LisbonLisboaPortugal.com

The best independent guide to Lisbon

LisbonLisboaPortugal.com

The best independent guide to Lisbon

Lisbon beaches; beach guide and best beach in 2024

Surrounding Lisbon are some of Portugal's finest beaches, and during the summer, a trip to the beach is a wonderful addition to your holiday.
The beaches of the Lisbon region extend along four very different coastlines, and range from wild surfing beaches, through to calm family-oriented beaches and charming resort towns.

The close proximity of Lisbon to beautiful beaches is not well publicised, and few visitors realise that a holiday to Lisbon can combine the delights of a city break with the relaxation of a beach holiday. Many of Lisbon's beaches can be easily reached using public transport, and this makes them ideal for a day trip while based in the city.

This article will provide an introduction to Lisbon's beaches, highlight the best beaches and help you get the most from your beach day trip.
Related articles: Lisbon introductionSecret Lisbon1 week in Lisbon

Praia de Carcavelos lisbon

The Praia de Carcavelos is one of the most popular beaches in the Lisbon region

The best beaches near Lisbon

The best beaches that can be easily reached using public transport:
Praia de Carcavelos (30 minutes train journey from central Lisbon)
Praia da Conceição, in Cascais (train - 45min)
Costa da Caparica (bus - 30 minutes)
• Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras (train 20 min)
Praia do Tamariz, in Estoril (train 40 min)
• Praia Sao Pedro (train 40 minutes)

Praia da Conceição beach cascais

The Praia da Conceição is a family-friendly beach in the resort town of Cascais, only a short train ride away from central Lisbon

The most beautiful beaches of Lisbon, which need a car to reach them:
The Serra da Arrábida (48km from Lisbon)
Lagoa de Albufeira (41km from Lisbon)
Praia do Guincho (32km from Lisbon)
• Praia da Ursa (44km from Lisbon)
Praia das Maçãs (43km from Lisbon)
The Tróia Peninsula (55km + ferry ride)

Lagoa de Albufeira beach lisbon

The pristine Lagoa de Albufeira is only a 30-minute drive from Lisbon and is completely unknown by foreign tourists

The top 10 beaches of Lisbon

The interactive map below shows the location of the top ten beaches in the Lisbon region.
The yellow markersdisplay the top 10 beaches that can be reached by public transport , and all of them are highly recommended for your beach day trip.
The green markers display the top 10 most beautiful beaches of the region, but a car is needed to travel to them from Lisbon.

The Top 10 beaches (yellow): 1) Praia de Carcavelos 2) Praia da Conceição 3) Costa da Caparica 4) Praia do Tamariz 5) Praia de São Pedro do Estoril 6) Praia da Torre 7) Santo Amaro de Oeiras 8) Praia Velha 9) Praia de Paço de Arcos 10) Praia da Rainha
The Top 10 beautiful beaches (green): 1) Praia do Creiro (Serra da Arrábida) 2) Lagoa de Albufeira 3) Praia do Guincho 4) Praia da Ursa 5) Península de Troia 6) Praia das Maçãs 7) Praia da Adraga 8) Praia do Meco 9) Praia da Figueirinha 10) Fonte da Telha
Note: Please click on the underlined links to read a full guide to each of the beaches.

Let’s keep it simple...

The vast choice of beaches in the Lisbon region can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are new to the Lisbon region.

If this is your first beach day trip from Lisbon, we recommended that you visit Praia de Carcavelos (1), Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras (7) or Praia da Conceição (2).

These are beautiful sandy beaches, with clean sea waters and excellent tourist facilities, and are suitable for all age groups. All three are very easy to travel to, as they are all served by the Lisbon to Cascais railway, which departs from the Cais do Sodré train station in Lisbon. The beaches are also sheltered from the strong sea breezes that blow in from the Atlantic Ocean, and the huge waves that roll onto western facing beaches.

If you wish to combine your beach day with visiting a characterful resort town, we would recommend visiting Cascais and the Praia da Conceição beach.
Related articles: Carcavelos beach - Oeiras beach - Conceição beach

Oeiras beach Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras

Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras (or Oeiras beach) is the best sandy beach closest to Lisbon

Carcavelos beach

Carcavelos beach is much larger than Oeiras, but it is slightly further from Lisbon

Conceição beach

Conceição beach lies within the lively resort town of Cascais, and is an enjoyable day trip

The four coastlines of the Lisbon region

There are four very different coastlines close to Lisbon; the Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais coastline, the Costa da Caparica, the Serra de Sintra coastline and the Serra da Arrábida.

The Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais Coastline
The Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais coastline extends to the west of Lisbon and offers sandy beaches, calm sea waters and characterful resort towns. This is the coastline where most tourists will head to for a day on the beach, and the beautiful beaches will appeal to the majority of visitors.

The Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais region is served by a regular train service, and this makes all of the beaches easily accessible from central Lisbon. The only downside is that these beaches can get very crowded during the summer.

The Praia de Carcavelos is the largest and most popular beach of the region, while the Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras and Praia Sao Pedro are also highly recommended.

The historic town of Cascais, situated at the end of the railway, is a fantastic destination for a beach-based holiday and has the pretty Praia da Conceição beach. Close to Cascais is Estoril, another popular holiday destination which is famed for its casino, and lines Praia do Tamariz beach.
Related articles: Cascais guide - Cascais beach guide - Estoril guide

Praia da Torre beach

The Praia da Torre beach overlooks the Forte de São Julião da Barra

The Costa da Caparica
The Costa da Caparica coastline is to the south of Lisbon, and extends along the entire western side of the Setubal Peninsular. This coastline comprises a single 23km continuous stretch beach, and the region offers beautiful beaches, outstanding surfing, and a trendy nightlife beach-bar scene.

