A travelguide to the Portuguese coast

Last December a storm called ‘Elsa’ passed through Portugal and Spain, bringing deadly winds and floods. My friend Leo and I figured this might be the perfect time to hit up the Portuguese coastline, in search of big 20 meter waves and dramatic conditions. It turns out we weren’t wrong. 

We found that the the easiest way of getting around was with a campervan, so we teamed up with Siesta campers. A Portuguese based company which sorted us with one of their classic VW campers; beautiful for photos, a lot less pleasant to drive around with. But hey, it’s all part of the adventure, right?

Our plan was to drive down south starting from Porto and ending in Faro. We got soaked the whole week straight, but we returned home with a bunch of good stories to tell and photos to share from great spots we hadn’t seen before. 

Here’s a list of my favorite places we visited:

• Felgueiras Lighthouse, Porto

This lighthouse in Porto must be one of the craziest places I’ve ever seen. Remember that storm I was talking about earlier? Well, it turned out ‘Elza’ hit its peak at the exact morning we visited the lighthouse. This resulted in waves crashing into and over the entire structure the whole morning. We couldn’t get too close because police had put fences everywhere down the street for safety, but a long zoom lens and a drone definitely help you a lot in moments like those.

• Nazaré

I’d heard so many stories about Nazaré before visiting Portugal. Legends about 30 meter high waves and an occasional person actually surfing them. I knew I had to see all of this in person, so I was pretty stoked when we touched down at Nazaré. It quickly became clear that none of those stories were lies: thanks to some geological formations deep under the surface of the ocean, the water gets pushed up before reaching the coastline, resulting in waves that are 3 times higher than they would normally be. So of course we spent a whole day here, watching wave after wave hitting the long stretched beach. Heads up: it can get pretty crowded when they forecast big waves!

• Baleal

If you’re driving from Nazare to Lissbon, a quick stop at Baleal could be a nice idea to stretch your legs. Definitely an interesting place and, with the right conditions, a good spot for a quick photo opportunity!

• Praia da Aroeira

We drove further down south to Cabo da Roca, where a short hike took us to Praia da Aroeira. This spot is so close to Lisbon that I highly recommend visiting it even when you’re only on a citytrip. It’s probably the most beautiful beach in Portugal and we were (again) lucky enough to arrive there with the perfect conditions. We took a stroll on the beach during sunset and made some great photos in the process.

• The Algarve

The Algarve coastline is something completely different! Normally the home of sunshine and good weather, but we had clouds and storms. We spent a few days in this area as there’s pretty much to see. The whole vibe is kind of laid-back and it offers a lot of different cool spots to see. Here are some of the best we’ve seen:

Praia da Marinha

I can imagine this is the perfect place to spend a warm and sunny afternoon, but also with bad weather it’s great place to see. Leo even went for a swim here!

Yelllow Submarine Rock

A pretty famous spot in the Algarve, its shape resembles a submarine, hence the name.

Lighthouse of Cabo de Sao Vicente

Another beautiful lighthouse. Not so much because of its design, but because of the location. Nestled in-between the high cliffs at Sagres, it’s a must see for anyone visiting the Algarve.

The beauty of Portugal definitely surprised us. As you can see, the weather was pretty wet and windy so a week in our campervan was perfect. I could’ve stayed a bit longer but I’d rather return to Portugal during summer to see a completely different side of it. I hope this blog can inspire you to visit this amazing country yourself someday! 

Thanks for reading. Obrigado!