DAY TRIP FROM LISBON TO ERICEIRA
In case you are looking for a relaxed day trip outside of Lisbon, I highly recommend going to the laid back beach & surf town Ericeira. Find out my favorite coffee, brunch, ice cream and dinner places as well as what to actually do in Ericeira for a day in my travel guide below.
I saved all the places I tried out and recommend on Google Maps so you can easily save the list for your trip. Check out the list here.
Also, I made an Instagram guide with my favorite places for a day trip in Ericeira. You can find the Instagram guide here.
Lots of love,
Magda 💕
How to get to Ericeira
Getting to Ericeira is pretty easy and you basically have two options. First you can of course just rent a car and drive to Ericeira and the nearby beaches directly. The second option is to go by public transport (bus, there are no trains!) from Lisbon to Ericeira, which we chose as rental cars where simply quite expensive for us (and mostly available from the airport) and we had nothing against a chilled ride to and from Ericeira.
If you are also interested in going to Ericeira by bus, you will need to head to Campo Grande, which is on the green and yellow metro lines. There you simply have to go across the massive Sporting soccer stadium and will find a bus terminal. The bus is operated by Mafrense and reaches Ericeira in around 1h to 1h 40min depending on the bus you are taking (check out the timetable, note from autumn 2021 here). You can directly pay at the bus driver (in cash!) and the journey costs around 6,40€ per person one way.
What to do in Ericeira:
Go surfing or watch the surfers
Ericeira is well-known for it’s many different surf options, without super packed lined-up beaches. Although I can’t surf, I loved to watch all the surfers in the water, especially at “Praia de Ribeira d'Ilhas”, where you can also find a surf school in case you want to give it a ry :)Stroll through the cute alleys
Ericeira is quite small compared to Lisbon, however, the streets and alleys are worth a visit. Simply enjoy a walk around the “main” square “Jogo da Bola” and discover cute little shops (with of course a lot of surfing gear), chilled coffee places and views over the wide ocean.Enjoy a beautiful sunset at the beach
We loved the sunset in Ericeira as the sun is setting with the vast, open ocean right below it. You can either go to the beach directly or enjoy the view from the “Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem” where you can also sit on the stone benches (see pictures below).
Go swimming or simply relax at the beach
Although we went to Ericeira in November, we still spotted some (brave) people swimming! There are many nice beaches around Ericeira, where you can also easily walk to, so grab your towel and either dip into the ocean or simply enjoy the waves and sea from outside the water ;)
Try out one of the many food hotspots
Of course, Ericeira is also packed with many delicious (vegan) food options. I summarized the places we went to and which where recommended to us below in a dedicated section, because of course checking those places out was one of the highlights of the trip ;)
Where to grab breakfast, coffee, lunch & ice cream in Ericeira:
GiG - Green is Good
This delicious place is great for brunch and lunch! We were super lucky to get a table outside in the sun and enjoyed the vegan and healthy options. You can also reserve a table, which I would recommend if you are coming on the weekend!
Dear Rose Café
Lovely tiny coffee spot with some seats inside and also outside available. You can either get great coffee, breakfast and lunch e.g. bowls and salads there or grab a coffee (and some treats!) to go and enjoy it at “Praia dos Pescadores” or one of the benches overlooking it.
Ribeira d'Ilhas Surf Restaurant & Bar
Outside of Ericeira you will find this really cool place, where you could basically spend the whole day. We enjoyed the brunch plate for two there and were really super full afterwards (even my boyfriend was full haha). You are best advised to reserve a table beforehand!
Nutwood Gelataria
We loved the creamy ice cream at this local Gelateria, the pistachio gelato was delicious (and this is a quality sign for sure). You can enjoy the ice cream in the sun there or at the beautiful nearby chapel. There are also vegan options available and you can also grab coffee there.
Amour Soul Space
Lovely spot with house bean coffee and cold brew as well as many (vegan) breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The place was recommended to me by a local, as we only spent one day in Ericeira, we could not try it ourselves, but maybe you will! :)Nalu Bowls
Next to the beach you will find this cute place offering coffee with plant-based milk and açaí bowls. We didn’t make it to the place, but it is on my list for next time for sure!Sunset Bamboo
Cute coffee, breakfast and lunch place near the main square. It was quite busy when we went, so we didn’t try it out, but that must be a good sign, I guess ;)Saints at Sea (Magic Quiver)
Small shop selling clothes and interior stuff from local designers as well as offering coffee, breakfast and pastrie
Where to head for dinner in Ericeira:
El Chilito
Next to the “Selina” hostel, you can find this relaxed Mexican restaurant, where we enjoyed dinner on our day trip to Ericeira. They have a great variety in (vegan) options e.g. cactus tacos (go for Nopal) and you can even get Mexican breakfast (just until 11:30am though)!
Restaurante Mammy
When researching dinner options, we quickly stumbled upon this Portuguese place. There are several vegetarian and vegan options, and they even explicitly state to talk to the chef for more options - will visit this place next time for sure!
Pizzeria Pepe Verde
Although we didn’t make it to this pizza place, I wanted to include it in my recommended dinner options as one of our local friends loved the pizza there and went several times. When we passed by the line in front of the restaurant also confirmed this ;)
