The Silver Coast Region
This region is a beautiful and unspoilt area of Portugal. There are fantastic beaches, breathtaking scenery and many historic old towns.
The following are some of our favourite places to visit in the region.
Foz do Arelho, just 55 minutes from Lisbon airport, is known for its natural beauty. The beautiful Obidos lagoon is one of the largest salt-water lagoons in Europe and is home to a variety of wildlife, including a group of flamingos.
The lagoon is also home to a variety of shellfish, which can be sampled in the local beachside restaurants.
The lagoon is also popular for nautical sports including sailing, water-skiing and canoeing, whilst more adventurous sports, like windsurfing, are enjoyed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Óbidos
This is a must-see, a delightfully preserved medieval
walled town. Perched on a hill rising out of an agricultural plain, Óbidos is
one of Portugal’s picturesque gems. From the centre you can gaze upon expanses
of vineyards speckled with whirling windmills and terracotta-roofed homesteads.
Nearer, narrow cobbled streets, lined typically with whitewashed, bougainvillaea-draped houses, wind up to the walled interior. The name Óbidos stems from the Latin for citadel. Within the walls are fascinating alleys, which have become home to high-class handicraft and gift shops as well as bars and restaurants of repute.
Peniche
Peniche
is Portugal’s largest fishing port. It is great to take a walk along the sea wall
and don’t forget to visit one of the many harbour-side restaurants for excellent
fresh fish.
The fort at Peniche became a prison during the extremes of the dictator Salazar and contains many graphic reminders of the difficulties experienced by many Portuguese prior to the famous bloodless revolution of 1974.
Caldas
da Rainha
Caldas da Rainha is famous for its Spa Hospital and local
ceramic industry that can be seen in the Museu de Cerâmica.
The town was founded by Dona Leonor, Queen of Portugal in 1485 and has passed through history with little involvement in the many struggles for power between the various warring armies.
It is now a centre of thermal cures, a bountiful fruit farming area and a productive ceramic industry.
Well worth a visit. Good for shopping and the views over the town from Castelo Sao Jorge are spectacular.
There are many excellent golf courses within easy access, the most well known being the five-star course overlooking the Atlantic cliff-top, Praia de’El Rey (voted 2007 European Golf Resort of the Year).
Location
Nearest
international airport: Lisbon Airport - 80 kilometres
Nearest railway
station: Caldas Da Rainha - 8 kilometres
Nearest motorway junction: Caldas Da Rainha - 8 kilometres
Car: Not essential but advisable
all
imagesNigel Harper Photography
