Figueira da Foz, on Portugal’s Silver Coast, is an underrated base for a road trip: a beach resort with Coimbra, Roman Conímbriga, the Buçaco forest and Aveiro all about an hour away. This guide describes eight drives from Figueira da Foz, from a 15-minute climb to the viewpoints of the Serra da Boa Viagem to a long day in the Serra da Estrela, with realistic distances, tolls and entrance fees.
Most visitors to Portugal stay in Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve. The centre of the country is quieter, and Figueira da Foz is well placed for it: the A14 motorway runs east to Coimbra, the A17 runs north to Aveiro and south towards Leiria and Nazaré, and in the evening you come back to a very wide beach, a casino and seafood restaurants.
| Route | Distance (one way) | Driving time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serra da Boa Viagem and Cabo Mondego | about 10 km | 15–20 minutes | Viewpoints above the town; no tolls |
| Montemor-o-Velho castle | about 17 km | about 20 minutes | On the toll-free EN111 |
| Coimbra | about 45 km | 40–45 minutes | A14, toll about €2.90 |
| Conímbriga | about 60 km | about 50 minutes | Ticket €10, open daily |
| Buçaco forest and Luso | about 75 km | about 1 hour | €7 per car to drive into the forest |
| Aveiro and Costa Nova | about 70 km | 50–60 minutes | A17, tolled |
| Nazaré and São Pedro de Moel | about 90 km | about 1 hour 5 minutes | A17, tolled; the full section Mira–Marinha Grande costs €10.05 |
| Serra da Estrela (Torre) | about 190 km | about 2 hours 30 minutes | A long day; better with an overnight stop |
Distances and times are approximate and measured from the centre of Figueira da Foz; check your route planner on the day.
The shortest drive starts at the northern end of the beach, in Buarcos. A road climbs through the pine and eucalyptus forest of the Serra da Boa Viagem to viewpoints over the town, the estuary of the Mondego and the long beaches to the north. Cabo Mondego, with its lighthouse, closes the bay. An hour or two is enough.
Halfway to Coimbra on the old road, the walls of Montemor-o-Velho castle rise above the rice fields of the lower Mondego. It is an easy half-day trip and a good reason to take the toll-free EN111 instead of the motorway in one direction.
The classic day trip. The University of Coimbra was founded in 1290 in Lisbon and has been based in Coimbra permanently since 1537; together with the upper town it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013. The highlight is the 18th-century Joanina Library, visited in timed slots: buy the ticket in advance on visit.uc.pt (€16.50 in 2026). Park down by the market or the river and walk up – our Coimbra parking guide explains where. Street parking is free on Sundays, and the riverside car park at Parque Verde do Mondego is free at weekends.
Conímbriga, near Condeixa-a-Nova, is the best-preserved Roman town in Portugal, known for the mosaic floors of its houses. The site and museum are open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (ticket office until 17:15) and the ticket costs €10. Allow two to three hours; it combines well with Coimbra.
The walled forest of Buçaco, above the spa town of Luso, is planted with trees from all over the world around a neo-Manueline palace built between 1888 and 1907, now a hotel. Entry on foot or by bicycle is free; driving in costs €7 per car (€15 for a campervan), valid for the whole day. Walk up to the Cruz Alta viewpoint, and on the way back try leitão (roast suckling pig) in Mealhada, at the foot of the hills.
Aveiro is a lagoon town of canals and painted moliceiro boats, once used to gather seaweed. A 45-minute boat tour costs roughly €13 to €15, depending on the operator. Ten kilometres further west, Costa Nova is famous for its striped wooden houses. Do not leave without tasting ovos moles, the local egg sweet. See also our best drives from Aveiro.
Head south along the Costa de Prata (Silver Coast) to Nazaré, known for the giant winter waves at Praia do Norte. On the way back, leave the motorway for the pine forest and the small beach resorts of São Pedro de Moel and Praia da Vieira. Plan a full day with several stops.
Mainland Portugal’s highest mountains (1,993 m at Torre, which you can reach by car) are a long drive from the coast: about two and a half hours each way. It works as a very long day, but it is better with a night in Seia or Manteigas. In winter there can be snow and road closures near the summit, so check conditions before you set off. The local sheep’s cheese, Queijo Serra da Estrela, is worth the detour.
| Road | What to know |
|---|---|
| A14 (Figueira da Foz – Coimbra) | Tolled; about €2.90 for a car over the full length. A section was closed by flooding in February 2026 and reopened on 11 March 2026. |
| EN111 | The toll-free alternative to Coimbra, through Montemor-o-Velho. Slower, but scenic. |
| A17 (coast motorway) | Tolled. North to Aveiro and south towards Marinha Grande and Nazaré; Mira–Marinha Grande costs €10.05 for a car. |
| A1 (Lisbon – Porto) | Tolled; you use it for Conímbriga, Buçaco and the drive to Porto or Lisbon. |
May, June and September are the most pleasant months: warm enough for the beach and much quieter than August, when Portuguese families fill the coast.
The nearest major airports are Porto (about 130 km north) and Lisbon (about 200 km south); most visitors collect a rental car there. Regional trains also link Figueira da Foz with Coimbra roughly once an hour. Our guide to car rental in Porto compares the companies at the airport.
Three or four nights give you time for the main routes and a beach day. In town, our Figueira da Foz parking guide shows where to leave the car.
Regional dishes include chanfana (goat slowly cooked in red wine), arroz de tamboril (monkfish rice) and leitão from Mealhada. The local wine region is Bairrada.
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Figueira da Foz is a seaside town on Portugal’s central coast, the Costa de Prata, at the mouth of the Mondego river. It is about 45 km west of Coimbra, about 130 km south of Porto and about 200 km north of Lisbon.
Coimbra is the classic choice: about 45 km on the A14, with the university and the Joanina Library. For nature, the Buçaco forest is about an hour away, and Conímbriga is the best Roman site in Portugal.
The A14 motorway is tolled and costs about €2.90 for a car over the full length. The EN111 through Montemor-o-Velho is the toll-free alternative. The A14 section closed by flooding in February 2026 reopened on 11 March 2026.
The ticket for the ruins and the museum costs €10. Conímbriga is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and the ticket office closes at 17:15.
Entry is free on foot or by bicycle, but driving into the forest costs €7 per car (€3 for a motorcycle, €15 for a campervan). The ticket is valid for the whole day.
Yes, the road reaches Torre, at 1,993 m. It is about 190 km and roughly two and a half hours each way, so plan a very long day or stay overnight. In winter, check for snow and road closures first.
About 90 km, a little over an hour by car on the tolled A17. Nazaré lies on the Silver Coast (Costa de Prata), south of Figueira da Foz.
Not for the town itself or for Coimbra, which you can reach by regional train. For Conímbriga, Buçaco, the Serra da Boa Viagem viewpoints and the small coastal villages, a car is by far the easiest way.
Need a car for these routes?
Porto Airport is the closest major airport to Figueira da Foz. We use DiscoverCars to compare rental companies there, with the price shown before you book and free cancellation on most offers.
Disclosure: Auto Jardim participates in the DiscoverCars affiliate programme. When you book a car through our links we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This article was fact-checked on 8 October 2026 against information from Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (Conímbriga), Fundação Mata do Bussaco, the University of Coimbra and the motorway operators’ toll tables. Distances and driving times are approximate; prices, opening hours and tolls change, so check before you travel.
