Portugal City Travel Guide: Esposende
Esposende, on the Costa Verde in the municipality of Braga, is a fishing town and quiet resort, 20 km north of Póvoa de Varzim.
Esposende doesn't make too many guides to Portugal but is a pleasant place to kick back and relax. The port is protected by a long spit, the Parque Natural do Litoral Norte.
The town has a couple of museums, the Museu Municipal de Esposende and the nearby Esposende Maritime Museum (Museu Marítimo de Esposende).
The Museu Municipal de Esposende is housed in what was once the Teatro-Club de Esposende built in 1911. Inside are archeological exhibits from the nearby Bronze Age sites of Castro de São Lourenço and Bitarados in Vila Chã. There are also pieces on show from the Roman period of Portugal's history.
The Museu Marítimo de Esposende on Avenida Eng. Eduardo Arantes e Oliveira is dedicated to the long history and culture of Esposende's important fishing industry. Housed in the Casa do Salva Vidas, the museum has a collection of around 500 pieces. These date from around the 15th century onwards including miniature ships, fishing gear, paintings and items of clothing. The museum opened in the restored former Estação de Socorros a Náufragos (Casa do Salva Vidas) building in 2012.
Churches in Esposende include the Igreja Matriz de Esposende which dates originally from the 16th century. Little remains from that time, however, and the church we see today was constructed largely in the 19th and 20th centuries. Inside is a beautiful image of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, the patron saint of Esposende.
The main beach is Praia de Esposende a wonderful place to swim, wander, or take the dog. Forte de São João Baptista was built between 1699 and 1704, during the reign of the monarch Pedro II of Portugal (1667-1706), to protect the mouth of the River Cávado.
Adjacent is the a metal lighthouse the Farol de Esposende. 15 meters in height the lighthouse's beam has a reach of 24 nautical miles. The present structure dates from 1922 and replaced an earlier 19th-century lighthouse.
Across the River Cávado to the south of Esposende is the resort of Fão. The river is crossed via the 19th century cast-iron Ponte Metálica de Fão (Fão Bridge). Here the the Praia de Ofir is a superb stretch of sand and protected environment around 3 km in length.
A short drive from Esposende is Castro de São Lourenço which has remains from a Bronze Age village, which was later also used by the Romans.
Festivals
Estaleiro is a contemporary music festival held near the sea in early September. It features live bands and DJs from Portugal and overseas.
Esposende Tourist Offices
Esposende Tourist Office
R. Narciso Ferreira 120
Tel. 253 960 100
Hours: 8.30 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday
Centro de Informação Turística de Esposende
Av. Eng. Eduardo Arantes e Oliveira 62, 4740-204
Tel: 253 961 354
Hours: 9 am - 12.30 pm; 2 - 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Getting to Esposende
Train Travel in Portugal
Esposende is not on the rail network. Braga Station (Estação Ferroviária de Braga) is the nearest station with trains to Campanhã Station and São Bento Station in Porto and Gare do Oriente and Santa Apolónia in Lisbon. Trains from Braga to Lisbon take on average around 3 hours, 20 minutes and stop at the following stations: Nine, Famalicao, Porto Campanhã, Vila Nova de Gaia-Devesas, Aveiro, Coimbra-B in Coimbra, Lisbon Oriente and Santa Apolonia.
Car Travel in Portugal
Braga is 38 km east on the A11 (30 minutes). Viana do Castelo is 25 minutes north by car on the A28. Porto is 55 km (40 minutes) south on the A28.
Bus Travel in Portugal
Esposende has bus connections to Barcelos (30 minutes), Braga (90 minutes via Barcelos), Lisbon (4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours), Viana do Castelo (25 minutes) and other destinations including nearby Apúlia.
Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation
Esposende has several good places to stay including the 4-star Axis Ofir Beach Resort Hotel, the beach and river-front 3-star Hotel Suave Mar, with swimming pool and tennis courts, the 4-star resort Apulia Praia Hotel and the budget, 2-star Hotel Mira Rio, facing the River Cávado.
See here for a full listing of hotel accommodation in Esposende.
Featured Hotel
The Hotel Parque do Rio, Caminho Padre Manuel Sá Pereira, 4744-908 Esposende, Portugal.
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Eating
Esposende has some excellent restaurants serving Portuguese seafood cuisine on the sea front. Some recommendations are Peppermint Brunch & Cocktails for a beach side breakfast and 3 Copos Tapas & Vinhos at Rua da Fonte da Senhora No 61 Apúlia. Pizzeria Di Pappi and A Lareira are two more eateries worth trying.
Natural & Bio is a store selling vegetarian and vegan foods at Avenida Engenheiro Losa Faria n°139.
Drinking
Dunas Bar, Attytude by Sky Valley and Shore House are all good for a few drinks from lunch time on. List your restaurant/bar/hotel contact Advertising
Internet
WiFi is available in nearly all hotels in the area.
The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
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Maps
