With its extensive coastline, the region is, not surprisingly, a haven for fans of a wide variety of sports and leisure including sailing, surfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, fishing and horseriding, whilst the Lagoa de Óbidos (Óbidos Lagoon) is also a magnificent location for practice of watersports.

The countryside also lends itself to some superb walks, with over 74 miles (120km) of signposted trails for nature lovers, many fascinating architectural monuments, including medieval churches, monasteries and ancient castles, and numerous sites of archaeological importance, as well as being home to one of the largest known collection of dinosaur footprints and fossils in Europe.