Surf Lisbon Culture, History, the Age of Discovery & Surf

Lisbon is Portugal's capital, home to 3 million people, almost a third of the Portuguese population. It is located in the centre of Portugal, facing the Atlantic Ocean and at the mouth of the River Tagus which goes inland and on up into Spain.

The historical or downtown part of Lisbon is made up of different Barrios (Neighbourhoods). Many of these Barrios were destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fire in 1755. The city is now made up of small labyrinth narrow streets and small squares dating back to before the earthquake mixed with the newer grid pattern streets and large squares. It is a fantastic city to wander around and explore, all under the watchful eye of the Castle of Sao Jorge up high in the Alfama district.

The centre area of the old town is called Baixa and is home to Lisbons two great squares: Praco do Rossio and Praco do Comercio. Many of the streets are pedestrianised and full of cafés, restaurants and impressive buildings. The Baixa area blends into the Bairro Alto area to the West, which is the main nightlife district, with people packing the streets and the bars till the early morning. Also within a few minutes walking distance is the Chiado area, the city's main shopping district where you will find all the worlds leading fashion shops.

Further West is Belem, famous as the port of embarkment for all the great Portuguese explores including Vasco da Gama and Pedro Alvares Cabral. Its famous tower is well worth a visit as is the nearby Jeronimos Monastery.

On the East side of the city is the Parque das Nacoes (Park of Nations), a new modern designed part of the city. Well worth a visit for its Oceanarium , the second largest in the world, and for a ride in the Telecabine pods that run along the Ocean, 50 metres in the air!

Getting Around Lisbon

The Metro system in Lisbon is very extensive and reliable. There is a station in Lisbon airport that takes you right into the city. From there you can get to virtually every part of the city. And don't forget the old yellow trams, a visit to Lisbon would not be complete without one; they take you around the old town area and are mostly used by tourists.

The city also has commuter trains to Cascais and Sintra, great for day trips.

The old town of Lisbon is easy to explore by foot also, the capita is known as the city of Seven hills so juts bear that in mind, but a walk from the Castle of Sao Jorge across the city to the Barrio Alto will only take 30 minutes.

Lisbon Food and Nightlife

Lisbon has just about every cuisine known to man but try and explore some of its more interesting restaurants such as that of its former colonies of Goa, Brazil, Angola & Mozambique.

The Bairro Alto area is made up of a grid of 5 streets all packed with bars, cafés and interesting small shops. The area comes alive from 11pm and doesn't tend to quieten down until 5am!

Lisbon Football

No trip to Lisbon would be complete without watching a game of either Benfica or Sporting Lisbon. Benfica is by far the biggest side, they say almost 50% of Portugues support them. Its easy enough to get tickets a day or two before hand unless it is a major game.

Lisbon airport is only 15 minutes from Lisbon city centre

Flights to Lisbon

Please note to check airports as new routes & airlines may begin operating at any time. Below are just some that fly to Portugal. Skyscanners.net is a good website that lets you know who flies where from different cities.

www.aerlingus.com
www.flytap.com
www.ryanair.com
www.britishairways.com
www.flymonarch.com
www.easyjet.com

How to get to from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon city centre

There is a metro station at the airport that takes you to the city centre.

Transfers - Share a taxi or mini bus with our shuttle bus partner here

Taxi - From the airport to the centre cost ?30

Car Hire - We have a discount car hire section on our website where you can rent a car. Rent your car from the airport and drive.

Downtown Lisbon city itself does not have a beach and walking around siteseeing you may be oblivious to the fact that dozens of beautiful white sandy surf beaches are only a 5 minute car drive away (Or 4 train stops!)

The surrounding beaches pick up all the swells the Atlantic have to offer making it one of the most consistent surf destinations in the World.

The area has a good selection for all standards. Closest to the city would be Caxias & Santo Amaro de Oeiras. Caxias is a beautiful beach that on its day can produce perfect lefthander barrels. Oeiras is more of a winter wave and is one of the best waves in Portugal.

Next stop is Carcavelos, probably Portugal's most famous wave. Its one of the best beach breaks in Europe and regularly hosts National competitions. It suits all standards, a perfect place to learn and a great place to score some fast beach barrels with multiple peaks along the 1km stretch of beach.

There are many other spots along the coastline that runs from Lisbon out to Estoril & Cascais. Long boarders will love Sao Pedro and short boarders will thrive on spots like Poca and Sao Joao. Then on the other side of Cascais there is the stunning long white sandy Guincho beach, one of Portugal's most consistent surf spots, usually best in the morning as it can be exposed to afternoon onshore winds.

Across the river Tejo in Setubal, a 20 minute drive away, is the less crowded Costa de Caparica. Perfect for beginner/intermediates as the man made jetties create nice consistent waves. The beach stretches for 30kms and all of it is surfable!

Lisbon is also a great base to explore other regions. The surf mecca of Ericeira is only 35 minutes drive away and 1 hour north is Peniche, host of the WSL World Tour every October.

Come Surf Lisbon with us...