Where are the biggest waves in Portugal? Where are the biggest waves in the world (Nazaré, Portugal). Restaurants and cafes

The small fishing village of Nazare (Portugal) is located between the most beautiful cities Lisbon and Porto. It is distinguished from other Portuguese outskirts by two important circumstances: first, the locals consider the Virgin Mary to be the patroness of the village, and second, they come to Nazaré. There is no winter here, so this place can be visited all year round.

Resort Nazaré

This ancient fishing village is the main one in Portugal. Its residents sacredly preserve ancient traditions: they dress in ancient fashion and sing folk songs. On this ocean coast you can witness how fishing families lived many years ago. The women of Nazaré still wear seven skirts, and the main occupation of fishermen and fisherwomen on the shore is mending nets and drying fish on special wire grates.

At the same time, Nazare is considered the most famous among the sea. Incredibly beautiful and clean beach stretches over a distance of 1 km. There is an embankment along it. All conditions for a comfortable and memorable stay are created here.

The town of Nazare (Portugal) is divided into two parts: upper and lower. The lower part is a picturesque embankment, a beach and many cozy restaurants where guests are offered dishes national cuisine. There is also an abundance of souvenir shops where tourists can buy gifts for their loved ones. By the way, souvenirs here are much cheaper than in the upper part of the city. The main attractions are located in the upper part of the village.

What to see?

So, what are there in Nazar? There are not as many of them as lovers of excursions would like, but still there is something to see. The main architectural monument here is the small chapel Capela da Memória. It was built in honor of the Virgin Mary, whom local residents consider their patroness. Pilgrims from all over Europe visit the chapel all year round. Opposite the chapel is the Church of Our Lady, built at the end of the 14th century.

The town has several museums where you can learn about the history of Nazare, the history of fishing and national costume. In the museum dedicated to religion, you can see paintings, statues and some historical documents. The main museum of the town is the Fisherman's House. There are all the attributes of fishing and the home life of fishermen.

Fort Sau Miguel Arcanju is also of interest to tourists. It was erected at the end of the 16th century to protect the city from attacks by Algerians and pirates. You can enjoy the picturesque views from the Sitiu rock. For this purpose, there is a spacious observation deck. Tourists can reach the rock on a modernized funicular; this means of transportation in Nazaré is considered the most famous. The height of the rock is 318 meters, from here it opens amazing view to the lower part of Nazaré .

Surfing

The unique Nazaré Canyon (Portugal) stretches along the coast for 170 km. The waves here can reach a height of 30 meters. Surfers from all over the world come to this small village to take part in the annual world competition. Waves that burst from the depths Atlantic Ocean, can easily devour a surfer at the slightest mistake. But this does not stop the athletes. In 2013, Garrett McNamara (Hawaiian surfer) set a world record: he conquered a wave over 30 meters.

How to get there

Nazaré (Portugal) is located in the district of Leiria. You can get here from Lisbon or Porto by regular bus. A bus ticket costs about 12 euros - this is the most cheap option in order to get to the fishing village. The bus stops at Nazaré station, which is a short walk from the city's main promenade and the Atlantic Ocean.

The most convenient way is to buy tickets to Lisbon. There are direct flights from Moscow from Ural Airlines, TAP Portugal and S7. Prices range from 650 EUR and above, depending on the season, passenger class and amount of luggage.

From Saint-Petersburg

There are no direct flights from St. Petersburg to Portugal, and getting to Lisbon, for example, is only possible with transfers. Austrian Airlines offers a connecting flight in Vienna, and you can fly with Lufthansa via. In addition, you can order a ticket for " Turkish Airlines"and change trains in Istanbul, but the travel time in this case will take 25 hours. Ticket prices start from 380 EUR.

If your trip is planned in advance, you can regularly view tickets on various intermediary sites and “comparisons” (for example,) in order to catch the maximum discount.

The total cost of such a trip will probably be calculated not in hundreds, but in thousands of EUR. Therefore, the easiest, fastest and most inexpensive way to get to the fishing town of Nazare is by air.

By bus

From the city you arrived in by plane, you can get to Nazare by bus. This is a popular form of transport that runs from all major settlements regularly from early morning until about eight in the evening.

Bus station in Lisbon

The bus station in Lisbon, from which the bus to Nazaré departs, is located seven kilometers from the airport at Pr. Marechal Humberto Delgafdo, Sete Rios, here:

To get to this station from the airport, you can take the metro: take the Aeroporto station, change at the S. Sebastiao station on the blue line and get off at Jardim Zoológico.

Ticket price

The price of a bus ticket to Nazaré varies depending on the city. From Lisbon, for example, a ticket will cost about 11 EUR. Directions and schedules can be found on this website. The ticket price will be visible only after passengers have registered.

Bus station in Nazaré

In Nazaré, the bus arrives at the Rodoviaria do Tejo station, which is located on Rua do Municipio, here:

The station is located very close to the beach and a five minute walk from most hotels in the lower part of the city. Details on how to get from Lisbon to Nazare can be found.

