Villas in Lisbon-Tejo Valley

Óbidos and the Lourinhã coast suit beach families, Colares and Sintra suit Lisbon day trips, and Sesimbra suits seafood and sheltered coves. This is the Atlantic, so the sea is cool and a north wind blows on many summer afternoons. Outside Lisbon and the Cascais train line, you will need a car.

Where

Villas: 111
From, per week: £221
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Lisbon airport serves the whole region, with direct flights from London of around two and a half hours. It is close to the city, around half an hour from Cascais and Sintra, about an hour from Óbidos and Peniche and an hour and a half from the Tejo valley.

Where to stay in Lisbon-Tejo Valley

The Lourinhã coast (Atalaia, Vimeiro, São Pedro da Cadeira, Cadaval)

This is where most of our homes in the region are. Atalaia is a village just outside Lourinhã, a few minutes from Praia da Areia Branca and the Dino Parque, a large outdoor dinosaur park. Vimeiro, where Wellington won an early battle in 1808, is close to the beach at Porto Novo. São Pedro da Cadeira is next to Santa Cruz's long beaches, and Cadaval sits below the Serra de Montejunto. Lisbon airport is 45 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Families who want quiet beaches and a dinosaur park

Not for you if: You want warm water: the sea here is cold even in August.

Óbidos, Peniche and Baleal

Óbidos is a walled medieval town with whitewashed lanes, and you can walk its ramparts. The Lagoa de Óbidos nearby has calm, shallow water for children and paddleboards. Peniche is a fishing port with surf beaches, and boats leave in summer for the Berlengas islands. Baleal, a former island joined to the shore by a sandbar, has beaches facing two ways, so one side is usually sheltered. Lisbon airport is about an hour away.

Best for: A walled town, a lagoon and surf beaches within half an hour

Not for you if: You want a quiet town in summer: Óbidos fills with day visitors and coach tours.

Nazaré, Famalicão and Alcobaça

Nazaré has a long town beach in the bay and a clifftop quarter, the Sítio, reached by funicular. Between October and March, Praia do Norte just north of town gets some of the largest surfable waves in the world, and people come to watch from the lighthouse. Famalicão is a quieter village just outside Nazaré. Alcobaça, about 15 minutes inland, has the vast Cistercian monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lisbon airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Seafood, a big beach and a UNESCO monastery nearby

Not for you if: You want calm swimming in winter: Praia do Norte is famous for huge, dangerous waves.

Sintra, Colares and Ericeira

Colares sits between Sintra and the sea, among vineyards where Ramisco grapes still grow in sand. Praia das Maçãs and the cliff village of Azenhas do Mar, with its ocean pool, are a few minutes away. Sintra's palaces, including Pena and the Quinta da Regaleira, are about 15 minutes inland, and Cabo da Roca is nearby. Ericeira, further north, is a whitewashed fishing town and a World Surfing Reserve. Lisbon airport is 30 to 45 minutes away.

Best for: Palaces, Atlantic cliffs and surf towns close to Lisbon

Not for you if: You dislike fog: this coast is often misty in the morning, even in summer.

Cascais, Oeiras and Carcavelos (Lisbon coast)

The coastal railway from Cais do Sodré in Lisbon runs along this shore, stopping at Oeiras, Carcavelos and Cascais. Carcavelos has one of the biggest sandy beaches near Lisbon and is popular with surfers. Cascais is a former fishing town with a marina, small town beaches and a seafront path to Estoril. The train to central Lisbon takes around 20 to 40 minutes, and the airport is about half an hour by car.

Best for: Beach and city together without a car

Not for you if: You want space and privacy: this is suburban coast and the beaches are busy at weekends.

South of the Tejo (Sesimbra, Costa da Caparica, Seixal, Corroios)

Costa da Caparica has miles of sand and beach restaurants along the dunes. Sesimbra is a fishing town known for grilled fish, with a castle above and calmer water than the west coast. The Arrábida coves nearby are among the best beaches in the region, though summer access is limited and some are reached by shuttle bus. Seixal and Corroios are on the bay facing Lisbon, near an old tide mill. Lisbon airport is 30 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Long beaches, fish restaurants and the Arrábida hills

Not for you if: You hate traffic: the bridges into Lisbon jam at rush hour and on summer weekends.

The Tejo valley (Torres Novas, Dornes, Sardoal)

Inland, the Tejo valley is farm and forest country. Dornes is a tiny village on the Castelo do Bode reservoir with a five-sided Templar tower. Tomar and its Convent of Christ are around half an hour away, and the castle of Almourol stands on an island in the Tejo. Torres Novas has its own castle, and Sardoal is near Abrantes. Choice here is limited. Lisbon airport is about an hour and a half away.

Best for: Castles, river reservoirs and a slower rural week

Not for you if: You want the beach: the coast is over an hour away.

When to go to Lisbon-Tejo Valley

June and September are the best months for a beach-and-city trip: warm, with fewer people than July and August, when Portuguese families fill Caparica, Cascais and Nazaré. Lisbon gets hot in midsummer but the coast is cooler, with the nortada wind on many afternoons and morning fog around Sintra. The sea stays cool all year. Lisbon's Santo António festival in June brings street parties. From November to March it is mild but wet, and many beach restaurants close; it is also when Nazaré's big waves arrive.