Oeste

The Oeste ("West") is a region of Central Portugal, along the Atlantic coast. Among Oeste's numerous sights are several sandy beaches, many known for their great surfing waves.

Cities

 * — noted for its monastery, a
 * — it has a very rich heritage of prehistoric sites, castles, convents, churches, chapels, farms and stately homes
 * — home to hilltop forts built during the Napoleonic wars
 * — home to Bacalhôa Buddha Eden, Europe's largest Oriental garden
 * — small rural town
 * — a city known for its curative waters and its arts
 * — noted for its dinosaur-related attractions
 * — popular ocean beach and the country's only museum devoted to glasswork
 * — a picturesque beach popular with sunbathers, swimmers, and surfers
 * — hilltop town surrounded by medieval castle walls
 * — lovely, family-friendly beaches with a surf scene
 * — a largely rural area with well-preserved natural spaces of remarkable landscape beauty
 * — the Lines of Torres Vedras defended the Lisbon peninsula against Napoleon's army
 * — the Lines of Torres Vedras defended the Lisbon peninsula against Napoleon's army

Other destinations

 * (Berlengas archipelago) — uninhabited island chain from Peniche containing a nature reserve
 * (Serra de Montejunto Protected Landscape) — in Alenquer and Cadaval with Estremadura's highest viewpoint at
 * (Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park) — partially in Alcobaça, but spreads beyond the Oeste region

Understand




The Oeste (oh-EHSH-t(ih), /o.ˈɛʃ.tɨ/) region's character varies from the leisurely Atlantic beaches to medium-sized cities and towns centered on commerce and services with a suburban-like pace to rural country villages and hamlets where agriculture—both plant- and animal-based—dominate the local economy.

The Oeste region is in the former Estremadura province, split between the districts of Leiria and Lisbon. The region's twelve municipalities are home to 362,311 people (2011) in an area of.

Marinha Grande and Porto de Mós are included in this Wikivoyage travel region, but are not part of the administrative and statistical Oeste region. They are part of the historical Estremadura province, but nowadays belong to the Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Leiria (Leiria region intermunicipal community), which is not a Wikivoyage travel region.

By plane
The nearest airport is Humberto Delgado Airport (also known as Portela Airport) in Lisbon.

Although farther away, Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto is a viable alternative.

By car
The main motorway in the Oeste region is A8 (Autoestrada do Oeste) which provides access to Lisbon in the south and Leiria in the north. There are direct exits to Torres Vedras, Bombarral, Óbidos, and Caldas da Rainha. Connecting roads lead to Peniche, Nazaré, and Alcobaça.

The A10 motorway serves the southeast part of the region: Arruda dos Vinhos and offers connecting roads to Sobral de Monte Agraço and Alenquer.

The A15 motorway (part of route IP6) connects directly to Óbidos from A1 in Santarém. Connecting roads go to Peniche and to Caldas da Rainha.

The EN1 (or N1) road (Estrada Lisboa-Porto) was the nation's principal roadway until Portugal started using European Union community funds to build its motorway network. It serves Alenquer directly.

The older EN8 (or N8) road (Estrada da Estremdura), runs largely parallel to A8. It is narrower and slower, but offers a route that allows greater closeness with the communities it passes though.

EN115 (or N115) offers a scenic route between Lisbon's suburb of Loures and Caldas da Rainha, serving Cadaval and Sobral de Monte Agraço.

Get around
The methods listed in the Get in section—train, bus, and car—can also be used to get around within the region.

See

 * Caldas da Rainha has several museums, mostly dedicated art.
 * Lourinhã has a few sights dealing with dinosaurs and paleontology.
 * Óbidos, perhaps the Oeste's most popular destination, has a medieval castle and is surrounded by stone walls protecting the hilltop town.

Do

 * The Oeste region has some excellent beaches.
 * Nazaré and Peniche are especially noted for their great surfing waves.
 * Óbidos offers no fewer than four golf course resorts.

Eat
With its coastal location, the Oeste is an excellent region to savour fresh fish and seafood.

Drink
The Oeste is home to several demarcated wine regions, including Alenquer DOC, Torres Vedras DOC, Arruda DOC, Óbidos DOC, Lourinhã DOC, and Encostas d'Aire DOC. Óbidos is known for its ginja or ginjinha, a cherry liqueur. Lourinhã produces aguardente, a distilled spirit.

Go next

 * Ribatejo — this region to the east includes fascinating locales such as:
 * Santarém — cathedral city full of Gothic churches
 * Tomar – a city with a Knights Templar castle, a
 * Vila Franca de Xira — home to the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve and its bird-watching area
 * Beira Litoral — the region to the north includes many popular destinations:
 * Batalha — known for its medieval monastery, a
 * Coimbra — Portugal's fourth largest urban centre, its 13th-Century university is a
 * Fátima — Portugal's most famous pilgrimage site, where it's said the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917
 * Greater Lisbon — in this region to the south, you'll find the nation's capital and other fascinating destinations:
 * Cascais — beach town at the mouth of the Tagus (Tejo) River, known for the casino and high living at Estoril
 * Lisbon (Lisboa) – the nation's capital and most popular destination, with several s
 * Sintra — this in a hilly area is known for its many palaces