By car

Traveling from Moscow or St. Petersburg to Nazaré by car is two days of continuous travel, since the distance is 4,500 kilometers. In addition, you will have to travel through seven European countries. However, during our travels we met cars from Russia, so anything is possible.

In addition to gasoline prices (1.48 EUR per liter in Portugal, 1.15 in Latvia and Lithuania, 1.08 in Poland, 1.44 in Germany, 1.45 in France and 1.22 in Spain), toll roads must be taken into account . As far as I know, except for Germany and Lithuania, there are toll sections everywhere in Europe. Basically, these are the shortest routes to one or another locality, highways and roads with good coverage. Portugal also has toll roads. Here you can see the tariffs for various sections of roads in Portugal.

Renting a car in Portugal

In Portugal you can easily rent a car. The easiest way is to book it online and receive it directly at the airport upon arrival. You can read more about car rental

Clue:

Nazaré - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow 2

Kazan 2

Samara 3

Ekaterinburg 4

Novosibirsk 6

Vladivostok 9

When is the season? When is the best time to go

We stayed at the Miramar 4* hotel in the upper part of the city, and then several times at the Oceano 2* hotel. The preference is obvious: despite two stars, everything is very great - the ocean is a stone's throw away, breakfast included, clean rooms.

Food prices

Housing is only half the battle. If the hotel or apartment does not offer breakfast or board, you will have to take care of food yourself. In Nazaré, only four-star hotels offer the half board option. The rest either only include breakfast or no meals at all.

Supermarkets

If you are holidaying without a car, you can go to the local supermarket Viva Superpoupança (ten steps from the promenade street), where prices are higher than in such popular supermarkets as Lidl or Continente. The nearest Lidl is located 2.2 kilometers from the embankment street, you can walk there in half an hour (by car, of course, it’s faster).

Food prices at Lidl are not high. If you also look at various promotions, you can inexpensively organize yourself a delicious lunch.

In addition to Lidl, Nazaré has a popular supermarket, Continente, where we shopped quite often.

Prices there are quite a bit higher than in Lidl. Many products cost the same. Again, you need to look at the price tags with the offers so that the total is cheaper.

This supermarket is larger than Lidl and has a range of products to match. Especially it concerns alcoholic products, wine, meat and more. Prices for wine, if you do not chase the high cost, range on average from 2 to 6 EUR per bottle. In our case, it has never happened that wine purchased in Portugal was frankly tasteless.

So let’s imagine that we made a purchase in Nazar at the Continent supermarket for breakfast and dinner. The following list of prices has been released:

• Bread – 1.5 EUR;
• Olives – 1 EUR;
• Local jamon – 3 EUR;
• Sliced ​​cheese – 2 EUR;
• Potatoes – 2.5 EUR;
• Olive oil – 2.8 EUR;
• Wine – 3 EUR x 2;
• Baking (packaging of local cakes) – 1.5 EUR.

Total: 20.3 EUR

If you really try to save money, then these products will be enough for two breakfasts and one dinner for two, that is, approximately 3.5 EUR per person per meal. But, as practice shows, in the supermarket your eyes widen at the sight of local “stuff”; you want to try everything, which automatically leads to an inflated receipt. And it’s still safe to say that eating on your own is cheaper than going to restaurants every day.

Restaurants and cafes

There are a lot of restaurants and cafes in Nazaré, given the small size of the city and the number local residents. Prices in local establishments are not very high and do not vary greatly among themselves. In this case, I do not take into account restaurants with Michelin claims (and there are also such in Nazaré). In such places the price ranges from 20 to 60 EUR per dish.

You can only decide for yourself whether you want to eat in a restaurant with snow-white tablecloths and transparent glasses, or whether it will be enough to eat local “fast food”.

Almost all restaurants specialize in fish and seafood. These include fast restaurant chains such as Tofa.

An ordinary fish dish will cost from 9 to 12 EUR, meat dishes from 10 to 15 EUR. Also, restaurants often serve dishes for two - in this case the price is 25 EUR and higher. Dishes made from special seafood - lobsters, lobsters, crabs, etc. - are more expensive and are sold by weight. We did not order such delicacies, but we always intended to do so. After all, fresh ocean life is often displayed in shop windows and attracts with its diversity.

Main attractions. What to see

Nazaré cannot be called a treasure trove of historical and cultural attractions. The main tourist attractions here are the beaches: the city beach of Nazaré and the North Beach. Lovers of antiquity will be interested in several objects - the Chapel of Memory, the Church of Our Lady, as well as the Fortress of the Archangel Michael with a lighthouse.

Top 5

I will tell you more about these and other attractions below.

Beaches. Which ones are better

Within the city of Nazaré there are two beaches - city and North. Both of them are beautiful in their own way. The northern one is more severe and windy, the urban one is softer and more welcoming.

City Beach

The city beach of Nazaré (Praia da Nazaré) has become my favorite of all. Soft light sand, the sound of waves, proximity to the street, the opportunity to plunge into the ocean waters good weather- all this makes the beach a pleasant holiday destination for every taste.

