Just south of São Julião beach, a short drive from Ericiera centre, is one of our favourite hiking trails, with dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, and a stretch of coastline that feels remarkably untouched as it is protected by the Sintra-Cascais National Park. The trail follows that southern edge all the way to Praia da Samarra, passing a small tucked-away beach, a waterfall hidden in a valley, and some of the finest cliff-top views on the Atlantic coast. It is one of our favourite walks in the area, and one we recommend to guests who want to get off the beaten path without straying too far from Ericeira.

Sintra has a way of making you feel as though you have stepped into a different version of reality. The hills are impossibly green, the town looks like a film set, the air is cool and faintly misty even in summer, and perched at the very top of it all, visible from miles away, is the Palácio da Pena, painted in vivid yellow and red, with towers and turrets stacked against the sky. There is nothing quite like it in Europe, and it sits less than an hour from Ericeira. Sintra makes for one of the finest day trips from Ericeira, and Pena is the centrepiece of it.

If you have spent any time in Ericeira, you will have seen the signs, the stickers, the café murals: World Surfing Reserve. But what does it actually mean? And why does it matter, not just to surfers, but to everyone who loves this stretch of coast?

Perched on Portugal’s rugged Atlantic coast, Ericeira is today celebrated as a surf haven and picturesque getaway. But beneath its laid-back charm lies a rich and layered history shaped by fishermen, royalty, trade, and the ever-present ocean.