Nazare, Portugal

Nazare’s long beach and the Praia district, seen from the Miradouro do Suberco at Sitio.

An ancient fishing village turned popular seaside resort, Nazare is only an hour and a half from Lisbon but it feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The town became world-famous in 2011 when Garrett McNamara, a surfer from Hawaii, rode a 78-foot (24-metre) wave at Praia do Norte, breaking the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed, a record that has since been broken more than once at the same beach. The event put Nazare on the map and surfers flocked to the picturesque coastal village desperate to catch the giant waves that many locals have spent years avoiding. For travellers, it is a great spot to relax and eat fresh fish while taking in the beautiful scenery and watching surfers do their bit. Nazare is also Day 8 of our Discover Portugal small group tour, with a guided look at the town’s fishing traditions and the view from the Miradouro do Suberco.

The History of Nazare

The Legend of Nazare tells the story of how the town came to be named. The town derives its name from a small statue of the Virgin Mary that was said to be brought by a monk to Spain from Nazareth in the 4th century. It was then brought to Portugal in 711 by another monk called Romano who was accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Hispania. Once they arrived at the coast they became hermits and Romano lived in a small natural grotto atop a cliff. After his death, the king buried him in the grotto and left the statue of the Virgin Mary in the grotto.

In 1182, the Portuguese Knight, Dom Fuas Roupinho, was hunting deer in dense fog and almost rode off the cliff but was saved after praying to the statue. To commemorate the miracle, he had a chapel built over the small grotto. This chapel was the first church in the area. In 1377, King Fernando I of Portugal had a new church built which houses the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Nazare.

Nazare is made up of three neighbourhoods: Praia, which is along the beach, Sitio, an old village atop a cliff between Nazare Beach and North Beach, and Pederneira, also on a hilltop. Originally, people settled in Pederneira and Sitio, above the beaches, to protect themselves from raids by Vikings and later French, English and Dutch pirates. These raids were commonplace and lasted for centuries, until the beginning of the 19th century when maritime piracy began to end. With fewer pirates to be concerned about, people in the area began to settle what is now Praia. Today, it is considered the town centre.

What to See in Nazare

The scenic viewpoint over Nazare

The main attractions of Nazare are mainly coastal and many people come for the vistas and the chance to see surfers big wave surfing at Praia do Norte. There are many viewpoints in Sitio, above the beach, and one of the best is the Miradouro do Suberco. Many people take the town’s funicular up to Sitio, which runs frequently through the day. At 110 metres above sea level, the viewpoint provides a magnificent aerial view of Nazare and its beaches. It is a spectacular place to watch the waves, though in summer the water can be relatively calm. If you’re around from October to February however, you may see waves over 100 feet high! The waves are so big due to the presence of an underwater canyon, known as the Nazare Canyon, which creates constructive interference between the incoming swell waves, causing giant walls of water along the coast.

Fishing is also an important part of the lifestyle of the locals in Nazare and if you’re looking to have an authentic experience of Nazare, it is worth visiting the Fishermen’s District (Bairro dos Pescadores). Here you’ll find fishermen mending fish nets, women in traditional Portuguese clothing and nets laden with fish. The town itself is packed full of seafood restaurants and there are plenty of places to enjoy a meal caught from the sea that day. Along the beach itself, you’ll catch sight of colourful fishing boats ready to hit the water.

A traditional painted fishing boat drawn up on the beach at Nazare.

Another must-see is the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazare (The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré). Originally founded in the 14th century, it has been renovated throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and is a beautiful Baroque structure. You will find the venerated statue of the Virgin here as well as depictions of the Legend of Nazare.

Fifteen minutes’ drive from Nazare lies the Alcobaca Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1153 by the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques. The monastic complex went on to become one of the richest and most important in the country, hosting almost 1000 monks. Many monarchs from the 13th and 14th centuries are buried here including King Afonso II and Queen Urraca, and King Afonso III and Queen Beatrice. However, the monastery’s most important possessions are the two intricately carved 14th-century tombs of King Pedro and his beloved mistress Ines de Castro.

The facade of the Alcobaca Monastery church, its Gothic portal framed by Baroque towers.

The tombs tell one of Portugal’s most tragic love stories. Heir to the throne, Pedro was the son of King Afonso IV and was married off to Constanza Manuel of Villena to help ally Portugal with Castile. Pedro, however, did not fall in love with Constanza but her lady-in-waiting Ines and the two began a passionate love affair. King Afonso banished Ines from court in 1344, but when Constanza died in 1345, Pedro brought her back. King Afonso then suggested different princesses Pedro could select as a second wife. However, Pedro refused and began living in secret with Ines, enraging his father. In 1355, King Afonso ordered three assassins to mercilessly kill her. Pedro was devastated by her murder and was determined to exact his revenge. He revolted against his father, who died soon after and Pedro ascended to the throne in 1357. As king, he declared that they had married in secret before she died, and legend says he had her body exhumed and crowned queen. He also had two of her three assassins tracked down and killed, ordering that their hearts be ripped out. To ensure they would be together in the afterlife, he had a royal tomb built for Ines and one for himself installed in the Alcobaca Monastery, carved with scenes from their life together. The tombs are placed foot to foot so that the pair could rise up and see each other straight away, and they are inscribed with words Até ao Fim do Mundo, or until the end of the world. The tombs are a Gothic masterpiece, and the story is sometimes called Portugal’s Romeo and Juliet.

The Gothic nave of the Alcobaca Monastery church; the tombs of Pedro and Ines lie in its transept.

Visits to Nazare and Alcobaca are popular day trips from Lisbon and can be combined in one trip, as our guide to Nazare and Alcobaca describes. Together, they offer an opportunity to have a taste of coastal living and an insight into Portugal’s history. If you’re interested in visiting Nazare, you may want to take a look at our Lisbon and Barcelona small group tour and our Discover Portugal tour, which both visit Nazare.

Looking out over the Atlantic from the clifftop at Nazare.

Seeing Nazare on our Discover Portugal tour

Nazare is Day 8 of our 18-day Discover Portugal small group tour, an excursion from Obidos, where the group stays three nights. On the way we stop at Caldas da Rainha to see its traditional ceramics factory. In Nazare a guided tour introduces the town’s fishing traditions, from the fisherwomen in seven-layered skirts to the beach famous for its giant waves, and we take in the view from the Miradouro do Suberco. After a fish lunch we continue to the Monastery of Alcobaca, with free time in the town before returning to Obidos. The tour is Level 2 (Moderate), with up to 16 travellers and an Odyssey Program Leader. Our Portugal travel guide covers the route from Lisbon to Porto.

Articles about Portugal published by Odyssey Traveller.

• Questions about Portugal
• The Golden Years of Lisbon
• ‘Queen of the Sea’: A History of Lisbon
• Portuguese in Africa

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Portugal.

• How to get from Lisbon to Sintra (Lisbon Guru)
• How much does it cost to go to Portugal? (Money We Have)
• The 15 Best Day Trips from Lisbon (The Crazy Tourist)
• 9 Awesome Stops for Your Road Trip from Lisbon to Porto (My Path in the World)
• Visit Portugal