Portugal Day Trip: Nazare, the Place to Surf and See Waves, Nazare, Portugal

The popular fishing and surfing town of Nazare on Portugal’s Silver Coast is divided into three main districts. There’s the Praia (beach), Pederneira and Sítio. During the summer months, the wide sandy beach and narrow streets of Praia are jam-packed with tourists.

To be honest, this is not our favourite part of Nazaré, but when we want a break from seafood and Portuguese cuisine, it does have a lovely Indian restaurant that we go to. The Little India restaurant is located just a block back from the beach on Rua Aldriao Batalha.

For us, we love the old neighbourhood of Sítio, located on top of the cliffs overlooking Praia. With its own church, museum, and main square, Sítio feels very much like a separate village on a scenic bluff. It’s a great place to visit, especially out of season when the crowds have left.

Feeling energetic, you could walk the winding path up the cliff or, if you’re lazy, drive up to Sítio from Praia, but it’s a lot more fun to take the funicular up the steep slope to the top.

Once at the top, there are fantastic views over Nazare town, the beach and the bay area. But it’s not just about the views in Sítio. Close to where you disembark from the funicular is the tiny chapel, Ermida da Memória. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).