At the mouth of the Mondego, the regularly laid out little port town of Figueira da Foz, the "fig tree on the estuary", is one of the principal bases of the cod fisheries off the Portuguese Atlantic coast the fish market is held every morning on the south bank of the Mondego. Because of its broad beach of fine sand, stretching for 3km/2mi, Figueira da Foz is also one of the most popular resorts on Portugal's west coast, with a range of sport and leisure facilities to match, including a marina.
Townscape
The park on the coast road divides the new hotel district from the old town of Figueira da Foz, near the harbor and mostly 19th C.
The fishing village of Buarcos to the northwest, now almost a suburb of Figueira da Foz, is partly surrounded by a wall, and has two 16th C. Manueline pelourinhos.
Address: Buarcos, Rua Governador Soares Nogueira, 32 Buarcos 3080-296 Figueira da Foz, , Portugal
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
About 3km/2mi farther on from Buarcos is Cabo Mondego, a rocky headland falling sheer down to the Atlantic in a mighty cliff. Adjoining the lighthouse is an observatory and nearby there are abandoned lignite mines and limestone quarries.
A 17th C. building is the Casa do Paço in the old town, near the main post office, much of it decorated with Delft tiles showing biblical themes, landscapes and riding scenes.
Address: Casa do Paço, Largo Professor Vitor Guerra, Figueira da Foz , Portugal
Hours:
am-am; Closed: Sun, Sat
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Anniversity of the Revolution - Portugal (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), National Day - Portugal (June 10), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), Republic Day - Portugal (October 5), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Independence Day - Portugal (December 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Good Friday - Christian, Corpus Christi - Christian
The municipal museum, together with its library, is housed in a building surrounded by a park, and has displays of prehistoric finds as well as Roman exhibits, applied and decorative art, pottery, furniture, religious art, ethnography of the Portuguese overseas territories, etc.
Address: Museu Municipal do Dr Santos Rocha, Rua Calouste Gulbenkian 3080-084 Figueira da Foz, Figueira da Foz , Portugal
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Anniversity of the Revolution - Portugal (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), National Day - Portugal (June 10), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), Republic Day - Portugal (October 5), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Independence Day - Portugal (December 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Good Friday - Christian, Corpus Christi - Christian
Just east of the Museu Municipal is the Franciscan convent of Santo António, founded in 1527 and much altered in the 18th C., its walls decorated with scenes from the life of St Antony.
The Serra de Boa Viagem (up to 258m/846ft), a few miles north of Figueira da Foz, is an area of scattered woodland which offers some very good walks. From the summit of the Alto da Vela (209m/686ft) there are superb panoramic views.
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Buarcos, Portugal
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Figueira da Foz
