Panoramic view of Nazaré and its beach

Panoramic view of the Nazaré village

Nazaré is a lovely village in the Oeste region of Portugal. It became a world famous surf spot and entered the Guinness Book of Records due to its gigantic waves. It is usually crowded in summer.

Understand

Nazaré (nuh-zuh-REH, /nɐ.zɐ.ˈɾɛ/) is named for the biblical city of Nazareth.

Watch

• 100 Foot Wave. Premiering 18 July 2021, 100 Foot Wave is an six-part HBO documentary about American surfer Garrett McNamara and how he helped make Nazaré a world-famous surfing destination. (updated Jul 2021)

Visitor information

• 1 Posto de Informação e Turismo (PIT), Avenida Vieira Guimarães (Mercado Municipal), ☏ +351 262 561 194, pit@cm-nazare.pt. Oct–Apr 09:30–13:00 & 14:30–18:00, May Jun Sep 09:30–13:00 & 14:30–19:00, Jul Aug 09:00–19:00. (updated Feb 2021)
• 2 Posto de Informação e Turismo (PIT), Largo Nossa Senhora de Nazaré - Santuário, Sítio, ☏ +351 930 424 860, pit.sitio@cm-nazare.pt. Oct–Apr 09:30–13:00 & 14:30–18:00, May Jun Sep 09:30–13:00 & 14:30–19:00, Jul Aug 09:00–19:00. (updated Jul 2021)

Get in

By bus

• 1 Nazaré bus station, Avenida do Município. (updated Mar 2021)
• Rede Expressos, ☏ +351 21 75 24 524. Express bus service from Lisbon (at Sete Rios) and other cities. €12 from Lisbon. (updated Mar 2021)
• Rodoviária do Oeste, ☏ +351 262 76 76 76. Regional bus company connecting Nazaré with other communities in the Oeste region. (updated Mar 2021)

By train

• Comboios de Portugal ( CP, Trains of Portugal), ☏ +351 707 210 220. PDF timetable. CP's Linha do Oeste (Western Line) offers multiple daily Regional and InterRegional trains connecting with cities along Portugal's west coast, including Lisbon, Torres Vedras, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, and points in between. Old infrastructure and meandering hills mean that the train is often slower than the bus. (updated Jan 2021)
• 2 Valado–Nazaré–Alcobaça train station, Valado dos Frades. The train station nearest the town of Nazaré lies in an outlying village. (updated Jan 2021)
• 3 Famalicão da Nazaré train halt. (updated Mar 2021)

By car

Nazaré municipality is on the A8 motorway from Lisbon and Leiria. To reach the town proper, use the connecting roads N8-5 or IC9. N242 also serves the town from Leiria, Marinha Grande, São Martinho do Porto, and Alfeizarão.

Get around

Walk through the village, use the tramway to the top of the hill and enjoy the fabulous view over Praia da Nazaré. If you can, watch the international surfing championships on the lighthouse's slope.

• 4 Ascensor da Nazaré (Nazaré Funicular, Elevador da Nazaré), Rua de São Lázaro, ☏ +351 262 569 240. This funicular railway connects the beach with the upper town at Sítio. Adult one way €1.50, adult round trip €2.90, child one way €1, child round trip €1.90. (updated Feb 2021)

See

The Chapel of Memory of Nazaré

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré

North Beach, in Nazaré (Praia do Norte) was listed on the Guinness World Records for the biggest waves ever surfed (formed under the influence of the Nazaré Canyon).

• 1 Ermida da Memória (Chapel of Memory), Rua 25 de Abril 17. In a place named O Sítio is a Marian chapel built in memory of the miracle of Our Lady of Nazaré. It is on a hill with a wonderful view of the beach of Nazaré. There is a tramway to the top. (updated Feb 2021)
• 2 Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré), Largo de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré. An important Marian shrine which houses the original image of Our Lady of Nazaré. (updated Feb 2021)
• 3 Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo (Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo). Go out to the lighthouse and watch the Atlantic Ocean's big waves crash against the cliffs. (updated Feb 2021)
• 4 Praia da Nazaré (Nazaré Beach). A great beach with excellent conditions for swimming and leisure at the summer. (updated Feb 2021)
• 5 Praia do Norte (North Beach). A vast expanse of beach. Caution: Dangerous swimming. In November 2011, surfer Garrett McNamara surfed a record-breaking giant wave with 78 feet (23.8 m) and it was inscripted in the Guinness Book of World Records. (updated Feb 2021)

Do

• Use the beach.
• See a bullfight in the Praca do Touros (O Sitio).
• Walk the white streets of the city.
• Visit the market.

