Figueira da Foz - Good Value, Good Weather, Good Fun

Figueira is a place that doesn't cater very well for people who need to be shown the water AND made to drink it.  There's a lot going on but you need to know where to look and if you ask at the tourist office they will be very friendly but they tend just to hand out a few leaflets about the Casino and walks and don't bother to mention many of the other activities - I guess simply because they have a relaxed attitude towards selling themselves.

To get a better idea of what's available go to www.gofigueira.com - where we've posted some useful info on what there is to do in Figueira and surrounding area.

We liked it so much that we came back the next year and bought a place there

Our first visit there was in Sept 2006 , myself, my wife and our 2 year old son, when the summer season was winding down but the weather was perfect for us to go to the beach. It was around 28 degrees C and sunny every day.

The main beach is huge and the sand very soft - and very nice to sunbathe on - but at one end of the beach the waves can be a little rough and the water gets deep quite quickly so you have to be careful with small kids.

We really liked the vibe of the place - it was very friendly and having a youngster and having been on holiday with him also in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, we were quite impressed by how accommodating the Portuguese were with us and how nice a place it was for us to have a family holiday. 

We quickly discovered that the family run restaurants set away from the beach were the places to go - far cheaper and superior to the touristy places on the beachfront and near the Casino in the centre which are , with a few exceptions, fine just for a beer , coffee or ice-cream - and everywhere we went the owners went out of their way to help us.

I particularly liked the fact that we could easily afford to eat out every night and have great seafood and wine for peanuts and be in a truly Portuguese environment. Also, I liked that there are several superb beaches, each offering a different style of beach, a very nice marina, a fishing port, a large covered fresh fish , meat and veg market, a beautiful tennis club, a surfing community, scuba, sailing and fishing - and lots more.

We liked it so much that we came back the next year and bought a place there -  and we're setting up group holidays for tennis, fishing, yachting, trekking, mountain biking, surfing, rowing, canoeing, golf, art, wine-tasting and needless to say, we cannot agree with anyone who says there is nothing to do in Figueira da Foz!

Duncan