TAKE a look at the little-known sunshine spot with 100-foot waves, lovely beaches and impressive cliffs just an hour's drive from Lisbon. Nazaré is a coastal destination in Portugal with its mild climate and natural beauty - and flights from Dublin Airport start at just €30. The Portuguese town hosts one of the world's two biggest wave surfing contests.
Waves can top 100 feet, creating an incredible spectacle. And surfers come from all over the globe to ride the big waves. Nazaré waves were listed on the Guinness Book of Records for the most giant waves ever surfed.
Earlier this year, big wave surfers Sebastian Steudtner and Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca set an unofficial new world record for the biggest waves ever surfed with 93.73 feet wave-ridden. If you want to check Nazaré's big waves, you should make your way to Praia do Norte, which offers giant white-breaking waves and is one of the world's most famous surfing beaches outside the summer season.
Between autumn and winter, the record of the world's biggest waves occurs. Nazaré is a fantastic place to visit because of its long, sandy, half-moon-shaped beach and its natural beauty. Its name is a Portuguese version of the biblical city, Nazareth, due to a small wooden Virgin Mary statue brought to Nazaré from Nazareth.
And the best way to reach this little-known sunshine spot is by flying to Lisbon or Porto from Dublin Airport. It's only an hour's drive from Lisbon, a two-hour drive from Porto, or a couple of hours by.