• Under an hour's drive northwest of Lisbon, so it works as a day trip with no overnight needed
• Praia dos Pescadores for young swimmers, since the pier shelters the bay from the open Atlantic swell
• Wider beaches with bars at Foz do Lizandro and São Julião, south of town, for a longer beach afternoon

Ericeira is a whitewashed fishing town on cliffs above the Atlantic, and the center of a World Surfing Reserve. Praia dos Pescadores, the harbor beach below the old town, sits in a bay sheltered by the pier, one of the calmest swims on this stretch of coast. Pedra Branca, Coxos and Ribeira d'Ilhas draw surfers from around the world, while Foz do Lizandro and São Julião offer wide sand with beach bars.