Perhaps the only negative is the lack of natural shadow. But in the summer, beach tarpaulin tents are installed here, where you can hide from the hot sun. In autumn and winter there is no need to hide from the sun. In addition, at this time there are very few people on the shore, and it is possible to contemplate nature almost alone. The beach is so large that the few tourists from afar seem like a few dark crumbs on the yellow tablecloth of sand.

We always spent most of the day on this beach. If you are tired of walking from the rock to football field, which is located on the beach near the embankment, we could always look at the small fishing market. It consists of wooden frames placed on the sand with stretched nets. Fishermen bring fresh fish and seafood here, and all this is dried directly in the sun.

North Beach

North Beach is a place that Nazaré prides itself on. It was from here in 2014 that American Garrett McNamara started to conquer a 30-meter wave.

A magnificent panorama of the famous North Beach (Praia do Norte) opens from the observation decks in Sitio, as well as from the lighthouse of the Archangel Michael at the edge of the cape.

From the lighthouse to the beach you can go straight down the cliff. In this case, you need to take into account the risks and it is advisable not to take small children with you. On the way to the beach there are steps without railings - that is, an adult can reach it. You can also get to the beach by car. However, be careful when approaching, because the roads there leave much to be desired. On one of our visits we even damaged the bottom of the car.

It's quite windy in North Beach, but if the sun is shining, it doesn't interfere with enjoying the views and nature. Swimming here is only partially possible - you can only splash around near the shore, because beyond that there are large waves that are dangerous to approach.

Here you can watch surfers from the shore. I always wonder how they prepare to go out into the ocean - polishing their boards, warming up, preparing photo and video equipment. When they go on their voyage, your heart always sinks and you worry for them as for your brothers.

I always look forward to the return of surfers with special trepidation. Some arrive back at the beach in style, standing on their board.

Churches and temples. Which ones are worth visiting?

In Nazar there are only two church buildings Worth visiting are the Chapel of Remembrance and the Church of Our Lady.

Chapel of Remembrance

The legend about one of the city's several landmarks - the Chapel of Memory (Capela da Memória), which is located in the square at the top of Nazaré - is very interesting. In the 12th century, King Don Fuas Roupinho went hunting and got lost in the fog. Almost falling off a cliff, he prayed for help and turned to the Mother of God, who saved him at the last moment. In memory of this wonderful event, a chapel was erected, which is a small building on the cape, decorated with traditional white and blue tiles depicting the miracle that occurred.
Inspecting the chapel took me five minutes, since the building is very small, no more than two meters high and three meters wide.

Church of Our Lady

On the square in Sitio there is another attraction - the Church of the Virgin Mary (Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré) - very beautiful building, which is also associated with the legend of the Mother of God, or more precisely, about the image of the Black Madonna. The Black Madonna is a small wooden sculpture depicting the Mother of God who came to Sitio from Nazareth. Hence the name of the city itself. The sculpture traveled around the world, accompanied by a monk, before remaining in the Nazaré caves. Today it is kept in the Church of Our Lady and is the subject of mass worship by believers.

The church building was rebuilt three times, the last of which was in the 17th century. A wide cone-shaped staircase leads to the entrance to the church. There are bells under two very beautiful domes. The interior of the church looks majestic - the arches and columns are decorated with gilding, there is an organ at the top, and on the opposite side there is an altar with a sanctuary of the Black Madonna. The church looks festive and rich compared to ascetic Catholic buildings, for example, in Germany.

Inside the building, to the right of the entrance to the church itself, there is a museum of religious arts with free admission. There you can see antiques, sculptures, paintings, as well as ancient priestly vestments.

At the exit from the church there is a shop with souvenirs - where would we be without them?

Museums. Which ones are worth visiting?

Fisherman's House Museum

In addition to the above-mentioned Museum of Religious Arts, Nazaré has the Fisherman's House Museum. In Portuguese it sounds like Casa-Museu do Pescador and is located in the Sitio area on Rua J.B. Sousa Lobo 108. The museum was opened in 1999 by a fisherman who loved his own business. The building restores the picture of the life of a fisherman’s family, which was typical for the 1930–1950s.

Furniture, household appliances, gear and the appearance of the house - everything speaks about the life and activities of representatives of the fishing profession typical of Nazaré. Various exhibits are displayed near the house - fishing nets, oars, ropes, a lifebuoy. A visit to the museum is by appointment, and the external decoration can be viewed simply by walking down the street.

Fortress of the Archangel Michael

Another historic structure near the square in Sitio is the Fort of the Archangel Michael (Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo), which doubles as a lighthouse and a modern surfing museum.

This is a typical fortress that protected the city from attack by enemy troops. Since 1903, a lighthouse has been installed on the fort, and since 2014, a small museum has been opened inside the fortress, dedicated to the giant wave that Garrett McNamara conquered in the same year. The height of the wave was approximately 30 meters, and the surfer managed to ride it to the end without falling. In fact, this event made the fishing town of Nazare famous among surfers and nature lovers from all over the world. In the museum you can see posters, descriptions, photographs of a surfer, as well as a model of the underwater terrain that allows the waves to rise so high above the Atlantic Ocean right near the city of Nazaré.

