Portugal Road Trip: the Laid-back Beach Town of Odeceixe

04 Oct Portugal Road Trip: the Laid-back Beach Town of Odeceixe

Odeceixe is a simple town with cobblestone streets in the Algarve region, located in the Nature Park of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast with old cobblestone streets. A little further up the road, which runs parallel to the Ribeira de Seixe (Seixe River), you will reach Praia de Odeceixe (Odeceixe beach). Here you’ll encounter a mix of surfers, backpackers, retirees, and families seeking a laid-back beach experience.

 

Exploring Odeceixe, Portugal

Duration: 1.5 days

Time of Year: late September

Why Odeceixe? On our flight London > Lisbon, we chatted up our Portuguese row mate and he was adamant about us visiting Odeceixe instead of Lagos. We heeded his advice and were not disappointed!

What did we find notable?

Situated on the Western coast of Portugal, you’ll, of course, witness phenomenal sunsets. There is higher ground overlooking the beach and ocean that is perfect for sunset picnicking with a bottle of wine and snacks or view from one of the handful of cafés. We bid the sun farewell both nights of our stay.

 

The Nature park of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast is home to long stretches of hiking trails bordering dramatic cliffs overlooking the ocean. The trails will also lead you to secluded beaches. Be careful of the descent – it’s very steep.

 

Kiosk Agapito is a little café by the main beach that serves delicious fresh juices, salads, seafood, burgers and plenty of vegetarian options as well. There are also a few small beach shops on the beach strip and in the town.

 

Kai no Prato in the Odeceixe town served as our dinner restaurant two nights in a row. Now we could have tried another one of the popular restaurants in town, but completely out of character, I wanted to eat the same fabulous fish meal I had the night before.

Our takeaways: 

If you are seeking a low-key, affordable, sleepy beach town with a surfing spirit, look no further.

Also if you have a camper or RV, head here. There’s a parking lot where many others will be camping out – enjoying the beach and trails by day.

 

So you’re interested in going to Odeceixe…here are some helpful planning tips

As mentioned there’s Odeceixe town and Odeceixe beach (Praia de Odeceixe). They’re three kilometers (1.86 miles) from each other, which is about a five-minute drive or ~40-minute walk. I would recommend driving this portion and save the walking for the oceanside cliff trail.

Odeceixe town offers more in the way of accommodations and restaurants at very reasonable prices. That’s where we stayed in a pousada.

The camper and RV parks are just up the road to the left of the beach.

You can take surfing lessons or take a yoga class at the beach, or sign up for a surf camp.The water was quite cold in late September, you will probably want a wetsuit if submerging yourself in the ocean.

The water was quite cold in late September, pending the time of the year, you might want a wetsuit if submerging yourself in the ocean.

 

Want to read about the other Portugal road trip destinations?

 

Porto, Portugal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Óbidos, Portugal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sintra, Portugal

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Does Odeceixe look like a place that will interest you?

Leave a comment!

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*We are not affiliated with the surf camp, nor did we try it during our visit- we’re just sharing a resource if you’re interested in looking into it further.