Figueira da Foz
Atlantic seaside, Mondego estuary, Belle-Époque heritage.
Figueira da Foz, in central Portugal, is one of the country's favourite seaside resorts. Once a strategic stop on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Mondego river, it was transformed at the end of the 19th century by the arrival of aristocrats seeking sea air and sand.
The Casino opened in 1884, and a new district — the Bairro Novo — was built to welcome them, inspired by the French coastal resorts of the Belle Époque. It is in this neighbourhood that you find some of the most beautiful houses of the early 20th century, with their unmistakable Art Nouveau and Art-Déco touches.
Between the authenticity of a working fishing port, the heritage of its grand seaside era, and the immense beaches of fine sand where surfers, windsurfers, sailors and rowers gather, Figueira da Foz offers a rare blend of culture, nature and gentle living.
