Nazaré is a colorful fishing village in central Portugal. Located almost 80mi north of Lisbon. With a beautiful sandy beach and the rhythm of the pounding waves, Nazaré is a perfect place for undisturbed walks along the shore, surfing, tanning and, of course, fishing. The town gets its name after a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was brought from Nazareth by a monk in the 4th century. Nazare has three districts: the beach; Sitio, high above the main town and Pederneira. So, it has some interesting site-seeing spots. On the town square, the 17th century Nossa Senhora da Nazaré Church is located and the statue of Our Lady of Nazareth rests there. Another attraction is on Rua Sousa Lobo and its the Casa Museo do Pescador or a fisherman’s house museum. This traditional cottage is a typical home of a fisherman and his family. The most popular things to do in Nazaré is to ride the funicular to Sitio. It is located 360 feet above the main town and offers panoramic views. Sitio has a chapel Capela da Memoria. Nazaré has a lot of cafés and restaurants along the seaside. Obviously, most commonly served dishes consist of seafood and variety of locally caught fish. Colorful fishing boats are seen on the sand, along with busy fisherman. They still wear the traditional costumes, with check shirts and trousers. Local women are wearing colorful dresses, with petticoats underneath as well. Unlike the other Portuguese towns, Nazaré does not have a monumental architecture or historic sites. However, the slow pace and genuine traditional lifestyle, make this charming town a great place to visit.

Visit Caldas da Rainha a spa town that’s situated around 90 km north of Lisbon. The town was founded in the 15th Century by Queen Leonor, the wife of King Dom JoãoII, who established a church and a hospital at the thermal springs. Queen Leonor had had a wound that had not healed, but it was cured after she spent time in the springs. The Hospital Termal Rainha D. Leonor is still in operation and is considered to be the oldest operating thermal hospital in the world but, these days, Caldas da Rainha is more famous for its iconic pottery. The Faianças Artísticas Bordallo Pinheiro produces all kinds of pottery but particularly ceramic fruits and vegetables (particularly cabbages) and black swallows. Since the 19th Century, it’s also known for producing ceramic penises – a tradition that nobody is quite sure of the origins, but that has become an important part of the town’s identity.

During the month when the 110th anniversary of the death of Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro is celebrated, Casa Museu San Raphael (the museum) reopened to the public, in Caldas da Rainha. The installation of the museum in the old family home has now been renewed to a new larger area in the same building of the factory store, where the works of Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro reborn to the public eye. The Casa Museu San Raphael was established in 1984 aiming at organizing and revealing the work of the master, including drawings, manufacturing documents, clays and glazes formulas as well as a collection of over a thousand original plaster moulds. During these three decades, the exhibition remained unchanged and true to its creator, Mr. Malhoa, who was a factory employee, who collected and recorded the entire collection of over three thousand pieces that made up the collection exhibited, as well as many texts on the history and manufacturing techniques used in Bordallo Pinheiro’s earthenware.

The fruit and vegetable market held in Republic Square is one of the curiosities of Caldas da Rainha. Each market stand location is duly drawn in the stone pavement of the square. It is a lively colourful show, as well as an opportunity to taste some of the best productions of neighbouring regions, such as “pêra-rocha” (a Portuguese native pear variety).

Nazare, Praia do Norte became famous for the biggest waves ever surfed at the Big Wave Awards Contest with world records between 80-100 feet