Nazare, Portugal in February: The beach and back streets are empty, and the beauty remains!
Nazare, Portugal is an easy 90-minute highway drive from Lisbon.
We arrived in Lisbon for a five-day free stop-over on a flight from London to San Francisco offered by TAP airlines.
The Star Inn Lisbon Airport hotel (with free breakfast) is a short walk from the airport.
We stayed overnight in Lisbon to get an early daylight start for Nazare the next day. The airport car rental is onsite at the airport. (No shuttle required for car rental pick-up.)
Nazare is a small beach town offering amazing food, affordable beachfront accommodations, and from November to March a chance to see “Big Waves,” surfed by the world’s greatest.
We visited in February and the weather was chilly with beautiful blue skies. We were fortunate to witness tow-in surfing on 30-foot waves, but even without the waves, the trip would still have been worth the visit if you love a beach town and a beautiful ocean.
Take the town funicular (the locals call it the Elevator) for 4 Euros roundtrip (cash only) to the top of the hill to view the waves from the Fort, which sits high above the beach.
I personally love traveling during the low season as the crowds are gone, walk-in seating available at restaurants and the hotel prices are at their lowest.
This was my first time using a free stopover offered by an airline, and it definitely won’t be my last.
Happy Travels!
Carol