Ericeira: Our base for the next 10 days

Welcome to the tale of our beautiful road trip to Portugal. Check my previous stories for all our Portugal family trip adventures.

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A Glimpse into This Coastal Gem

When reminiscing about Ericeira, fond memories flood my thoughts: our fun moments spent at Praia do Sul, on the beach, and the enchanting cheese and wine rendezvous my husband and I cherished on our balcony once our children were tucked in.

Moreover, the captivating architecture and quaint blue-and-white houses continue to paint a beautiful recollection in my mind.

Situated on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, Ericeira carries a deep historical legacy. Originating as a humble fishing village, the town’s roots can be traced back for generations.

The Phoenician traders who arrived here in the first millennium BC founded the ancient town of Ericeira. In 1229, the County of Ericeira was given its first royal charter by Dom Frei Ferdinand Rodrigues Monteiro, who was at the time the Grand Master of the Order of Aviz.

Ericeira was a popular summer retreat for many of Lisbon’s families in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, it is a popular destination for local and visiting tourists, as well as surfers from around the world (owing to the forty beaches with good conditions in the area) Wikipedia

Fun Fact: According to legend, the town’s name stems from the Portuguese word “ouriços do mar,” which means sea urchin.

If you happen to be in Ericeira between March 10, and March 19, make sure you taste the delicacies of the Atlantic coast at the International Sea Urchin Festival.

Exploring the Heart of Downtown Through Photos

Our strolls through the historic town were delightful adventures, meandering along cobblestone alleys while marveling at the colorful houses adorned with intricate azulejos and glazed tiles.

Discovering Praia do Sul / Braia do Baleia

Our favorite beach for spending time with the kids was Praia do Sul, also known as Braia do Baleia, situated just south of Ericeira Center. It is a sandy beach, nestled along Ericeira’s captivating coastline. This beach only has surfable waves with a little bit bigger swells. In the summer months, it’s usually flat.

We loved spending time there, as the beach was wide, and there were usually very few people in the afternoons. While the waves were flat as they say, the current was quite strong. After all, this was the Atlantic Ocean, with water temperature between 19 and 20 degrees Celsius while we were there.

Below is a photo of our boys watching the sunset and being mesmerized by the ocean.

Below is my husband with our boys, jumping in the Atlantic waves.

Our daughter playing in the sand.

Here is a live cam of the South Beach if you want to check out the current status of the tide and weather. The page also offers a surf report, every info you need to check before you go surfing.

Our Culinary Journey

Our apartment had a fully equipped kitchen. We chose it this way on purpose because, with three small kids, it is not that comfortable to eat out every day. So we either cooked cream soups, or pasta, or had takeaways.

A few times we ate burgers in Lisbon and had pizzas and seafood at the Beach Village at Colares.

We cooked a typical dish from the Portuguese coast. It was a fish dish with white beans. It has a great presentation, is extremely rich, and tastes great. We enjoyed it for a family lunch and it was perfect.

Our daily shopping routine in Ericeira typically involved picking up essential ingredients, fresh fruits, and snacks from stores like Aldi or Lidl.

For special culinary treats, we ventured to Continente Bom Dia Ericeira, where we discovered a delightful array of local and gourmet products to enhance our dining experience.

Savoring the Finest Ice Cream Delights

We had the most delicious locally-made ice cream at Nutwood. The salted caramel butter was the best!

Terrace Cheese and Wine Dates: A Perfect Evening Retreat

With our children in tow, exploring Ericeira’s nightlife was off the table. So we crafted our own enchanting evenings on the terrace. Surrounded by the tranquil ambiance, we savored wine, cheese, grapes, and fresh bread accompanied by Portuguese olive oil. Our heartfelt conversations would linger well into the midnight hours, creating cherished memories that continue to warm our hearts when we reflect on our trip.

This wonderful tradition became a part of our lives, and even when we returned home, we made it a point to have balcony date nights, where we’d reminisce about our weekly adventures and share stories from our travels.

Where to next?

The next travelogue in this series will be about discovering some good kid-friendly spots in Lisbon.

Stay tuned for the next story in this series.

• Have you been to Ericeira?
• Have you tried any Portuguese sea food?

Let me know in the comments. I’d love to know about your experiences or plans.

Stay human, be loved,

Gabby

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***I originally published this article on Medium.***

Thank you for reading! Your support means a lot and fuels our passion for travel and my motivation to write about our experiences. It takes me a few hours to craft an article about various travels, and we do travel quite a lot! So expect more in the future :)

I write about our travels with kids and our parenting journey. We hope to raise money for our next trip this coming summer. We plan another road trip across Europe to reach the Atlantic again.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for all the stories in this Portugal Trip series and other travels with our kids, too.

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