Mafra regional-life dashboard

Plan a visit

Everything you might want to do while you are here.

Start with what you feel like doing — surfing, castles, walking, eating. Mark the ones that appeal and you are done. If you want to go further, open any of them up and pick the specific places. Nothing is saved anywhere but this browser.

See your shortlist

10 things to do

What are you in the mood for?

Answer at whatever level suits you. “Keen to surf” is a complete answer — you do not have to know which beach.

Surfing

This coast is why people come. Beginner lessons through to breaks you should not paddle out at.

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Beaches

Atlantic, so bracing rather than balmy. They differ more than you would think — sheltered and central, wide and family-run, or empty under the cliffs.

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Hiking and walking

Clifftop paths and forest trails. Mostly gentle — turn back whenever you have had enough.

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Golf

Better served than you would guess. A resort course half an hour inland, two in the Sintra hills, and the dune courses up on the Óbidos coast.

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Nature and wildlife

Deer, pine forest, and the edge of the continent. Easy to reach without a serious walk.

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Castles and history

A vast baroque palace on the doorstep, a walled medieval town, and the palaces of Sintra.

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Cities and towns

Lisbon within the hour, and the surf town, the market town, and the village in between.

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Food and drink

Seafood off the boats, grilled chicken from a roadside grill, pastries, and a wine region inland.

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Hunting

Real, and closer than you would expect — the Tapada runs its own hunts, and there are estates inland. None of it is spontaneous: seasons are fixed, places are booked well ahead, and visitors need a licence and insurance in place first.

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Working from here

Cafes, bookable desks, and a countryside club with a sauna. For trips with working days in them.

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Start from a suggested trip

Or pick a trip that already fits

Each of these holds only as much as the time allows, and comes with a rough idea of how to fit it in. Pick one to get a shortlist you can then change however you like.

Weekend

Local Adventure Weekend

Two days outdoors and close to home. No queues, no tickets, and nothing that needs booking.

5 things across 3 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday eveningSunset somewhere on the coast road
  2. SaturdayWalking the Tapada trails · Lunch in a village restaurant
  3. SundayThe clifftop coast walk · Praia da Foz do Lizandro

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Quiet Weekend

For a visit where the point is not doing very much. Short walks, long lunches, early nights.

6 things across 3 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday eveningSunset somewhere on the coast road
  2. SaturdayJardim do Cerco · A wander through Mafra town · Lunch in a village restaurant
  3. SundayThe clifftop coast walk · Work through a pastelaria

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Light Workation Weekend

One working day at the front, then the coast. For a trip that only needs Friday covered.

6 things across 3 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday — work, then the waterKelp Cowork · Ribeira d'Ilhas
  2. SaturdayEriceira old town · Seafood by the harbour
  3. SundayThe clifftop coast walk · Work through a pastelaria

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Heavy Workation Weekend

Working all three days, with the afternoons doing the work of a holiday. Ends at DOMA on purpose.

5 things across 3 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday — cafe morning, beach afterHurley Caffe · Praia da Foz do Lizandro
  2. Saturday — desk day, walk afterKelp Cowork · The clifftop coast walk
  3. Sunday — work and unwind in one placeA work day at DOMA

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Long weekend

Surfing Long Weekend

Built around the water. Book the lesson before you travel; everything else can be decided on the day.

8 things across 4 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday eveningFrango no churrasco · Sunset somewhere on the coast road
  2. SaturdayA surf lesson · Seafood by the harbour
  3. SundayRibeira d'Ilhas · Ericeira old town
  4. Monday morningThe clifftop coast walk · Work through a pastelaria

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Food and Wine Long Weekend

Markets, seafood, and a day inland for the wine. Paced so that lunch is the main event each day.

8 things across 4 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday eveningFrango no churrasco
  2. SaturdayMercado Municipal da Ericeira · Seafood by the harbour · Ericeira old town
  3. SundayWine in Bucelas · Lunch in a village restaurant
  4. Monday morningWork through a pastelaria · Catch a market day

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Light Workation Long Weekend

Two working days out of four, one in Ericeira and one at DOMA, with the middle of the trip left alone.

