Travel: Azenhas do Mar, Portugal
Azenhas do Mar, Colares, Portugal
As so happens when living anywhere, sometimes you have to get away. In my case, living amidst the dense green resounding jungle and all the work that comes with it means: sometimes, at least for a little while, a girl’s gotta get out of the jungle.
Every time I leave home, I come back inspired and refreshed, with new energy to keep chipping at away at all of our dreams and projects here. Earlier this year I was pulled by several close friendships and some graduate research to the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid was my base, where my friends were and where my fieldwork took place, but I was lucky enough to be able to make a couple side trips while being there. One of these little viajes was to a country I have dreamed of knowing for years: Portugal.
When planning my journey, I knew I would not have too much time to go around exploring every place that I would like to on this trip, but rather that I needed to make an intentional decision about one place in particular I would like to visit. So before I left home, I made time to do a bit of googling to determine where that place might be. I came across one photo that did it for me; just upon seeing it I knew I had to find out where that was and I knew I had to go there.
That place was a small coastal town called Azenhas do Mar, in the state of Colares, 3 hours west of Lisboa, a few bus rides away from Sintra, situated just north of Praia de Maças. It was a decision of absolute intuitive instinct, and as it tends to happen with those decisions, it was 100% the right one.
Getting to Azenhas do Mar
Azenhas took some work to arrive to, but it was more than worth it.
When I arrived to Portugal, I first visited the southern town of Faro, where I stumbled across a snail festival and, upon the urging encouragement of locals, tried some food that I doubt I will ever muster the courage to eat again in my life.
Luckily, the fresh sangria helped me wash it down and get through the experience with a smile on my face.
Afterwards, I spent hours walking through the windings stone streets and buildings, being stunned by the fading but still vibrant pastel-painted nooks and crannies, browsing the menus of the endless terraces, and weaving through the international art market before settling down with many strangers to watch the sunset over the ocean at the pier.
From Faro, I took a bus to Lisboa: the true beating heart of Portugal, bursting with activity and transit from all corners of the world. It was about a 4 hours journey.
When I have the time, I always prefer to travel by land over air to have more exposure to the landscape and other unpredictable encounters with the people and culture of wherever I am.
There are many bus companies who can take you between places in Portugal and also to and from Spain. I used Flex bus and had no complaints, but other similar companies offer the same service for comparable prices.
Where to Stay in Azenhas do Mar
Options for accommodation are not as abundant as the more touristic destinations across Portugal, especially if you want to stay as close as possible to the scenic viewpoint of Azenhas, like I did.
After some selective searching, I decided upon an Airbnb accommodation run by a kind, hospitable woman who has set up several camper vans on her property to host tourists and travelers drawn to the beauty of Azenhas do Mar.
My camper was extremely cozy and comfortable, complete with a small closet, a space heater, and wifi access.
The family was very welcoming and the communal setting allowed for interaction and exchange amongst travelers that was more intimate than you would find in a hotel setting, and more laid-back than the atmosphere commonly found in hostel/backpacker settings.
There was a shared outdoor kitchen and several showers and bathrooms throughout the property. Some guests had been staying there several weeks, while others, like me, were just passing through for a few days.
One visitor had returned for a second time after being away for some months, and the welcome pile of hugs he received from the children of the host family were a clear indication of the sense of home and community the place fostered.
The property was a 10 minute walk to the Azenhas scenic viewpoint and a 15-20 minute walk in the other direction to Praia do Maças beach and town.
This was ideal for me, as someone who loves walking, because once I arrived to Azenhas I no longer needed to use any sort of public transportation until it was time to head back to Lisboa.
What to do in Azenhas do Mar
For me, part of the deep underlying charm of Azenhas was that, well, there was not actually much to do.
Aside from a handful of restaurants (by handful I mean to say maybe 5 or 6), and one coffee bar suspended on the cliff side of the coast, the main ways to spend one’s time in the humble oceanside town are to sip a vinho tinto overlooking the sea, or sip a warm espresso overlooking the iconic viewpoint: the exact one I had seen in the photo that led me to this place.
sunbathing on a costal hillside.
