The beautiful town on Peniche is located on a spectacular cliff overlooking the ocean. It has a very suggestive municipal beach as well as several other remarkable beaches located in its surroundings. The lively city port gives to Peniche a very unique and characteristic atmosphere.
Its old town – protected by the city walls – still preserves some historical palaces and it keeps alive the knitting tradition, which is still alive among the women of Peniche. The 16th century fort preserves the unfortunate testimonies of Salazar’s political prisoners.
Extremely popular among surfers, Peniche offers the best conditions to surf but also to relax, enjoy some cultural visits, stroll around and have some delicious fresh fish and seafood.
The most spectacular attraction of Peniche is by far its scenographic promontory; it can be visited by car or by foot along its 6-kilometres trail. Climb to the top of Capo Carvoeiro, the highest peak of the promontory, in order to enjoy a spectacular view of Peniche and the near Berlengas island and to take pictures of its suggestive lighthouse.
It is also interesting to stroll around the center of Peniche, where you will meet the famous knitters of Peniche gathering in front of the Escola de Rendas de Bilros. It is incredible how they manage to make such elaborated and elegant crochet in such a short time.
It is also worth to visit the Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, a must stop for the yearly “círios”, that is to say pilgrimages dedicated to the marine tradition.
The southern end of the Peniche peninsula is dominated by the Fort built between the XVI and the XVII century as a defensive system of the coast along with the fortresses located on the beach of Consolação as well as on Berlengas island.
In the XX century its purpose changed completely as it was transformed into a prison for the political prisoners of the regime of Salazar.
Today the fortress hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Resistance movement and to its main characters, featuring some moving testimonies of the imprisoned. It is also possible to visit the cells, including the solitary confinements.
Another wing of the fortress is occupied by the Museu Municipal, which exhibits a collection of historical municipal finds of different times.
A very popular trip from Peniche is to the near Berlengas island, the largest island of an archipelago located 10 km from the municipality and which is part of a natural reserve.
The maximum number of people admitted on the island everyday changes according to the rules of the reserve, in order to make sure to visit a very calm island where the atmosphere is very calm and the landscape is almost untouched. You can enjoy some beautiful hikes, visit natural caves or the fortress of São João Baptista.
Peniche is the perfect destination for your tour around Portugal. If you choose to stay in Lisbon you can visit this lovely coastal town on a one day tour around the neighbouring cities.
Most of the tourists choose to stay in Peniche in order to spend a day at the beach; it is actually a great choice considering that Peniche and its surroundings feature several beautiful and wild beaches.
Some of these beaches, like the Consolação bay, are more protected from the currents and therefore are more suitable for families. However, most of the beaches around this area are perfect to practice surf and bodyboarding. It is not a coincidence if some of the most important international competitions are organized here, such as the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, a stop of the World Surf League Tour.
The most famous surfing beach is Medão Grande, better known as Supertubos, due to its very high tube-shaped waves. It is worth to visit it just to admire its beauty even if you have never surfed in you life and you are never not going to.
Another beach not to be missed is Baleal, an island located 5 km north-east from Peniche and collected to the mainland by a sandbank.
Peniche is a tourist destination offering a wide choice of hotels suitable for all types of travelers. In particular, it has a very good offer of mid-range hotels, perfect for families who need some comforts as well as boutique b&b characterised by a warm and cozy atmosphere, perfect for couples.
Being a very popular destination among young travelers and surfers, there are also several budget accommodations such as hostels and surf houses offering all the comforts, some of which overlook the ocean.
We offer a selection of hotels at Peniche to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Peniche, sorted by number of reviews.
If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Peniche. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Peniche are in high demand.
Peniche is located about 90 km from Lisbon; you can rent a car and reach it within one hour driving on highway A8. There are also some frequent buses traveling to Peniche. There are not train connections.
What's the weather at Peniche? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Peniche for the next few days.