Ericeira, Portugal.
If you look up this town, you might find quite a bit about the surf culture. I haven’t seen most of the continent, but I’m going to say right now that it is the surfiest town in Europe (some would say, surf capital of Europe!) You just have to look at the size of their Quiksilver/Billabong/Boardriders stores (and accompanying skate parks) and the fact that the upper coast of the town is a World Surf Reserve and then get in the water on a good day at Ribeira d’Ilhas and then you’ll understand.
So yeah, parts of the town are listed as a World Surf Reserve, a designation only given to 10 coastal spots in the world, including yours truly Santa Cruz, California. To be honest, Ericeira is a lot like Northern California! The coastline can get rugged and the sea super blue, but the weather is truly perfect for now (at least in late September/ October). The environment here is so very chill. Though perhaps I can attribute that to the best hostel in town, run by my friend Maria, 70's Hostel.
I’ve never stayed at a place for more than a couple days, let alone 2 weeks, but I’m telling you this is the most special place in town! It only has 14 dorm beds so it’s hard to get it when it’s available, so some of my friends kept having to move hostels everyday and they would still come back to our place to spend time with everyone because it is THE place to be. Not a party hostel. Just a surf hostel with immaculate vibes. You gotta go!
I will dedicate this post to the cultural part of Ericeira and the next to the technical surf breakdown, so stay tuned! I don’t have a particular direction to go with this post, so I’ll just summarize some highlights that come to mind:
The main place you have to eat everyday is Pão De Vila, the local bakery, where you can get like multiple pastries for 2 bucks? Unheard of. I didn’t really find any good coffee in town because I was always making it at my place, so I recommend to brew your own coffee and go out for sweets! Some other favorite eateries were the delicious vegetarian Pesto Pizza at Pepe Verde and the yummy smoothies and açaí bowls at Tiki Healthy Food Cave.
If you’re looking to go out on the town, my experience was varied because I was there during COVID. The main, small bar is called Ooh La La and usually has a fun mix of young foreigners and locals. Most weekend nights, either of the main surf shops (58 Surf or Boardriders) is also hosting a sunset concert but BYOB and bring a group of friends. If you’re a skater, they also usually have open skate on their mini skate parks at this hour, so it is carvers for daysss
You gotta stroll through the main downtown to really take this all in, with the beautiful blue-trimmed, white buildings and the super chill vibes everywhere. It’s just the prettiest commute to the surf! If you’re not here to surf legit, it will feel pretty small pretty soon, but it’s kinda like Santa Barbara California where it’s really, really hard to leave ;)
One of my favorite views for sunset was right by São Sebastião Chapel in front of Praia do Norte, where you can see the pretty chapel and sunset, and walk out a bit on the rocks for a view from the cliffs! But of course, the best view of sunset is always from the water, I think surfing at Mataduoro with a pink sky is pretty hard to beat!
I also recommend this town for pretty morning runs or evening runs, with several km of road that run right by the coast! If you go north, you can end up by Ribeira d’Ilhas and the World Surf Reserve, or if you go south you can see more bluffs and beaches.
If you find yourself in the region or you have a car, I’ll give an honorable mention to the National Palace in Mafra, which I visited for an afternoon when I was there to get a COVID PCR test…. (Hey it was a good excuse to go!) For just 6 euros, you can enter what is one of the biggest buildings I’ve EVER been in, and has so much beautiful architecture inside and out. I didn’t really stop to read too many museum signs, but I did enjoy the ambiance and the high palace walls and think it was worth the few bucks entrance for an hour
Basically, what you should know about this post is if you ever go to Ericeira, you have to talk to me and I’ll give you the lowdown. It’s an amazing place. I could get stuck there (I think I’m getting stuck there?) If you’re a CA surfer, you’re gonna feel at home here. Alright, ciao for now!
Forgot to mention! Amazing farmer's market on some Saturdays and Sundays! Yew!
