Coastal Village between Lisbon and Porto?

Haven’t been yet but we will be staying in Sao Martinho do Porto next may

less than an hour from many sites/other towns- Alcobaca, Nazare, Obidos, Batalha, Caldas da Rainha, Tomar, Fatima, Leiria

Other options would be Nazare or Figueira da Foz

I really liked Nazare - spent only a few hours there but it had a nice vibe and some nice views. The waves are well known to surfers. It's a bit touristy but low-key.

Another recommendation would be Ericeira, closer to Lisbon. It is within sightseeing distance of Sintra and Mafra, as well as Lisbon itself. The town is very charming, and the surfing spots are great.

I will add my vote to either São Martinho do Porto or Ericeira. Both of these are much better than Nazaré, IMO. São Martinho is flatter and easier for older people to walk around. And
, as stated earlier, is close to many of the sites of the Silver Coast area. But, the cliffs of Ericeira are lovely. Surfing is big in Ericeira but São Martinho is on a large horseshoe bay, so the waters are very calm.

I stayed a week in São Martinho on my ‘scouting’ trip before moving here. There are a fair number of nice restaurants and a lovely large Intermarche for groceries.

You might want to google both to see which looks better for your family.

November means that many coastal resorts will be closed up for the winter. I have stayed in Foz do Arelho in mid October and it was dead. It’s popular with surfers. Personally, I don’t like Nazare, which isn’t a surfers beach.

That coast can be very windy in the autumn. I would stay slightly inland. Caldas da Rainha is only 5 miles from the coast and has some good markets and museums and many of the older buildings have traditional tiled facades.

November is typically the time of the largest waves at Nazare, some of the largest in the world (50-100 ft); I think they also have a small, large wave surfing museum. I am sure the waves are somewhat cyclical, meaning you need to be there in the right conditions, but do some web searches, it might appeal. The general area though is about right for a stop between Porto and Lisbon.

Thank you for all the great information! I will check them all out. Today we are taking care of booking his airfare.

After looking at some of the options in a few of the areas, I am amazed at the prices- so cheap in comparison to our last trip which was to Copenhagen!

I have some family members who own a condo in Nazare. They love the off season because it is so quiet. They have found it easy to do interesting day trips from this location.

Ms. L, is your dad by any chance a single fellow these days? If so, Nazare is famous for its widow ladies dressed in black with petticoats, drying fish, hanging out, and hawking rooms to rent!
Hope that helps, Mr. L

I would love to see that! My Dad is not single, my Mom just doesn't like to travel. But watching those women try to chat him up is almost worth ditching work to join them!!