In the Central region of Portugal, Peniche is a beach destination with many feathers in its cap. Firstly, the rough sea and the lie of the land make this surfing central. The best of many supreme beaches is Supertubos Beach, which has a tubular wave suitable for big international events. Peniche has also been a port since the Modern Age when a fort was built to defend it. This monument has an absorbing history, first as maritime defense and then as a prison during the Estado Novo regime in the 20th century. And as Peniche is still a fishing port, the fish and shellfish couldn't be fresher. And on top of it all, you also have to make time for a trip to the Berlengas Islands, a nature reserve off the coast. Supertubos Beach: This beach south of the peninsula is revered in the surfing community and even made a recent list of Portugal's seven natural wonders.
Some combination of the shallow slope, north wind and ocean currents gives rise to a high, perfectly hollow wave that is the ultimate in surfing and bodyboarding. There isn't a wave like it anywhere else in Europe, and every October it's the venue (along with neighboring Praia do Baleal) for the Rip Curl Pro event when the world's best surfers test their skills in the pipeline: At the end of the peninsula is the westernmost point of mainland Portugal north of Cabo da Roca. Extraordinary at sunset, it is a majestic cape with 25-metre cliffs that have strange karst formations at the top and face a pile of limestone, the Nau dos Corvos. On the horizon you can see the Berlengas Archipelago.
