In the center of Portugal just north of the well-loved Algarve, the Alentejo region remains lesser known but is one of Europe’s most exciting destinations for adventure travel. Some of Portugal’s wildest and most gorgeous beaches are located on the Alentejo coastline, including one that you’ve probably never even heard of called Praia da Amália. If you love desolate beaches where you can enjoy the ocean in peace, this may be just the place for you. This rustic beach is loved by locals but remains relatively undiscovered by tourists. It has no amenities — only cliffs, sea, sand, and silence — along with a lovely waterfall-like spring located on one end.
Praia da Amália, which was once called Praia da Assenha, was renamed after Portugal’s most famous Fado singer, Amália Rodrigues, who owned a house above the beach during the 1960s. She also owned the property encompassing the beach but was kind enough to allow beach access for any and all visitors, because she saw the area as too special to keep only for herself. Amália is now gone and her property has since passed to other owners. But her spirit lives on at amazing Amália beach, which is free for all to experience — all those who can find it, that is.
Getting to Praia da Amália
Exploring more of magical Alentejo
Besides Praia da Amália, there’s a lot more to discover in this part of Portugal, including many more stunning beaches. If you’re a beach lover, you’ve hit the jackpot here, with some of Alentejo’s most spectacular beaches clustered within a few dozen miles of each other. For example, the aforementioned Zambujeira do Mar is 4 miles north of Amália, Cavaleiro is 13 miles north, and Porto Covo’s Praia Grande and Pesseguiro Island Beach are 35 miles north. The beaches in Porto Covo are so dreamy that they’ve even inspired famous song lyrics.
If you really want to get the most out of your time in Alentejo, split your time between the coast and its equally mesmerizing interior. The interior is another experience altogether, where cork oak forests, olive groves, wheat fields, walled cities like Evora, and ancient marble towns like Estremoz and Vila Viçosa feel entire universes away from the pounding surf and ocean breezes farther west.
You can also head south a short distance to the Algarve, where you’ll find even more beaches and picturesque villages, though these tend to be more crowded and developed than those in the Alentejo. For a brief excursion to the Algarve, check out Odeceixe, an off-the-beaten-path village with a pretty beach that’s only 6 miles south of Praia da Amália.