The lighthouse has several viewing platforms at different heights. To reach the lowest one, you need to have courage - a narrow metal ladder is attached directly to the rock, and in strong winds it always wobbles.

There are always a lot of tourists at the observation decks, and fishermen also gather here to fish and watch the tourists.

The view from the lighthouse is simply unforgettable. On one side you can see the lower Nazaré, and on the other there is a panorama of the North Beach (Praia do Norte), known to all surfers ready for dangerous adventures on the waves. And from the lighthouse there is this staircase leading straight into the raging ocean:

What to see in 1 day

If you only have one day in Nazaré, then you can easily visit all the sights, enjoy nature and end the evening in one of the many restaurants. I suggest the following schedule:

• 9:00 – 10:00 - Breakfast at the hotel or in a cafe. If your hotel doesn't offer breakfast, stop by any bakery or restaurant and order coffee and traditional pastries. If you want to start your morning right on the ocean, try S. Miguel restaurant, which is located at the end of the promenade on Avenida da Republica.
• 10:00 – 12:00 - A walk along the promenade street or along the beach to the cliff, a funicular ride to the Sitio area, sightseeing in the square - the Church of Our Lady and the Chapel of Remembrance.
• 12:00 – 13:00 - Walk to the lighthouse and watch the surfers. Overview of the panorama, visit to the surfing museum in the fortress of the Archangel Michael.
• 13:00 – 15:00 - Lunch at a restaurant in Sitio, for example Casa Pires. Visiting souvenir shops on the square.
• 15:00 – 18:00 - Return to the embankment street, go to the beach, swim, enjoy the sun.
• 18:00 – 20:00 - Dinner on the embankment in a traditional restaurant. For example, the restaurant A Tasquinha or Adega Oceano are suitable for this purpose.

What to see in the area

Around the city of Nazaré there are many beautiful places. Where the North Beach ends, the following, no less beautiful, begin: Praia da Areeira, Praia da Falca, Praia de Vale Pardo. Also 25 kilometers north of Nazare there is a large lighthouse Farol Penedo da Saudade, which offers beautiful views of the rocks.

60 kilometers south of Nazaré is the town of Peniche.

It is also a very popular destination for extreme water sports enthusiasts. The area has many beaches, picturesque cliffs and surfing spots.

Food. What to try

The basis of the local cuisine in Nazaré is fish and seafood. Here you can find all the variety underwater world Atlantic Ocean. Fishermen bring their catch to cafes and restaurants, and they, in turn, often display it in their windows. At the restaurant, you can point to the fish you like and they will cook it.

Among the local delicacies, you can try cuttlefish salad. The taste is very unusual, as you can feel that the product has just been caught and prepared. For lovers of new culinary sensations it will be just right.

Be sure to grab something from the market that opens every day on the beach. You can buy 200–300 grams of salted fish for beer for about 3 EUR. You can choose a curiosity yourself, and a grandmother in a national costume will tell you whether the fish is ready to eat. The most unusual dish (and a sight too) here is the dried octopus, which I never dared to buy.

I recommend trying Portuguese paella. This is a large pot of rice soup and ocean creatures: king prawns, crabs, clams, mussels. All this is not peeled, crab claws for the most part in shells, so you will have to work hard to remove the inedible covers of sea inhabitants. If you love seafood with all your heart, then the taste is amazing! Also try octopus in any form - fried, dried, boiled or grilled.

And the most important thing! In Nazaré, be sure to try COFFEE. In every cafe and restaurant, regardless of the stars, level, service and cleanliness, you will be served amazing coffee, the taste of which will not be forgotten even after years.

To experience this taste fully, order espresso - its cost varies from 0.7 to 1 EUR. Many Portuguese people come to cafes just to drink coffee and read the newspaper. And this is not surprising when such coffee is served on every corner!

Budget

Of the budget places in Nazaré, I was surprised by the Tofa restaurant on the square in Sitio. For a reasonable price, you will be served a huge portion of well-cooked seafood. You can also visit others budget places:

• Blue Jardim;
• Rosa dos Ventos;
• Casa Osanto Anibal Portugal Galvao;
• Restaurante Sete Saias.

Mid-level

• O Veleiro Restaurante;
• Rosa dos Ventos;
• Sitiado;
• A Tasquinha;
• S. Miguel.

Expensive

• Pangeia Restaurante

Holidays

There are two colorful holidays that are celebrated in Nazar - these are Our Lady's Day(Festa de N. Senhora da Nazaré) and Sea Man Day(Festa do Homem do Mar).

Our Lady's Day

Officially celebrated on September 8, but festivities can go from August 30 to September 13. This is a major religious holiday dedicated to the Black Madonna, whose figure is carried by residents in a long procession to the ocean.

Also in the holiday program you can find many religious events.

Sea Man Day

Celebrated on May 7th. It is more secular and is a city celebration with music and dance accompaniment, as well as culinary feasts

The celebration is accompanied by a procession of traditional Nazaré boats, decorated with flowers and other festive attributes. Here, national costumes for women play an important role - a bright and fluffy multi-layered skirt and a headscarf or long scarf on the head. There are many variations of the folk costume that fishermen's wives wear on holidays and on weekdays.

