My brother and his wife are graciously allowing my son and I to stay at their condo at Nazare. We will have a rental car, but are looking at coming back to Nazare each night (or at least most nights).
I'd love to hear what some of your favorites might be.
Hi Carol,
From Nazare, I would recommend the following Portuguese cities as options for day-tripping by car.
Cascais, Sesimbra, Coimbra, Sintra, Estoril, and Aveiro.
Although all the places recommended by RJean are worth visiting, all other than Coimbra will take 2+ hours each way to drive, so I would suggest Alcobaca, Batalha, Santarem, Tomar, Fatima, Obidos and Caldas da Rainha, which are all much closer.
For a different oceanside vibe I'd also recommend Ericeira, and the neighboring palace of Mafra. Combinable in a short day.
Agree with Jennifer. The other places suggested, including Mafra, are too far from Nazare. Look into the sights Jennifer listed, which are all worthy of a visit, to select those most interesting to you.
I will echo the sentiments that most of the cities mentioned by the first poster are too far away for day trips. Alcobaça, Batalha, Foz, Peniche, Tomar and, of course Coimbrã are much closer. I will also add Conimbriga, close to Coimbrã. It’s the ruins of a Roman town and still has a lot of lovely mosaics. It’s very much worth the time to visit.
There is also a wolf sanctuary close to Fatima that might not be too far. Sorry but I can’t remember the name. But, it’s a worthwhile, off the beaten path, visit.
FYI - driving in that area is also easy.
I visited Obidos and Alcobaça in 2008 as a day trip from Nazare (the latter might have been route to Tomar after leaving Nazare). Tomar is also worth a visit.
