Beach in Oporto, Portugal

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The Praia de Matosinhos beach is the largest beach with an easy access from central Porto. The beach offers a wide expanse of golden sands and waves that are suitable for surfing, while only being a 15 minute metro journey away from the centre of Porto. This guide will provide an overview of the facilities available at the Praia de Matosinhos and details on how to travel to this beach.

Matosinhos beach lies on the northern banks of the Douro estuary and faces westwards out to the Atlantic Ocean. The beach is situated within the town of Matosinhos and is bound by the fishing and container port at the northern edge, and the Castelo do Queijo (cheese castle!) at the southern end. The proximity of the port means that the water quality is not up to the standard of a blue flag, but it is nevertheless acceptable for surfing or swimming.

The wide golden sands of Matosinhos beach

Travel to Matosinhos beach from Porto

The town of Matosinhos is connected to the blue metro line and the beach is served by the Matosinhos Sul stop; from the metro stop it is a 5 minute walk to the beach. Matosinhos is in zone three of the metro network and a single ticket is €1.50, with a return of €3.00. For the first journey on the metro the reusable card must be purchased for an additional €0.60.

Porto metro goes direct to Matosinhos

The beach is also served by the 500 bus route, which departs from the Praça da Liberdade and follows the coast round to Matosinhos. This is a popular bus route, so there are departures every 15 minutes during the week, and every 20-30 minutes at the weekend. A single ticket costs €1.50 and the journey to the beach requires a zone 3 bus ticket.

Further details about Matosinhos Beach

Praia de Matosinhos is a large beach that is able to provide sufficient space for all of its visitors, even in the summer months. There are better beaches and resort towns in the Porto region, but Matosinhos is the easiest to travel to and is great for spending a lazy day in the sun or for surfing in the medium sized waves. For a much better resort town, consider the slightly longer train ride to Espinho.