It's a holiday village all year around (though some accommodations and restaurants are closed in the winter season). Take pictures of Nazaré beach from O Sítio; ask local ladies (who traditionally wear seven skirts) if you can take a photo with them.

Buy

Buy the traditional Nazaré dolls and make a decorative use with them (or even for private collection). Buy also a replica of the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Nazaré.

Eat

There are lots and lots of small cheap restaurants, where they are grilling fish (sardines, etc.), chickens outside. Normally it pays off to frequent the smaller streets. On the waterfront and major squares you will find it much more expensive. Lots of nice cafés on the Praça Sousa Oliveira. Not cheap but with a good view of the bustling life.

• 1 Casa Pires "A Sardinha", Largo de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, 44, ☏ +351 262 553 391. Typical restaurant of Nazaré that favors the dishes with grilled fish and seafood. It has an esplanade overlooking the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazaré. 
• 2 Marisqueira "O Casalinho", Praça Sousa Oliveira 6, ☏ +351 262 551 328. Restaurant next to the beach and with Portuguese traditional food. 
• 3 Rosa dos Ventos, Rua Gil Vicente 88, ☏ +351 915 017 177. F–W 12:00–15:15 & 19:00–21:30, Th closed. Fresh seafood. (updated Feb 2021)

Sleep

Arriving at the bus station one will normally be "hijacked" by a group of women who offer private rooms. It's quite cheap, normally central and the easiest way to get a place to sleep (follow the woman of your choice to see the quarters, but beware – they're very fast).

There are hotels and pensions to be booked in advance but it's more (much more) expensive and you won't be able to experience the charm of living in a private home, where the family has moved out (or into one little room) so they can rent the other rooms out.

• 1 Hotel Mar Bravo, Praça Sousa Oliveira 71, ☏ +351 262 569 160, info@marbravo.com. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 12:00. This 16-room, three star hotel is right on the beach. It features a seafood restaurant. Free breakfast buffet. €62–€138. (updated Feb 2021)
• 2 Hotel Maré, Rua Mouzinho de Albuquerque 10, ☏ +351 262 550 180, reservas@hotelmare.pt. Check-in: 14:00–18:00, check-out: 08:00–12:00. Three star, 46-room hotel just steps from the beach. €49–€98. (updated Feb 2021)
• 3 Hotel Miramar Sul, Caminho Real, ☏ +351 262 590 000, info@hotelmiramarsul.pt. Check-in: 14:00–00:00, check-out: 08:00–12:00. Four-star, 62-room hotel in the Leiria Pine Tree Forest near the beach. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, free parking, pool, restaurant, and room service. €60–€137. (updated Feb 2021)
• 4 Ohai Nazaré Outdoor Resort (formerly Vale Paraíso), Estrada Nacional 242, km 31.5, ☏ +351 262 561 800, infonazare@ohairesorts.com. Set in a pine forest, Ohai offers bungalows, glamping tents, and camping pitches. They have a water park, several pools, a spa, and other leisure activities, many targeted at children. €37-130. (updated Jun 2021)

Go next

• Fátima – Place of the worldwide famous Marian apparitions at Sanctuary of Our Lady.
• Alcobaça – Well known for its monastery and monastic pastry.
• Batalha – Well known for its monastery.
• Caldas da Rainha – Charming, unassuming city to experience authentic daily Portuguese life
• Coimbra – Easily reached with a bus (leave in the morning - return in the afternoon/evening) if you want a day without sunbathing on the beach.
• Leiria – Home to a restored medieval castle.
• Óbidos – A visit to this town could be made en route to Lisboa. (Get off at the Obidos train station, deposit your luggage and walk up to the city.) A tour of the town walls gets you some fine views. But it´s a sleepy town and they know what to charge for a meal.
• Peniche– Beaches and water sports, with access to the Berlengas archipelago.
• Tomar– Many interesting sights, including Convent of Christ, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.