During the day, it is easy to walk to Praia do Maças and even easier to get swept away spending hours trekking the little sandy trails back and forth against the suspended coastline.
Praia do Maças is slightly more developed that Azenhas, with more influx of tourism, there you will find many more options for dining, drinking, and shopping. Of course, every espresso stand or eatery of any kind will be selling fresh pastel de natas and little bottles of peach and apple juice.
A selling point for me of Praia do Maças was exactly that, the praia, or the beach of golden sun-kissed sand, where you can lay getting warm for hours before wading into the cerulean Atlantic ocean- a luxury that is somewhat out of reach in Azenhas by the simple fact of the altitude of the town 135 feet above sea level.
However, if it were not for this factor, Azenhas might already be as touristic as Praia do Maças, which, in my opinion, would be somewhat of a drawback after having fallen in love with its present, isolated magic.
The Beauty of Azenhas do Mar
In the days I spent wandering around Azenhas by foot, it was as though beauty was everywhere. Not only in the breathtaking views and landscapes everywhere you look, but also in the details of the homes and architecture, the quite winding streets, the tiled walls depicting images of Azenhas do Mar from times forgotten, echoing its own beauty and charm from within itself.
The people are also extremely charming and inviting. I found it to be one of those places where I could not help but wonder how all the locals arrived to call it home, what their individual stories were, and if this might not all have been some hazy dreamscape and I was still just asleep in Madrid imagining the magic of this place.
In the morning, the ocean air coats the town in a dense, mystical fog blanketing everything in a soft, uncompromising quiet.
The fact that there is not much commercial activity makes it feel like a place untouched by time. After visiting the same little bar and sandwich shop on the hillside, I decided one day to walk up the hill to the neighborhood behind the small main drag of restaurants, thinking I might find local businesses I had not yet seen or perhaps even some kind of small tourist shop.
To my delightful surprise, I found none of this. Once immersed in the winding streets of stucco white houses with clay tile roofs, it was clear there were no souvenir shops or stores of any kind hiding amongst the homes- only staggered plots of stark white residences overlooking the sea.
Why go to Azenhas do Mar?
Although I have not yet seen enough of Portugal to know if Azenhas is unique in the characteristics that drew me in, I can say with assurance that it is unique amongst the places I have travelled to.
The main attraction is the scenic viewpoint of the picturesque village, cozy its in suspension on the cliff beside the sea.
There are no shops (that I found), and only a select few options for dining, groceries, coffee, and wine or beer.
Upon reflection, Azenhas is its own attraction and it may be precisely this which has allowed it to maintain its captivating charm without accelerated development catered to tourists and foreigners.
Although it was not the easiest place to arrive to, I greatly enjoyed the journey of having to put extra attention on making sure I caught the correct sequence of buses to arrive at this place of my dreams, and I did! The locals are friendly and will help you get around if you ask for their directions.
Walking trail after trail along the cliffside, between the roaring ocean and quiet village was restorative to deep parts of me.
It is likely that during certain times of year, the pace in Azenhas picks up with more tourists and travelers coming to surf in nearby Praia do Maças or living out of their converted vans parked by the sea.
Still, I believe it safe to say it is entirely less populated than many places you may encounter on the Portuguese coast, and definitely immensely quieter and slower paced than cities like Lisboa and Porto.
For me, the journey to Azenhas was more than worthwhile. When it was time to go, I retraced my steps through two public buses back to Sintra, then caught a train that took me back to Lisboa’s main station, from where I was able to board a bus that took me seven hours east, all the way back to Madrid.
Of course, there were options to fly back to Spain, but I find overland travel preferable whenever possible, as it offers not only the opportunity to view the shifting landscape and actualize your movement through space and across borders, but also gives the starry-eyed traveler time in between places to digest the journey one has just undergone.
Overall, getting to Azenhas and experiencing it for myself was the reminder I needed that following your intuition and setting your sights on what you desire is half of the work of making it to where you want to go. I came home refreshed, inspired, and full of the memory of the cliffside ocean air and vistas.
Azenhas was special in its quietness and subtle yet hospitable reception of those who venture out of their way to know its beauty. It is perfect for the traveler who seeks more to know a new place than discover an advertised destination, and I can guarantee it will not disappoint.
