Ericeira is one of those towns I wish I had chosen to visit sooner - and while there, I did in fact extend my stay for a few extra days! Located about a 30-40 minute drive from Lisbon, the coastal town of Ericeira is best known for its surf (and surf culture), and is also becoming a fast favourite amongst digital nomads and remote workers for the literal ‘quiet surf town vibes’.

In the town alone, there is plenty of surf for water and wind sports, there’s beach activities and hikes and there’s always an event happening. But of course if you have a car, there’s plenty to explore further afield from Cascais all the way to Peniche and Nazaré. On a clear day (or evening), you can actually see Cabo da Roca.

One thing to quickly mention is that Ericeira is one of the first towns to actually enforce regulations around short term lets. So if you’re thinking of renting a room or an apartment for under three months, you may want to reconsider elsewhere. I was able to stay for ten days at Selina - and I believe there are other colivings that can be booked for a month, like Outsite - but I would absolutely make sure you book these well in advance if you want to be close to the town centre for a shorter period of time.

WHERE TO WORK IN ERICEIRA

There were actually a few cowork spaces to choose from, but for my stay it made more sense to hop through different cafes and restaurants:

howm (at selina)

Although there actually isn’t an official cowork space in the Ericeira Selina, there is the restaurant at the back where they’re happy (at least in low season) for you to remote work (although it is a separate entity to Selina, so I would still buy drinks and/or breakfast). I couldn’t quite tell if only Selina visitors were there (as you need a key card or reception to let you in the front) but even in the rain, it still had a bit of a cosy vibe.

Balagan

This was a personal recommendation from a friend I made in Selina. Balagan is right on the beach front and along with beautiful views of the ocean, it has an amazing menu (and more importantly coffee), as well as a designated coworking table. Although slightly on the pricier side, it was one of my absolute favourite places to come back to.

Boardriders

Another one of my favourites that I wish I had more time for! Boardriders is actually a shop, cafe and class space for surfing and skating, so a friend and I enjoyed remote working from here for an afternoon, then we came back one evening for a DJ night (complete with beers and other bevs). It’s definitely one of the ‘central hubs’ because there were a lot of people there after work and surf.

Dear Rose Cafe

This cafe was incredibly cute, but I honestly felt guilty getting my laptop out in (and they actually had a time limit on tables - probably for that reason). There are only a couple of tables inside - and when it’s raining you really don’t want to try outside at all. I’d personally keep this one for a cosy coffee and cake after a hike or surf sesh.

Sunset Bamboo

While I wanted to like this place - it’s well-situated into the town centre and the menu seems decent - I was disappointed. Not by the team, who were really friendly, but the menu and coffee weren’t all that great and both times I went I left feeling kind of unsatisfied. (Sharing to share, not to complain!)

Note: there was also a fusion restaurant I wanted to mention that had the best fresh all day brunch menu and allowed for remote working (another one we frequented a lot), but after searching Google Maps and my Stories archive, I can’t seem to find the name, so I’m assuming it shut down or has changed names. But if you come across this little place, check it out! Everyone was raving about it (it had a blue and white interior and they normally had their produce out in front of them)!

One of the things I loved most about ericeira

Was that a few of us from the Nomad World Festival were actually in town, so we were able to meet up and spend time together (maybe that’s part of why I loved it so much)! We coworked together, got drinks together and supported Kate Shifman at Redbridge Lisbon (a great group for entrepreneurs in the capital city)!

So far, Ericeira feels like one of the maybe two or three places that I could see myself finding a base around so that you get both the coastal and capital vibes if you really want it. But more on that process soon…

Are you thinking about a remote base?

Han x