Experience the best of Nazaré

Nazaré lies on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, north of Lisbon, where a wide beach curves beneath a high cliff. Traditionally, fishermen's wives wore seven layered skirts and dried fish in the sun on racks along the sand, and the town keeps some of those customs alive. The upper quarter, called Sítio, is reached by a funicular and gives a long view over the beach, the harbour and the Atlantic.

At Praia do Norte, beneath the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo, the Atlantic swell is funnelled by an underwater canyon and builds into giant waves in autumn and winter that draw surfers from all over the world. Alcobaça Monastery, a Cistercian abbey with the tombs of King Pedro and Inês de Castro, and Batalha Monastery are a short drive inland, and São Martinho do Porto has a sheltered bay shaped like a shell.

Grilled sardines, fish stews called caldeirada, octopus rice and sun-dried fish are the staples, followed by the egg-yolk sweets of the nearby Alcobaça convents. The sea is cold, and fog can drift in at any time; summer is warm and busy, while winter brings storms and big surf.