive supermarkets.
7Beaches in Oeste region
The Oeste (West) region goes located north from Lisbon comprises cliffs and massive Atlantic beaches. It may take some luck for the weather to cooperate here as sunny, windless days are rare, but when it happens, these are truly fantastic places to be on a beach day.
Praia dos Pescadores (Ericeira)
Praia de Santa Cruz
Praia de Santa Rita
Praia Azul
Praia de Ribeira D’Ilhas
Favorite beach in the Oeste region
Getting to beaches in the Oeste Region
How far is it? Roughly 30-40 minutes from Lisbon.
Public transport easily available?: There are frequent buses to Ericeira from Lisbon (Campo Grande), but that’s pretty much it.
Tip: This area is usually very windy, making it particularly interesting if you’re into surfing or windsurfing.
Beaches I do NOT recommend in Lisbon
There are plenty of other beaches around the capital. Beaches in the areas of Meco, Comporta and Sintra are almost all of great quality.
Closer to Lisbon, in Costa da Caparica, Estoril and Cascais, the story is a bit different. Most of these are easier to get to get to but that’s precisely what makes them less enjoyable. Some can hardly be considered beaches on my view.
Beaches not to go to in Estoril and Cascais
The best example is Carcavelos beach. If you hop on the train in Cais do Sodré towards Cascais there is an entire coast of beaches to explore and Carcavelos is the most popular one. Locals from all the Lisbon suburbs – Amadora, Sintra and Oeiras – all converge here and there is a big offer of restaurants, surf shops and bars available.
From my experience this beach can get REALLY crowded during summertime and the water and sand are usually far from minimum quality standards. It can get noisy, packed and dirty fast. I haven’t been there in years.
Apart from Carcavelos, avoid Santo Amaro, Caxias and Paço de Arcos at all means. They don’t have very good reputation amongst locals either, but it amazes me to see people there every summer.
Costa da Caparica.
Beaches not to go to in Costa da Caparica
Costa da Caparica is a massive strip of sand – technically it’s all the same beach – and the quality is generally very good.
Still, if possible try to avoid the beaches nearest to the river Tejo like Praia da Cova do Vapor and Praia de São João. Just go a bit further down and the quality of the sand and water will be considerably higher.
Lisbon is very trendy right now and hotels can sell out often. Book your hotel as soon as possible!
In a nutshell, the offer of beaches in Lisbon is impressive considering we’re talking about an european capital. There are plenty of stunning beaches around, but it’s better that you know where to go instead of landing on the first strip of sand you see.
If you want to have a high quality beach experience, it is definitely worthwhile to go farther away from the city and explore the wildest Atlantic beaches. Use the map I’ve shared with you in the beginning as a reference.
If you’re planning a trip to Lisbon, find some more useful travel information below. And let me know about any beaches I’m missing!
You can now fly to Lisbon virtually from all the major airports in Europe. If you are flying from the rest of the world, you might want to check TAP Portugal (US, South America and Africa) or Azores Airlines (US).
To choose the absolute best price and check my options in terms of airlines, I usually use Skyscanner or Kiwi.
Located in busy Rossio – the heart of Lisbon – it’s just one of those amazing value places that will make you feel at home. Perfect to make friends. Check prices
Or you can do your own search. Use this list of quality hotels and guesthouses I’ve put together to get you started. ALL of these are located in the best central areas of Lisbon, with WiFi and with a rating of 8 or higher. Just pick your favourite!
Best time to go to Lisbon
Shoulder season has the best value-for-money relation in Europe – Portugal is no exception. While summers are long and you can expect good weather anywhere between May and October, make sure you avoid August. Unless you have a thing for packed beaches!
In summary, Lisbon has a wide choice of beaches around and that makes it a well-rounded capital city. Whether it’s urban beaches, wild Atlantic beaches or even beaches surrounded by nature, I’m sure you’ll find your perfect spot.
I highly recommend you rent a car to go to these beaches to minimize the time lost in public transportation, which to be honest is not great in the Lisbon suburbs.
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