FROM THE NATIONAL PALACE AND CONVENT TO THE WORLD SURFING RESERVE AT ERICEIRA, MAFRA PLAYS ITS CARDS IN TOURISM AND TRULY BELIEVES TO HAVE ALL THE ACES. AND RIGHTLY SO.
This young century has been brilliant for Mafra and its eleven parishes: the population doubled in size in less than two decades and the enormous potential of its tourism are well talked about all over the world, either because of the monumental patrimony of the now 300 years old Real Edifício de Mafra (a royal palace, a basilica, a convent, a library, a garden and a Tapada, all in one) or due to the route of fabulous beaches at Ericeira, whose waves were consecrated as World Surfing Reserve (first in Europe and second in the world), or even thanks to the excellency of the gastronomy and the genuine character of the traditions.
MAFRA’S VIRTUES, NATURE AND HERITAGE
Mafra is a rich land that doesn’t seem to have anything missing. As far as the religious patrimony is concerned (apart from the already mentioned Real Edifício de Mafra), the churches of São Pedro, Misericórdia and Santa Marta or the chapels of São Sebastião and Boa Viagem, at Ericeira, show that symbiosis between the magnificence and the most intriguing simplicity. Mafra doesn’t lack wine cellars either, with solid signs of enotourism like in the famed cases of ManzWine (in Cheleiros), the familial Quinta de Sant’Ana (at Gradil) or the Adega Cooperativa of Azueira. In regular fairs and markets the products of the region are celebrated, as are the unmistakable handicraft, the extraordinary sweet pastry, the great cheeses and delicatessen, the lemons, strawberries and rocha pear and, of course all the food delights of the sea due to the large strip of the Atlantic Ocean that serves the county.
On the table, this is a land proud of its tasty bread (Pão de Mafra), from the sea urchins to the ray, from the gooseneck barnacles (percebes) to the best sardine, all part of some of the most traditional dishes. And whatever pleasure it is that doesn’t end on the table, there is always the walk, a stroll by Tapada Nacional de Mafra, Jardim do Cerco (Cerco’s Garden), the Centro de Recuperação do Lobo Ibérico (a center protecting the iberian wolf) or the varied green spaces that join together leisure and sport, like Parque Desportivo Municipal de Mafra or Parque de Santa Marta, at Ericeira. Never forgetting Ericeira Camping, that allies the best camping with the wonderful view of the ocean.
And to those who are not that inclined to a life of adventure and adrenaline management, Mafra has its History going back thousands of years with records dating from the Neolithic. But all over the county, every parish has unmissable attractions. Starting in the early 19th century, a handful of fortified buildings, solid forts that can be visited through guided tours thanks to Rota Histórica das Linhas de Torres (Historical Route of Linhas de Torres), helping the visitor to know everything about the French Invasions. But it’s the monumentality of Palácio Nacional de Mafra (Mafra’s National Palace), its Basilica and Convent, the impressive Carrilhões (tower bells), the amazing full sound or the organs or the sheer beauty of the Biblioteca (Library) that render the proper homage to the reign of King D. João V, the Magnanimous, celebrated on a planetarian scale through the novel of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago ‘Memorial do Convento’ (‘Baltasar and Blimunda’), inscribing Mafra in the tourist circuits as a wonder not to be missed. After all, it is Mafra’s place. Mafra is Magnanimous!
ERICEIRA, THE SURF QUEEN
Rightly so, this compulsion for Nature is better shown with the beaches that serve the county of Mafra, with modern infrastructures and prized sites of some of the best surf. Their waves have a worldwide reputation: Foz do Lizandro, Baleia, Pescadores, Algodio, Ribeira d’Ilhas, Coxos, São Lourenço or Calada, any surfer around the planet who knows what to do with a surf board or enjoys the delights of kite, wind, stant-up paddle or bodyboard know these names by heart. Mafra has its own Centro de Interpretação da Reserva Mundial do Surf (Center for Interpretation of the World Surfing Reserve) right in the heart of town, where an Interactive Table teaches in a fun way and with the simple touch of a finger all the splendor that takes the visitor to the sands of Ericeira, what is there to be offered, a place where time is never wasted.
SLEEP AND EAT