Safety. What to watch out for

Nazaré is a small European town where you should not be afraid of robbery, attacks and other criminal situations. Also, during our travels, there was no theft in hotels. However, we should not forget that people are different everywhere, and even in quiet place Anything can happen on the planet. Therefore, keep an eye on your belongings and if you are afraid that something valuable will be stolen from the hotel, take everything with you.

Things

When outdoors, do not leave valuables unattended or make sure no one is nearby. However, there is another danger for valuable items in Nazar - the ocean. Never place your bags near the water, even if you only came for ten minutes to watch the waves. This is especially true of the city beach of Nazaré.

The waves here can be so treacherous that you may not even notice how the water gets to your bag. At best, things will get wet, at worst, they will be carried away by a wave into the ocean.

Bathing

In summer, unless there are strong waves, swimming on the beach in Nazaré is quite safe. To enjoy your vacation and not think about the incoming water, check the tide schedule for this beach in advance. This can be done, for example, on the website prilivy.com.

But no matter what the weather is like in Nazar, keep small children away from the water. This here can really be dangerous. The coast guard, of course, is always on alert and will politely ask you to take your child away in case of danger, but you need to assess the situation yourself.

Things to do

There is always something to do in Nazaré. Here it is impossible to get tired of nature, from walking along the beach, from watching the waves. In the summer, you can swim and sunbathe or watch others swim. When it's time to eat, there are plenty of places to go - the embankment street, as well as the upper part of the city, is filled with cafes and restaurants. Some open only in the evening, but in summer season everyone has been working since the morning.

For those who want to take up the sport, there is a surf school in Nazaré. For nature lovers and active rest There are also plenty of activities to do here, from walking without the cable car to Sitio and back to long runs along the ocean or exercising on the exercise machines that are openly available right on the beach.

Shopping and shops

There are many different shops in Nazaré. These are mainly souvenir shops or shops with national clothing. I will tell you more about this below.

There are also clothing and shoe stores here, but it will be difficult to find boutiques with popular brands. Nazaré is a small town in which large shopping centers not yet built.

Bars. Where to go

There are quite a few small cafes and restaurants in Nazar where you can drink beer, enjoy wine or order a stronger drink. However, there are no bars or nightclubs here as such. There are the following two places where you can while away the time with an alcoholic drink:

• Sevejaria Berlim;
• Casa Aliluia.

Extreme Sports

Nazaré is considered a Mecca for lovers of extreme water sports - surfing, paddleboarding, bodyboarding, windsurfing. This is due to the conquest of a giant wave by American Garrett McNamara in 2014. If the purpose of your visit is not only walks by the ocean and visiting restaurants, then it makes sense to contact the Nazaré Surf School. It is located on the waterfront street Avenida da República, Edificio S. Miguel.

At the surf school you can learn how to bodyboard and surf. Here you can attend group classes or hire a personal trainer. The price for ten personal surfing lessons will be 400 EUR. If you study in a group of three people, ten lessons will cost 350 EUR. A group of ten people can study at a price of 175 EUR per person for ten lessons. There is no difference in price for surfing or bodyboarding; you can choose the sport according to your taste.

At the Surf School in Nazaré they teach at three levels of difficulty, so if you have never tried aquatic species sports, but you really want to ride the wave of a ten-story building, you can start from scratch.

Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift

On the main street there are many shops with souvenirs and national goods. For some reason, in Portugal it is customary to sell wool sweaters, jackets and sweaters of all kinds. Maybe they have special sheep with special wool, who knows. You can also often find patterned woolen socks on sale, which are part of the national costume of local grandmothers, as well as local fabric products.

How to get around the city

Funicular

There is a funicular in Nazaré that connects the upper and lower parts of the city. It is a tram on rails located on a rather steep cliff. The cost of a one-way ticket is 1.2 EUR. Two carriages carry passengers every fifteen minutes from seven in the morning until late in the evening, depending on the season.

Today the funicular, created by the famous engineer Mesnier in 1889, is fully electrified and safe, but in the middle of the 20th century, when the lift was still powered by a steam engine, the cable once broke and claimed the lives of two people.

The upper station of the funicular is located in the Sitio area on Rua do Elevador. The lower station of the lift is also located on Rua do Elevador, only 110 meters lower down the cliff. If you walk along the beach along Avenida da Republica towards the cliff, you will find the station at the very end of the street.

Traveling by cable car is an integral part of a holiday in Nazaré. Even if you are a fan of hiking and prefer to climb the bypass path on foot, you should still ride the tram at least once. It opens up amazingly when you go up. beautiful view to the ocean and to the city.

In addition, the funicular passes right among the houses built on the mountain along the rails, so it is possible to get a close look at the housing and life of the local residents.