7 things across 4 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday — work, then the waterCoastal Cowork Collective · Ribeira d'Ilhas
  2. SaturdayEriceira old town · Seafood by the harbour
  3. Sunday — work and unwind in one placeA work day at DOMA
  4. Monday morningMercado Municipal da Ericeira · Work through a pastelaria

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Heavy Workation Long Weekend

Four working days, rotating the venues so it does not turn into the same room four times over.

7 things across 4 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday — cafe morning, beach afterHurley Caffe · Praia da Foz do Lizandro
  2. Saturday — desk day, surf afterKelp Cowork · Ribeira d'Ilhas
  3. Sunday — work and unwind in one placeA work day at DOMA
  4. Monday — calls, then the cliffsCoastal Cowork Collective · The clifftop coast walk

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Surf First, Work After

Fly in on Friday night, surf the weekend, then work the last two days from a desk in Ericeira. For a visit that has to cover a Monday and Tuesday.

9 things across 5 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Friday night — arrive and eatFrango no churrasco
  2. Saturday — surf, then a long lunchRibeira d'Ilhas · Seafood by the harbour
  3. Sunday — surf, then the townPraia da Foz do Lizandro · Ericeira old town
  4. Monday — work, surf afterKelp Cowork · Praia da Empa
  5. Tuesday — work, then flyHurley Caffe · Work through a pastelaria

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Week

Touristy Hot Spots Week

The famous things, spread over a week so the big days out are not stacked back to back.

12 things across 7 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Day 1 — settling inA wander through Mafra town · Work through a pastelaria
  2. Day 2 — the palacePalácio Nacional de Mafra · Jardim do Cerco
  3. Day 3 — SintraSintra · Cabo da Roca
  4. Day 4 — EriceiraEriceira old town · Seafood by the harbour
  5. Day 5 — LisbonA day in Lisbon
  6. Day 6 — ÓbidosÓbidos
  7. Day 7 — slow finishTapada Nacional de Mafra · Sunset somewhere on the coast road

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Family Week

One thing a day, weighted towards beaches and space to run around, with the long drives kept to a minimum.

10 things across 7 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Day 1 — settling inA wander through Mafra town · Work through a pastelaria
  2. Day 2Aldeia Típica José Franco
  3. Day 3Praia da Foz do Lizandro
  4. Day 4Tapada Nacional de Mafra
  5. Day 5Sintra
  6. Day 6A surf lesson · Seafood by the harbour
  7. Day 7 — slow finishJardim do Cerco · Sunset somewhere on the coast road

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Light Workation Week

Three working days spread through the week, leaving room for the two big days out.

11 things across 7 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Day 1 — settling inA wander through Mafra town · Work through a pastelaria
  2. Day 2 — work, then the waterKelp Cowork · Ribeira d'Ilhas
  3. Day 3 — work and unwind in one placeA work day at DOMA
  4. Day 4 — offSintra
  5. Day 5 — calls, then a long lunchCoastal Cowork Collective · Seafood by the harbour
  6. Day 6 — offÓbidos
  7. Day 7 — slow finishThe clifftop coast walk · Sunset somewhere on the coast road

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Heavy Workation Week

A full working week done from here. Every day has a working block; the venue and what follows it change each time.

9 things across 7 blocks

A way to fit it in
  1. Day 1 — cafe morning, town afterHurley Caffe · A wander through Mafra town
  2. Day 2 — desk day, surf afterKelp Cowork · Ribeira d'Ilhas
  3. Day 3 — calls, then a long lunchCoastal Cowork Collective · Seafood by the harbour
  4. Day 4 — work and unwind in one placeA work day at DOMA
  5. Day 5 — desk day, beach afterKelp Cowork · Praia da Foz do Lizandro
  6. Day 6 — cafe morning, town afterHurley Caffe · Ericeira old town
  7. Day 7 — one more at DOMAA work day at DOMA

Only a suggestion — swap things around however you like.

Your shortlist

What you have picked

Nothing marked yet, out of 10 things to do.

Mark whatever appeals above. Whatever you pick gathers here, ready to copy and send on.