South of the Caparica beaches, where the coast road runs on toward Sesimbra, a shallow lagoon sits just behind the dunes with the open Atlantic on the other side. It is a favourite with families and with anyone learning a watersport.
The lagoon and the sea
The lagoon is warm, shallow and calm — good for small children and for paddleboards. A narrow sandbar separates it from the ocean, and each year a channel is cut through to let the sea flush it. On the seaward side, a big exposed Atlantic beach with cold water and surf.
Watersports
The steady afternoon wind makes the lagoon one of the main spots near Lisbon for windsurfing and kitesurfing, with schools on the shore. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to hire too.
Good to know
- About 20 minutes by car from our apartment, down the coast road
- Beach bars and simple restaurants in summer; quiet the rest of the year
- The lagoon side is calm; the ocean side has currents — mind children
- Busy on summer weekends — go early