Ericeira, Mafra & Aldeia Típica José Franco
Ericeira is a Portuguese fishing town located about 11 km west of the city of Mafra, in the region of Lisbon (where I will be taking you to on the next chapters).
This is a pleasant destination for holidays throughout the year, and weekend breaks! I love it here: the sun, the sea breeze, and tasty food!
Every morning fish and seafood are unloaded at the harbor, and many restaurants around the old town will serve Portuguese traditional cuisine, food delicacies using fresh local products.
Tranquility, incredible views and quality beaches with the best conditions for surfing all year long.
If you are not keen on watersports, you can book another type of activity such as wine tours and nature guided tours.
There are several pedestrian paths throughout the area for the most active! Like Tapada Nacional de Mafra for getting to know the local flora and fauna. You can also take the tour around the Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre to see wolves, can you believe it?
Whether or not you are a Baroque architecture fan, you will enjoy visiting Mafra Convent and its magnificent gardens. Tip: the typical convent pastries are the bean and almond ones.
Mafra Train Station shows beautiful tiles of the Convent and surroundings, a place I recommend stopping by…
In Mafra, you can also visit “Aldeia Típica José Franco”, a village of clay molded by the sculptor José Franco. Each house in miniature tells us the life of the people who used to live in this region and their typical works like barber or carpenter. This fun tour ends with an artisan loaf of chouriço and a glass of wine!
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.
- Saint Augustine