Taxi. What features exist

Apart from the funicular, there is no public transport. If you are traveling without a car, you can get around by taxi. Here are three companies where you can order it:

A trip around the city can cost approximately 10 EUR

Transport rental

To get to Nazaré, we rented a car in advance at Porto airport. This can also be done locally, but the cost may be higher. Renting doesn't require much effort. On the websites of Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Europcar, as well as on the website of Goldcar, a popular company in southern Europe, you can easily book a car according to your taste, leaving your personal data and credit card number. We booked with Hertz; we haven’t decided on the local Goldcar yet, but their prices are lower than those of popular European companies.

IN different time Car prices vary throughout the year. If in May the cost of the cheapest car is 120–150 EUR, then in July it is already 200–250 EUR per week of rental. You can compare prices and look for a profitable option, for example.

Upon arrival in Portugal at one of the airports (or Faro), you need to look for a car rental window. Usually at airports there is always a sign with the name Rent a Car. Having found the name of the required company, you need to wait your turn: the Portuguese, like residents of any southern country, for the most part, are slow and love to talk. The registration itself lasts no more than ten minutes.

As I previously mentioned, there are toll roads in Portugal. In the last few years, when booking a car, we began to be offered to buy a meter, which costs 11 EUR and allows you to drive on the autobahn using the green Viaverde sign without stopping to pay the toll in cash.

The meter significantly saves time, and paying in cash is not possible on all roads. The amount that you “collected” during your trip is withdrawn from the card with which you booked the car. We will now certainly take this counter in the next independent travel. However, if you follow the navigation and avoid toll roads, then it is not needed.

Nazaré - holidays with children

Children in Nazar will undoubtedly have a good time. Sea air, not much hot climate, nature that changes before your eyes, endless sand, beaches... Of course, not a single hotel in Nazar will have children's animation, clowns or face painting. You need to get ready for a relaxing holiday in nature with hiking and spending time on the beach.

Hotel

We went to Nazaré with our one and a half year old daughter. When we booked a two-star hotel, they immediately wrote that we needed a baby cot with sides in our room. When we arrived in the room, we did not find it, and instead of it there was a sofa bed in the room, on which a ten-year-old child could sleep. At the reception we explained the problem, and ten minutes later the required bed was already in the room. I think this won’t be a problem in other hotels either. Another thing is apartments or rented apartments. Please read the information about cribs carefully before traveling.

Nutrition

There will be no problems with baby food. Local supermarkets stock baby food in jars, as well as formula and fruit purees. All of this is mostly locally produced and has a different taste than, say, Hippa products. You will need to buy several jars and choose what exactly your baby likes. I didn’t see a children’s menu in restaurants in Nazaré, only desserts and ice cream. But you can always ask to cook something special - pasta without sauce, fish fingers or French fries. If children are accustomed to a regular diet, then the food in Nazar, especially fish and seafood, will also be healthy.

Things to do

If you have sons, they can play football with the local boys on the beach field.

You can also quench your sports thirst at the outdoor exercise equipment on the Avenida Manuel Remigo promenade, at the playground on the same street or at the local surf school.

And the number of activities in nature is limited only by the child’s imagination: playing in the sand, building castles on the shore, running away from the waves, eating ice cream or chasing numerous seagulls...

Why do Nazaré have the biggest waves in the world? July 15th, 2017

There is a place in the world from which photo and video reports of giant waves are often taken. For the last few years, records in Big Wave surfing for the largest wave taken (both by hand and with the help of a jet) have been set on the same wave, Nazaré. The first such record was set by Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara in 2011 - the wave height was 24 meters. Then, in 2013, he broke his record by riding a wave 30 meters high.

Why is this place the biggest waves in the world?

Let's first remember the mechanism of wave formation:

So, it all starts far, far away in the ocean, where strong winds blow and storms rage. As we know from a school geography course, the wind blows from an area of ​​high pressure to an area of ​​low pressure. In the ocean, these areas are separated by many kilometers, so the wind blows over very large area ocean, transferring part of its energy to water due to the force of friction. Where this happens, the ocean is more like a bubbling soup - have you ever seen a storm at sea? It's about the same there, only on a larger scale. There are small and large waves, all mixed up, superimposed on each other. However, the energy of water also does not stand still, but moves in a certain direction.

Due to the fact that the ocean is very, very large, and waves of different sizes move at different speeds, during the time until all this seething mess reaches the shore, it is “sifted”, some small waves add up with others into large ones, others, on the contrary, mutually are destroyed. As a result, what is called Groung Swell comes to the shore - smooth ridges of waves, divided into sets of three to nine with large intervals of calm between them.

However, not every swell is destined to become a surfable wave. Although, it would be more correct to say - not everywhere. In order for a wave to be caught, it must crash in a certain way. The formation of a surfing wave depends on the structure of the bottom in the coastal zone. The ocean is very deep, so the mass of water moves evenly, but as it approaches the shore, the depth begins to decrease, and the water, which moves closer to the bottom, for lack of any other way out, begins to rise to the surface, thereby raising waves. In the place where the depth, or rather shallowness, reaches a critical value, the rising wave can no longer become larger and collapses. The place where this happens is called the lineup, and that’s where the surfers sit, waiting for the right wave.

