Figueira da Foz is home to a gigantic sandy beach that is the country's largest, stretching for more than 3km (2 miles). It is so wide, that it is a good five-minute walk across the sand to the sea.

Its popularity with surfers (it was a venue for the 1996 World Surfing Championships) is what turned the town into a world-class resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today it is far from the major beach resort it became, but its finest building, Sotto Mayor Palace, dates from this time. It is a luxurious French-style manor house that belonged to one of the country's most prominent families, with elegant furnishings and a collection of paintings that may be visited.

Another curious building is the 18th century Palace House by the marina, which is the former residence of a count from Coimbra, containing one of the world's greatest collections of Delft tiles. Numbering about 7,000, these Dutch tiles were salvaged from a shipwreck at the mouth of the harbor in the late 17th century.

But the building that attracts the largest number of visitors is the casino, dating from 1886, with its own nightclub and regular shows.

For a more cultural experience, there is the Dr. Santos Rocha Municipal Museum, containing a rich archeological collection, and displaying sculptures, decorative art, and 19th century beach photographs.

Along with high-rise apartment blocks, the triangular 16th century Santa Catarina Fortress overlooks the bay, and on the atmospheric pedestrianised streets behind the sea front are appealing shops and restaurants.

Over a dozen trains arrive in Figueira da Foz from Coimbra every day, and there is also bus service from Lisbon.

CURIOUS FACT "Figueira da Foz" means "Fig tree at the mouth of the river." Although no one really knows how the name came about, there is a belief that at one time fishermen and traders from around the nearby Mondego River would meet at a big fig tree to conduct their business. Although this tree seems to have disappeared, the name has remained to this day.

Places Nearby

Coimbra - Old university town; a tragic love story Conimbriga - Roman village; Iberia's best preserved Roman mosaics Buçaco - Manueline exuberance in a garden of Eden; the site of Napoleon's defeat Aveiro - Colorful boats down attractive canals; a princess-saint; fine porcelain; a lovely fairytale castle