Portugal Days Four – Five: Going Up! Views from the Top (Nazaré, Lisbon)

Our last two days in Lisbon, and we started by…leaving.

DAY FOUR: NAZARE

John has long loved surfing and has always wanted to visit Nazaré, home to the biggest waves in the world.

I was happy to indulge his interest, but prepared myself to be underwhelmed by the experience. Boy, did I get that wrong. Nazaré was incredible and I loved everything about our experience. (This day trip featured in everyone’s Top Three Favourites from our time in Portugal.)

We bought tickets for the bus (FlixBus) and arrived with plenty of time to spare figuring it’s always tricky to navigate transit when you’re unfamiliar with a location. So we were all a bit grumpy after having to get up so early…and then we received notice that the bus was an hour late. Argh. It couldn’t be helped and there were lots of other passengers in the same situation. Misery loves company I suppose.

Finally on the bus – better late than never – we headed to Nazaré. Once there we wandered along Praia do Nazaré and steered toward the funicular that would take us up the cliff. There is an option to follow a trail to the top (free), but I have no regrets about paying for the funicular (note: cash only for tickets). It’s a steep climb – the tiled cobblestones were very worn and VERY slippery – and given the temperature I knew a straight uphill hike was sure to leave us very sweaty. 

Off the funicular, we headed to the Nazaré lighthouse which cameos in most surfing videos and pictures from the region. To get access to the rooftop/lighthouse you have to pay an entry fee (€2) and I would definitely recommend shelling out to go inside. There is also a small museum with pictures of the wave, profiles of various surfers, details on why the waves are so large – the highest surfed wave was almost 94 feet – and a collection of surfboards that have been used at Nazaré.

It was cool and windy and I appreciated my sweater, something that was recommended by every travel recap I read about Nazaré; I’m here to verify that recommendation.

We had packed a picnic of sandwiches, assorted snacks…and pasteis. The views that came with our meal were hard to beat.

Just before leaving Canada I learned there was a cave at the bottom of a nearby cliff and we opted to walk down to see it; what a hidden gem. There is a nice (albeit steep in some places) trail that leads to the beach (Praia do Norte) and cave (Forno de Orca). 

The kids explored the water, testing the limits of how far they could wade into the surf while still keeping their clothes dry. The beach was stunning and the views of Nazaré were enough to take one’s breath away. I thought of how Nicole reflects on the Hamilton lyrics Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now. I felt so blessed to be alive in this moment. My kids were healthy and genuinely happy and carefree frolicking at the edge of these beautiful waves and I was sitting on a towel next to my husband ON A BEACH IN PORTUGAL. How fortunate to be alive, indeed.

In this case, what goes down must go back up; we trudged up the cliff, and then up the long hill from the lighthouse. Sufficiently sweaty, we found some drinks and bought a few souvenirs in the central square. The kids enjoyed their own bolas – a doughnut-like bread filled with, in this case, chocolate. There is a well-known church at the top (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré) but there was a wedding going on, so we weren’t able to go inside. I found the idea of getting married at the top of a gorgeous cliff very enchanting and loved this little detail in our day.

Before taking the return trip down on the funicular, we made a quick detour to visit one of the most “Instagrammable” spots in Nazaré – the Ladeira Swing perched near the edge of the cliff (far enough away from the edge to always feel perfectly safe). The views! The fun of swinging while looking down on tiled roofs and kilometers of beach!

Once we were back down in Nazaré, we sourced A some pizza. It was delicious! It took about 25 minutes to prepare, so the kids and I played various word games while John wandered around taking pictures. Pizza ready, we enjoyed getting off our feet for a few minutes before heading back toward the bus depot. En route, I bought a small print from a local artist and capitulated to the kids pleas to go back to the water. We were saving our true “beach days” for the Algarve, but it’s not fair to be that close to water and not imbibe a bit.

This particular statue busker handed out little anchor charms. Very cool!

The bus ride home was uneventful. John and A played Would You Rather and Top Five the whole way, I took some micronaps and nodded along to whatever L was saying – he alternated between talking the whole time (mostly about cars) and playing Geometry Dash on my phone when I would allow him some game time.

By the time we got back to our accommodations – including a 30-minute ride back from the bus station to our apartment – we were BUSHED. John took the kids to the grocery store and they each picked something for supper and then showers, Food Network, and early bedtimes were involved. John and I did summon up enough energy to walk to the top of Parque Eduardo VII to take in the view at night. There was a group dancing lesson happening at the top of the hill which was fun to watch and cast a lovely ambience over the scene.

DAY FIVE: LISBON 

The kids were content to eat breakfast in the apartment and fit in a bit of Food Network viewing…while John and I walked across the street to a cafe for my favourite morning activity of the trip: a little date to get pasteis and a cafe au lait. Yum.

I had nothing left on my list of things to do in the city. Everyone said two or three days in the capital was plenty and this certainly rang true for us (though it was an excellent launch point for various day trips). When we had been wandering along the waterfront earlier in the week, we spotted a giant statue across the Tagus River in Almada that looked like a version of Christ the Redeemer from Rio de Janeiro. We opted to investigate and made our way across the river to Christo Rei, which towers at over 270 feet.

The entry line moved very slowly because they only allowed a handful of people on the top viewing platform at once. It provided stunning views and we all really enjoyed the experience.

Once we were back in the heart of Lisbon, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around downtown streets and visiting the mall. We picked up postcards and tried to find L a new pair of sunglasses, stopping at well over a dozen tourist kiosks before we found a pair that fit/he liked. It was a fun and easy way to pass the afternoon and the heat was more bearable since we were walking down narrow alleys that tended to stay shady.

We stopped for an afternoon energy boost (the bola was for A; her preferred sweet treat in Portugal).

Supper was literally looking in the fridge and clearing out the last of our leftovers – we didn’t want to cart any food down to the Algarve. Food was followed by the familiar drill of showers, Food Network and, since we were leaving in the morning, packing.

Distance Walked (Days 4-5): 21.03 km | 29,053 steps

Your turn. How long has it been since you were on a swing? How do you feel about heights – good, bad, or indifferent?