Mareta Beach a Fantastic Blue Flag Beach in Sagres

The beautiful Mareta Beach (Praia da Mareta) is the largest beach in Sagres. Located in the middle of town with soft sand, plenty of parking and protected from wind and swell, the location and conditions make this the perfect family friendly beach. Spending a day on a beach is a not-to-miss thing to do in Sagres.

A blue flag beach with restaurants, shops and tourist attractions nearby Praia da Mareta is a great place to spend the day. In summer this is a very busy beach, but outside of season it is usually very quiet. Surfing in Sagres is very well known in the Algarve, Tonel beach is actually the place to go for surfing in town.

Praia da Mareta All About The Beach

Praia da Mareta is one of the best beaches in Sagres. It is a long sandy beach located in a bay flanked by cliffs on both sides right in the middle of Sagres town. With nice soft sand, about 700m long, there is a lot of space to enjoy the beach and you can find your own spot and some privacy even when it gets busy in season. The location in a bay results in mostly calm conditions. It is well protected from swell and wind by its location in a bay resulting in flat conditions often that is great for swimming. With the right conditions there can be waves at this beach.

The sand has a gradual slope, so it gets deeper slowly, making it safe for swimming. Mareta is a beautiful beach, with soft sand, calm conditions most of the time and is very popular with families for swimming and sunbathing. It is not often possible to surf at Praia da Mareta, but with the right conditions it can produce some nice waves.

Praia da Mareta Facilities

• Beach – 700m sandy beach
• Blue Flag beach
• Toilets: yes
• Lifeguards: yes
• Sunbeds: yes
• Umbrellas: yes
• Parking: yes
• Restaurants: yes

Praia da Mareta is a a blue flag beach, so it meets international blue flag standards. It is a neat, clean beach meeting standards regarding safety, water quality, facilities and environmental management. There are two restaurants located right on the beach and some nice restaurants and shops overlooking the beach, a quick walk away.

Life guards are on duty in season.

There is a big free gravel parking area in town less than 5 minutes walk from the beach. Limited parking is available right next to the beach, if you need to access the beach with a wheelchair or bring big things to carry, like a kayak, we can recommend that you arrive early in season to get parking at the beach.

Getting to Mareta Beach

Driving is the easiest way to get around in the Algarve, we use Rentalcar for the best deals to book car rentals. Drive towards the fortress of Sagres on the N268 turn left at the final circle, there is a big parking area overlooking Mareta Beach. With your GPS drive to Caffe Espresso Sagres across the road from the Mareta Beach Parking.

Things to do at Mareta Beach

Swimming

Mareta Beach is an excellent beach for swimming. The beach is located in a bay, flanked by cliffs on both sides and is well protected from swell and wind. This results in flat, calm conditions, great for swimming the majority of the time. Because of the size of the beach it is easy to find a private spot for bathing or playing on the beach even in peak season. Life guards are on duty in season, if you visit the beach with children swim close to the life guards.

Water Temperature at Mareta – The water in the Algarve is on the cold side. Water temperature varies between 15C and 20C irrespective of season. When it is hot in summer it is nice for bathing, for water sports, like surfing you need a wetsuit to stay in the water for a long time.

Sunbathing

Praia da Mareta is excellent for spending a couple of hours on the beach. A very large, clean beach with a lot of space to play games or find some privacy. Parking is not a problem and it is walking distance from restaurants and coffee shops. The sand is nice and soft with the length of this long beach. In season parasols and sunbeds are for hire. In off-season bring your own umbrella.

Surfing

The water at Mareta Beach is flat most of the time, not really good conditions for surfing. Tonel beach, walking distance away is exposed to big waves on the west coast and is a very well known surf spot. Praia da Mareta sometimes has waves suitable for surfing with south swell, this tends to be short period swell produced close by that is less powerful. Small-medium swell, up to 1.5m tends to result in good waves.

Water Sports

The calm, clear water with no rocks at Mareta beach is great conditions for kayaking, SUP (Stand Up Paddle) or windsurfing.

Check out this awesome SUP tour from Sagres exploring secret grottoes, hidden beaches, and cliffs. 

Spearfishing Sagres

If you face the ocean, on your left hand side in front of Telheiro Restaurant there is a lot of rocks, caves and structures swimming out. This is a good area to find a variety of fish. Remember to get a spearfishing permit before going (available at ATM), dive with a buoy with a flag. There can be strong currents so dive with a buddy.

Things to do from Praia da Mareta

Fortaleza de Sagres can be seen on the cliffs on the right side of the beach facing the ocean. It is only a kilometer to walk from Mareta Beach (or drive and park at the fort). An incredible sea fort with a fortified wall and three natural cliffs dropping into the surrounding Atlantic ocean providing protection for defenders. You can walk over the fortress walls and discover the open area of the point of the cape, great sea-views, nice for a leisurely walk.

Visit Cape of St. Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente) , the most southwestern tip of continental Europe 6km from Sagres. Spectacular cliffs, ocean views, a little ford with a lighthouse marking what was previously believed to be the end of the world. You can walk from Mareta Beach to the cape following the Fishermen’s Trail.

Prainha das Poças, Hidden Beach – Next to Praia da Mareta on the west side there is a small hidden beach called Prainha das Poças backed by cliffs. You can walk here from Mareta Beach at low tide or reach it by boat or swimming at high tide.

If you want to explore the beautiful coast and see spectacular beaches you can walk from Sagres to Salema following the 20-kilometer coastal trail.

Awesome Tours in Sagres

• Sagres Sunset tour – very well rated tour to Cabo de São Vicente, one of the best sunset spots in Europe.
• Coasteering Algarve: Cliff Jump, Swim & Climb in Sagres -3-hour activity swimming in the ocean and inside sea caves and grottoes, jumping from cliffs, climbing, and hiking along the coast.

Accommodation in Sagres

• Budget – PuraVida Divehouse, Sagres Sun Stay – Surf Camp & Hostel
• Treat Yourself – Mareta View – Boutique Bed & Breakfast