São Martinho do Porto's bay: 'children's beach' for everyone
Since many years São Martinho do Porto is 'the place to be' for beach lovers from cities like Lisbon. Because of the specific form and location of the bay, both beach and sea are almost always accessible for everyone. This is why in summer the beach is also called Praia das Crianças, children's beach.
During summer holidays parking your car in São Martinho do Porto can be a challenge. In the rest of the year it's absolutely no problem.
All facilities are there. There is a small playground, and during the summer you can rent a beach tent. Also in summer (part of) the beach is supervised by lifeguards.
Highly recommended is the boardwalk, which makes it possible to walk around the bay from the quays to Salir do Porto. Give yourself at least 45 minutes for this walk.
Praia da Gralha: magpie beach
How did this beach get it's name? Who knows. This beach is located just outside the bay, north of the village. This is a quiet beach, mainly because of the rough Atlantic Ocean. Great for a walk or sunbathing when the weather is good, or to get a breath of fresh air when the conditions are not that good.
Praia Salgado: for those who like a quiet day at the beach
This vast beach is located between São Martinho do Porto and Nazaré. The sea is usually quite rough, and the beach has a steep slope to the sea, so it's not recommended to go in the water. However it's an excellent beach if you prefer a quit day at the beach.
You can access the beach easily, and parking facilities are reasonable. Other facilities are limited. During high season part of the beach is supervised by lifeguards.
Part of the beach (walk in the direction of Nazaré) is an (unofficial) beach for nudists.
Praia de Salir: fishers beach
This part of the bay has a flat surface and is devided by the river de Tornada.
Its easily to reach and is child-friendly
In São Martinho do Porto as well as in the surrounding area there are many things to do
A few ideas:
| Paragliding | Your first experiment? Or do you want to be more experienced? In Serra dos Mangues, from the Praia Salgado cliffs, jumps are organized on a regular basis. sam-cam.com (website only in Portuguese) |
| Hanggliding | voo.no.sapo.pt (website only in Portuguese) |
| Sailing, surfing, canoeing | On the bay, from the quay: cnsmp.org (website only in Portuguese) |
| Market (except Mondays) | Covered vegetables-, fruit- and fish market São Martinho do Porto |
| En nog veel meer in de regio: | Costa de Prata.info, informativ website about the BWest part of Portugal |
Month |
Activitity |
|
|
Each month |
4th sunday |
Jumble- and antique market on the boulevard |
|
January |
|
- |
|
February |
13 | Carnaval |
|
March |
30 |
Good Friday |
| April | Semana Santa (holy week, the week before Easter) | |
|
|
1 | Easter |
|
|
25 |
Dia de Liberdade (freedom day) |
|
May |
1 |
Dia do Trabalhador (labour day) |
| 31 | Corpo de Deus (Corpus christi) | |
|
June |
|
Santo António festival (patron saint of fishermen) |
|
10 |
Dia de Portugal (Portugal day) | |
|
July |
|
- |
|
August |
15 |
Assunção de Nossa Senhora (Assumption Day) |
|
|
1st week |
Festa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Salir do Porto) |
|
September |
|
- |
|
October |
5 |
Implantação da República (establishment of the republic) |
|
November |
|
Festa de São Martinho (patron saint of the village) |
| 1 | Todos os Santos (All Saints Day) | |
| December | 1 | Restauração da Independência (restauration of independency) |
|
|
8 |
Imaculada Conceição (immaculate conception) |
|
|
25 |
Christmas |
|
|
31 |
New Year’s Eve - festival in São Martinho do Porto with fireworks, music, etc. |