The shape of the wave directly depends on the shape of the bottom: the sharper the shallows become, the sharper the wave. Typically, the sharpest and even trumpeting waves are born where the height difference is almost instantaneous, for example, at the bottom of a huge rock or the beginning of a reef plateau.

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Where the drop is gradual and the bottom is sandy, the waves are flatter and slower. These are the waves that are best suited for learning to surf, which is why all surf schools conduct their first lessons for beginners on sandy beaches.

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Of course, there are also other factors that affect the waves, for example, the same wind: it can improve or worsen the quality of waves depending on the direction. In addition, there are so-called wind swells, these are waves that do not have time to be “sifted” by distance, since the storm is raging not so far from the coast.

So, now about the highest waves. Thanks to the winds, enormous energy is accumulated, which then moves towards the coast. As it approaches the shore, the oceanic swell transforms into waves, but unlike other places on our planet, a surprise awaits it off the coast of Portugal.

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The thing is that it is in the area of ​​​​the city of Nazaré that the seabed is a huge canyon 5000 meters deep and 230 kilometers long. This means that the oceanic swell does not undergo changes, but reaches, as it is, all the way to the continent, falling on the coastal rocks with all its might. The height of a wave is usually measured as the distance from the crest to the base (where, incidentally, something like a trough is often sucked in, which increases the height compared to what it would be if measured by mean sea level at a given tide height).

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However, unlike waves such as Mavericks or Teahupoo, on Nazar the crest, even if it collapses, never hangs over the base; moreover, it is separated from the bottom point by about 40 meters along the horizontal axis. Due to spatial distortion of perspective, when looking from the front we see a body of water 30 meters high, technically it is even larger, but this is not the height of the wave. That is, strictly speaking, Nazaré is not a wave, but a water mountain, a pure oceanic swell, powerful and unpredictable.

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However, the fact that Nazaré is not exactly a wave does not make this spot any less scary or dangerous. Garrett McNamara says Nazaré is incredibly difficult to navigate. Usually three people help him in the water: one pulls him out on a jet to the line-up, accelerates him into the wave and does not swim far to make sure that everything is okay with the surfer. He is supported by a second jet, as well as a third one a little further away, whose driver is watching all three. Also, Garrett’s wife stands on the rock near the lighthouse and tells him on the radio what waves are coming and which ones can be taken. On the day he set his second record, not everything went smoothly. The first driver was knocked off the jet by a wave, so the second had to pull Garrett out of the foam, and the third hurried to help the first. Everything was done clearly and quickly, so no one was hurt.

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Garrett himself says the following: “of course, all these safety nets and technical devices in big wave surfing are a kind of cheating. And in principle, you can do without them, but in this case the chances of dying are much higher. As for me personally, since I had a wife and children, I feel more responsibility for them and fear for my life, so I go to all technical lengths to make it as likely as possible to return home alive.”

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To the ears of advanced surfers, “Nazaré” sounds like a song from heaven: why, they are ready to offer prayers to this tiny village, located an hour’s drive from Lisbon. Why is a simple secret. It is here, in this ancient village, which was founded in 1514, that giant waves are recorded, which only the most courageous can comprehend. 30 meters of raging and roaring moisture that rushes from the depths of the Atlantic onto the rugged sea coast of Nazaré - this is the element that only the strongest surfers in the world want to compete with. And, I must say, they often succeed. Everyone else just stands there with their mouths open, quietly whispering to themselves, “Where are you going, wretched one.”

In all other respects, Nazaré is a typical Portuguese village. Extremely cozy, colorful, with a luxurious long beach framed by mastodon rocks, ancient sights and charming fish restaurants.

How to get there

Nazaré is located in the district of Leiria, about an hour's drive from the capital of Portugal and two hours from the beautiful Porto. It is easy to get here by car along the A8 highway. We recommend that everyone who is “carless” take the express bus, which arrives at the Nazaré bus station, which is in the very center of the city. The third option is the train. They depart from Lisbon several times a day; you need to get off in the town of Valado de Frades, which is located 6 km from the village. Next - by taxi or local buses Rodoviária do Tejo.

In addition, Nazaré is often chosen as a stop for a snack during excursions around the so-called “Golden Ring” of Portugal (the same thing that includes Sintra, Alcobaça, Batalha and other cities). And the reasons for this choice are simple - the place is colorful, and local fish restaurants are rated by guests as “amazing”, and God willing, they also have views of the ocean.

4 things to do in Nazaré

1. Take the old funicular to Sitiou.
2. Visit one of the local fish restaurants.
3. Gaze at the crazy surfers cutting the Atlantic Ocean with boards ( best views- in winter and off-season).
4. Have a romantic evening on the beach with a bottle of port and the ever-present Turner-style sunset.

Transport

The “heels” of the city are licked by the Atlantic Ocean, but the “heart” of Nazare is located quite high - on the steep hill of Sitiu, where you can climb on foot, but better (and more interesting) - by cable car. This is the most convenient means of transportation in the city, which was opened already in 1889. Since then, it has broken down several times (not without casualties, alas), stood idle for five years, then it was electrified and launched again to the delight of tourists and locals. The length of the funicular is 318 m, the journey takes about 3 minutes, the fare is about 2.5 EUR.

