Peniche

Central Portugal costal tourism destination

City Overview

In the centre of Portugal, Peniche is a nice coastal town to visit! It is a great destination for exploring, hanging out around the city, having a delightful beach holiday or enjoying the surf.

Peniche is 100 km away from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and is a port and fishing city with a strong heritage and historical relevance and a strong cultural connection to the sea.

Sightseeing

Since it’s a Coastal zone, the best time to fully appreciate Peniche is between April and September. This time of year has longer days and more sunshine, blue skies, and mild to warm temperatures. The hottest months are normally July and August and the most popular attracting the greatest number of tourists and visitors. If you want to avoid the crowd then best time to visit is June or September.

This city has a lot to see, and a good starting point to for your visit is the Peniche Fortress. This well-preserved fortress has featured in some of the most important historical episodes. It is also well known for having been one of the political prisons used for the activists who rebelled against the Salazar dictatorship.

After exploring the fortress, you should explore this city that has a strong connection to the sea. You can start walk towards the centre, which is surrounded by fishing districts and you’ll also find a labyrinth of streets and alleys great for exploring!

Beaches

Peniche is known for its long beaches, which are popular for recreational activities and sports such as surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing. These beaches are consistently windy and have good surf breaks and waves considered among the best in Europe.

Peniche is one of the best surfing locations in Europe. It has beaches and breaks facing three distinctly different directions, making it a consistent destination for surfers and home to many surf camps/schools.

The Berlengas islands, about 10 kilometres (6 miles) offshore from the peninsula.  They form one of the world's first nature reserves. In summer, the islands can be visited by taking a ferryboat from Peniche. The boats to Berlenga leave from the quay near Peniche Fortress, but you’ll find information about them everywhere as there are several companies that make the crossing between Peniche and Berlengas.

When you arrive on the island take the opportunity to rest on Berlengas beach which is located right next to the port and enjoy the beautiful sandy beach and transparent water. After a rest you can start exploring the various attractions of the island such as the Berlengas Lighthouse and the Fort of São João Baptista. It’s also recommended that you also don’t miss the opportunity to take a boat trip to the island’s caves, or if you’re feeling like it you can also go diving, snorkelling, or canoeing.

Cafes & Restaurants

Peniche is home to many restaurants and a favourite dish to try while visiting is Caldeirada de Peniche, a fish soup. There is lot of choice of different fish dishes on offer in local restaurant to be washed down with local white or rose wine.

Other

Currency - Euro (EUR)

Language - Portuguese

Visas - Not needed for travellers from the US, Canada and Europe

Best Time To Visit - March – October

Timezone - Western European Standard Time (GMT)

Homosexual Activity - Legal