At the northern end of the coastline is the modern and lively resort town of Costa da Caparica, while further to the south are pristine beaches and countryside, protected from development by the Arriba Fóssil nature preserve.

Halfway along the coastline is a tranquil lagoon, the Lagoa de Albufeira, which provides sheltered and calm waters, along with a beautiful natural setting. Fonte da Telha is a traditional fishing village, with a distinctly Portuguese atmosphere, and is a calmer option than the town of Costa da Caparica.

The southern end of the Costa da Caparica coastline provides some of the quietest beaches of the entire Lisbon region. This area includes the Praia do Meco, Portugal's original nudist beach.
Advice: There are regular bus services from Lisbon to the town of Costa da Caparica, but a car is needed to visit Fonte da Telha, Lagoa de Albufeira or the deserted southern beaches.
Related articles: Costa da Caparica - Fonte da Telha - Lagoa de Albufeira - Praia do Meco

Costa da Caparica

The Costa da Caparica region has a rich fishing heritage

The Serra de Sintra Coastline
The Serra de Sintra coastline lies to the north of Cascais, and is formed of jagged cliffs, vast beaches, and dramatic natural scenery. The wild and windswept coastline is exposed to the ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean and is ideal for outdoor activities such as surfing, hiking or simply admiring the stunning natural scenery.

The Serra de Sintra coastline lies within the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, and this has protected the beautiful natural scenery. The most famous beach of the region is the Praia do Guincho, a wonderful surfing and kitesurfing beach, while the Praia da Ursa and Praia da Adraga exemplify the region's spectacular scenery.

Further north are the charming beach towns of Praia das Maçãs and Azenhas do Mar, and the popular surfing beach of Praia Grande. There is very limited public transport within the Serra de Sintra and a car is needed to travel to the beaches.
Insider tip: While exploring the region do visit the Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of mainland Europe.
Related articles: Praia do Guincho - Praia das Maçãs - Cabo da Roca

Praia da Ursa

The Praia da Ursa, one of the most remote and picturesque beaches of the Lisbon region, but to reach it involves dirt roads and a 1km downhill hike

Serra da Arrábida Coastline
The Serra da Arrábida coastline is situated on the southern side of the Setubal Peninsula between the towns of Sesimbra and Setubal.
The beaches of the Serra da Arrábida are some of the most picturesque beaches in Portugal, with soft golden sands, turquoise sea waters, and surrounded by hills of the Serra da Arrábida. These idyllic beaches include the Praia do Creiro, the Praia da Figueirinha and Praia de Galápos.

Advice: The Serra da Arrábida beaches may be beautiful, but they have very limited car parking, and are almost impossible to visit by midmorning during the summer season. If there is no parking head to the Lagoa de Albufeira or Praia do Meco for quieter options.

The main resort town of the Serra da Arrábida region is Sesimbra and is a popular holiday destination for the Portuguese. Setubal is the other major city of the region and is a historic port, which makes for an enjoyable day trip but is not a beach destination.

South of Setubal are the paradise beaches of the Tróia Peninsula, but these are too far to travel from Lisbon for a beach day trip.
Related articles: Serra da Arrábida - Sesimbra guideSetubal Guide

Praia do Creiro Serra da Arrábida

The turquoise waters of the Praia do Creiro beach, but it’s a scrum to find carparking in the summer

Discover more of Lisbon with our most popular guides

lisbon Portugal guide
top 10 lisbon
Secret Lisbon
Where to stay which district lisbon
48 hours lisbon
lisbon food and meals
Lisbon day trips
lisbon beaches
3 days in Lisbon
1 week in lisbon
24 hours in lisbon
lisbon for families
Baixa district lisbon
belem distrcit lisbon
lisbon shopping
alfama district lisbon
Lisbon sunsets
Parque das Nações district lisbon
Alcantara district lisbon
sintra portugal
Costa da Caparica
cascais portugal
Lisbon viewpoints
lisbon airport guide
Cost of a holiday to Lisbon
wet day in lisbon
Lisbon museums

Thank you,
We really appreciate you visiting our website, but the digital world is changing for the worse.

Independent publishers like us face many new challenges. Search engines now prioritize ads over organic content, and AI replicates our hard work.

If you enjoyed our work, please bookmark our website to easily find us again or share it on social media with your friends and family.

We aim to keep our 1,600+ pages accurate and fully updated. If you spot any errors or outdated information, please contact us at: [email protected]

A complete list of all of our Lisbon articles

uk - es de fr it pt-br

LisbonLisboaPortugal.com

The best guide to Lisbon

lisbon Portugal guide
top 10 lisbon
Secret Lisbon
Where to stay which district lisbon
48 hours lisbon
lisbon food and meals
Lisbon day trips
lisbon beaches
3 days in Lisbon
1 week in lisbon
24 hours in lisbon
lisbon for families
Baixa district lisbon
belem distrcit lisbon
lisbon shopping
alfama district lisbon
Lisbon sunsets
Parque das Nações district lisbon
sintra portugal
Costa da Caparica
cascais portugal
Lisbon viewpoints
lisbon airport guide
Cost of a holiday to Lisbon
wet day in lisbon
Lisbon museums
lisbon Portugal guide
top 10 lisbon
Secret Lisbon
Where to stay which district lisbon
48 hours lisbon
lisbon food and meals
Lisbon day trips
lisbon beaches
3 days in Lisbon
1 week in lisbon
24 hours in lisbon
lisbon for families
Baixa district lisbon
belem distrcit lisbon
lisbon shopping
alfama district lisbon
Lisbon sunsets
Parque das Nações district lisbon
sintra portugal
Costa da Caparica
cascais portugal
Lisbon viewpoints
lisbon airport guide
Cost of a holiday to Lisbon
wet day in lisbon
Lisbon museums