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Ericeira is
just an hour north west (50km) of Lisbon on a coastline
resembling that of north Cornwall in the UK. Perched 30m
above the Atlantic this historic village dates from 1229 and
at one time was the fourth largest commercial centre in
Portugal after Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal. Today there
are about 6,000 inhabitants. The principal way of life is
fishing and welcoming visitors. It's a picturesque place,
with white houses, cobbled streets and narrow lanes, and
small enough to be covered on foot. There's a daily market
for fresh fruit and vegetables and of course always an
excellent choice of fresh local fish, in addition to meat
and poultry. Numerous shops, boutiques, restaurants, cafes
and bars of all kinds and a selection of nightclubs and
discos
Ericeira's
particularly good for families with children. There's a
playpark with mini-golf and roller-skating. For older
children and adults, there are tennis, fishing and
horseriding and the nearest golf course is about a 20-minute
drive. Four sandy beaches (one used by the fishermen) in the
village and many others up and down the coast. The swimming
pools at the Hotel and the municipal pool 1km from the
centre are open to the public for a modest entry fee. Good
surfing beaches (arguably the best in western Europe) 2km to
the north. The surrounding countryside has a wealth of
places to visit and of course there's also Lisbon, one of
the world's most attractive capital cities
We have a
wide selection of self-catering holiday properties in and
around Ericeira, ranging from typical fishermen's cottages
to modern apartments. There's a taxi transfer service from
Lisbon airport but car hire is strongly recommended to
explore this interesting part of Portugal and meet the local
people, who must be amongst the most hospitable anywhere in
the world
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