Prices on the page are as of September 2018.

The “heels” of the city are licked by the Atlantic Ocean, but the “heart” of Nazaré is located quite high - on the steep hill of Sitiu.

Popular hotels in Nazaré

Entertainment and attractions in Nazaré

As mentioned above, the “heart” of Nazare lies on Cape Sítio, which is easily recognizable from the postcards that are sold throughout Portugal. This is another " business card» port wine countries. In a word, the views that open up from here do about the same thing to your breath as a piece of cheese does to a crow.

The sheer cliff, 318 m high, in addition to its panoramas, is famous for the chapel of Ermida da Memoria, which was built in honor of creation Holy Mother of God miracle - saving the horse of Fidalgo Don Fuas Roupinho. Whether you believe the legend or not is up to you to judge, but the locals will be happy to show you observation deck Miradouro do Suberco - the mark that a horse allegedly left with its horseshoe on a foggy morning in 1182, almost knocking itself and the king into the abyss while hunting.

In addition, the 17th-century Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré and the Joaquim Manso Museum (Museu Dr. Joaquim Manso) attract attention here. Another important attraction of Nazaré, which is located at the far end of the cape, has been around for five centuries - the fort of Sau Miguel Arcanjo, built in 1577. The fortress was built by order of King Sebastian to defend against possible attacks by pirates. Later, the fort became famous for the brave band of Portuguese peasants who, with pitchforks at the ready, drove out the army of the short French emperor during the occupation of Portugal by Napoleon's army.

Finally, if you have time, it’s worth checking out the local Ethnographic and Archaeological Museum (the best stand is with the history of the national costume), the Museum of Religious Arts (in the right wing of the city’s main temple) and the fisherman’s house-museum (boats, interiors of fishermen’s homes, tackle and catch ).

Local residents will be happy to show at the Miradouro do Suberco observation deck the mark that Don Fuas Roupinho's horse supposedly left with his horseshoe on a foggy morning in 1182, almost knocking himself and the king into the abyss while hunting.

Surfing

Nazaré gained his world fame thanks to surfing, or, to be more precise, a surfer with Hawaiian Islands Harry McNamara. It was he who set a world record on the waves of Nazaré, catching a wave almost 34 m high. As soon as the New York Times published a photo of this act, Nazaré woke up famous. Since then, every winter (it is during the winter months that the highest waves rise) shaggy-haired surfers from all over the world come here to set their own record of courage and skill.

By the way, the reasons for the appearance of such high waves, which fortunately do not reach the coast, are quite simple. Exactly opposite Nazaré, something like a canyon, a long and narrow gorge, runs through the ocean. And the underwater currents, reaching it, push those same giant waves to the surface.

The best views of surfers are from Cape Sitiu. And even if you are not a big fan of board swimming, be sure to climb up to the cape to look at this riot of nature and breathe the most iodized Atlantic air.

• Where to stay: With an eye on the “excursion” - of course, in numerous hotels and boarding houses, guest houses and hostels in the capital of Portugal, the many-sided Lisbon - here you can find an option for every taste and budget. Sun worshipers are invited to the resorts of the Lisbon Riviera - they are located just 15-30 minutes drive from the capital, so they are not far from historical monuments and nightclubs. rest in

The pretty seaside resort town of Nazare is located on west coast Portugal. During the summer it is always crowded with tourists who flock for long sandy beaches, relax, swim and sunbathe. But when winter comes, only the most serious thrill seekers stay here. At this time, the beaches of Nazaré are dangerous. Large waves up to 30 meters high regularly roll along the rocky coastline.

Nazaré's monster waves attract surfers from all over the world, but until recently the surfing potential of the area was little known outside of Europe. Nazaré only made headlines in November 2011 when Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara conquered a record-breaking giant wave measuring 24 meters from base to crest. In January 2013, McNamara returned to Nazaré and broke his own record by surfing a wave 30 meters high. In October of that year, Brazilian hero Carlos Berl rode a wave that seemed even bigger. Nazaré on Atlantic coast has become a legendary place in the world of big surfing.


Where do colossal waves appear here with such regularity? The answer lies in Nazaré's rare underwater geography. Near the coast is the largest underwater gorge in Europe - Nazaré Canyon. This huge canyon stretches for 200 kilometers from the deep plain of the Atlantic Ocean almost to the very coastline, pointing towards the city like an arrow. At its deepest point, the canyon floor extends almost 5 kilometers below the surface, rising sharply next to the coast of Praia, where the largest waves have been recorded.


Giant winter North Atlantic storms focus all their strength on Nazaré. Their energy is channeled into a narrow canyon in the same way that a magnifying glass focuses the energy of the sun into a small point on paper. Near the coastline, the seabed rises sharply, so large waves arise completely suddenly. Directly offshore, the sea becomes shallow enough to stop the giant waves. All other favorite surf spots have similar underwater geography.