Local attractions and things to do!

LOCAL TOWNS:

Obidos: the medieval walled town with beautiful cobbled streets, ancient churches and a good selection of restaurants and craft shops is twenty minutes by car.
Each July Óbidos Castle hosts a traditional Medieval Market. For two weeks the castle and the surrounding town recreate the spirit of medieval Europe. Flowing banners and heraldic flags set the mood together with hundreds of entertainers and stall holders dressed as merchants, jugglers, jesters, wandering minstrels, soldiers and more. There are also displays of jousting knights and armed combat. In August there is an Opera Festival in the town.

Peniche: the fishing port, with many excellent seafood restaurants and a large supermarket and boat trips to the nearby Berlenga Islands, a nature reserve, is also twenty minutes away by car. The beaches are also famous for surfing and there are several surf schools in nearby Baleal. Its beaches and breaks face in three different directions, allowing surfers of all abilities to hone their skills. Scuba diving is also possible at the Berlenga Islands

Caldas Da Rainha: This spa town is thirty minutes drive away, provides good shopping and a great open air market. Caldas da Rainha is home to many art and design institutions, including numerous ceramic and sculpture museums. The town is famous for its local glazed ceramic pottery (Loiça das Caldas), and has become the ceramic and pottery capital of Portugal.

Lagoon of Obidos: The lagoon of Obidos is the largest sea-water lagoon in Portugal. It has an average depth of two metres and extensive areas of sandy beach are surrounded by shallow water, making it very family friendly. Some water sports are available, since in certain parts the depth reaches five metres making water-skiing, wind surfing and other activities popular. Around the perimeter of the lagoon there are beach side restaurants, beautiful quiet walks and cycle tracks through the pine woods. On the north side of the lagoon is the small village of Foz, which has several fish restaurants, cafes and beach-side amentities.

FURTHER AFIELD:

Sintra: The former home of the Kings and Queens of Portugal and UNESCO World Heritage Site. This beautiful town is full of palaces, landscaped gardens and pretty winding streets. Highly recommended. About a 50 minute drive from the house.

Bombarral and Cadaval: Inland from the house, this area is home to vineyards producing many good quality wines of the Tejo Valley and is famed for the delicious pears known as pêra rocha and sweet sponge cakes called Pão-de-Ló. One of these vinyards in this area is the Quinta dos Loridos: An impressive wine producer about a 25 minute drive from the house: The vineyard is open to the public and has a shop, terraced gardens, a lake, a forest, vineyards, and the largest oriental gardens in Europe.

Fatima: One of the biggest Catholic shrines in the world since 1917, when it is believed the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children as they were tending their family's sheep. Visitors come to Fatima throughout the year, but it is on May 13th and October 13th that it receives the most pilgrims from all over the world, many of them making their way to the shrine on their knees.

Lisbon: Set on seven hills beside the River Tagus, the charm of Lisbon is its strong links to the past, renovated palaces, magnificent churches and an impressive castle. At its heart are wide, tree-lined avenues graced by Art Nouveau buildings, mosaic pavements and street cafes. Lisbon has it all, from the largest shopping mall in the Iberian Peninsula, historic areas and modern designer stores, to flea markets and second hand shops. Lisbon is about an hours drive from the house.