The house is located at the Silver Coast, more exactly at Praia do Salgado. The Silver Coast starts just above Lisbon and stretches up north over 150 km. The coastline is a mix of long sandy beaches, dunes and gorgeous cliffs. Now and then, you will discover hidden lagoons. The Silver Coast is rather unknown and unspoilt. The summer is not suffering from extreme heat and the winter still offers mild temperatures. The coast makes the news each year when surfers join the Big Wave Event between November and March.

Praia do Salgado is protected by the Serra da Pescaria and the Serra dos Mangues next to the village of Famalicao. It is a vast, peaceful beach with intense sea. It offers the perfect pitch for long beach walks or just a lazy afternoon at the beach. Thanks to the hills, it is also considered as a hot spot for paragliding and hang gliding. The praia is guarded during the holiday season, it has a parking access and is labelled with the iconic Blue Flag. Some areas along the beach are naturist-friendly.

Nazaré is one of the most impressive spots in the world if you love surfing. With waves reaching up to 30 meters (100ft), surfers are challenged by nature’s forces. Storms on the sea produce big swells and the oceanic Nazaré Canyon amplifies these to create the biggest waves. The waves can only be seen during the winter period from November to March. More information can be found on local websites or on Tudor Nazare. If you want to visit the region and take the opportunity to meet these big waves, it makes sense to stay at least for a few days.

Nazaré is one of the most picturesque coastal towns along the Silver Coast. Its multicoloured umbrellas on the guarded beach gives it an unique touch of holiday and retro feeling. The town has a new and old neighbourhood. The new neighbourhood located downtime offers direct access to the beach. Downtown’s centre has a wide range of seafood restaurants and bars. The old neighbourhood “uptown” on the cliff offers a scenic view on Nazaré’s bay and a splendid view on the Big Wave event. The uptown area has some historic landmarks like the monastery and the fortress which are a must-see’s when being in Nazaré.

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Lovely place in the Praia de Sao Gao and right behind the dunes, you will find sweet spots wherefrom one is a small lake with a lovely shape. Next to the nice natural environement, this spot is often used to ask your partner to marry…

Sao Martinho do Porto is one of the hidden jewels along the Silver Coast. The town has a lagoon in a horseshoe shape. The lagoon is surrounded by sandy beaches. They are separated from the Atlantic Ocean towering rocky headland. The ocean has carved a narrow gap through the headland and so created the bay. The town of Sao Martinho do Porto is jammed with local seafood restaurants and bars. Through the years and because of its protected bay, it became a family-friendly holiday.

Vast and lovely beach backed by a river-mouth estuary, Foz do Arelho remains a spot to discover. It makes a fine place to laze in the sun, and outside July and August it will often be just you and the local fishers. The beach has a row of relaxed bars and restaurants.

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The Iberian peninsula offers a wide range of historical monasteries. But Alcobaça has probably one of the oldest and not unspoken… Behind its baroque facade, you will find a high and austere monkish church with a bunch of unadorned 12th century arches. But take the time to visit the whole estate: the atmospheric refectory, the vast dormitory and other smaller rooms that illustrate the Cistercian life. The monastery was founded by King Afonso Henriques (first king of Portugal) in 1153 honouring a vow after he conquered Santarem in 1147. The monastery housed more than 900 monks organizing nonstop mass. But it had a reputation to be decadent belonging to William Beckford’s writings in the 18th century. It all ended with the dissolution of the religious orders in 1834.

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Close by the house, one of the seldom cities surrounded by a crenelated wall and castle. Obidos is a little local wonder with painted houses in a labyrinth of small streets. The mix of white houses, facades covered with flowers and some yellow and blue dashes offers a unique feeling of tranquillity. The joy of Obidos is to get lost in the labyrinth, take the time to enter some shops with traditional Portuguese goods and take a break with a coffee & a traditional sweet. It is a real postcard and Instagram location.

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The city of Lieiria is dominated by its castle with inside the walls a peaceful garden with tall trees. It integrates the nice but ruined Gothic Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha originally built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th century. The spectacular features are beautiful leaflike carvings over one arch and an alley of stone seats. It offers as well an impressive view over the town.

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Peniche is popular for its long beaches, surf strands and its jumping-off point for the Berlangas Islands. It is spectacularly set because of its headland surrounded by the ocean. The consecutive limestone cliffs give the impression to see a jagged jigsaw. The seaside fort was used by Salazar’s regime to detain political prisoners and is a must-see if you are interested in the Portuguese history. Peniche is also well-known for its handmade laces known as “Renda de Bilros” and you might visit some workplaces manufacturing them.

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Tomar is another must-see in the area. Its small town has a pedestrian-friendly historic centre with a pretty riverside park. But what makes Tomar truly a must-see is the Convento do Cristo which is a Unesco World Heritage-listed landmark. This headquarter of the legendary Knights of Templar, became eight-and-a-half centuries after its founding a rambling mix of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architecture. The whole estate is impressive and needs to be visited when visiting the area.

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