Beaches North of The Douro River
It might come as a surprise to most, but north of the Douro River, in the districts of Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo are some fantastic beaches.
We start in Porto at the Praia das Pastoras Beach. Beautiful and calm in the summer and wild and windy in the winter. This beach has a paved walkway and some sand, broken only by rocks here and there and leads to the wider expanse of beach known as Praia do Carneiro. A sandy beach protected between two breakwaters and one that is relatively wind free.
A few hundred metres or so and you arrive at Ourigo beach, again it's sand and rocky outcrops as you would expect, although the sand is quite rough.
It's then onto Ingleses Beach, where you should really watch the sunset in the Praia da Luz restaurant and then further north the Gondarém, Praia do Molhe and Homem do Leme Beaches. The latter is a great beach with a restaurant and a kid's playground. Great for exploring tide pools, but be careful of the waves.
Next up is the small headland of Praia do Castelo do Queijo, from here you can see the Fort of Saint Francis Xavier. A 17th Century Fort with fantastic views out to see and a small arms display. Well worth the 50 cents entry fee. From here it's a decent walk to Matosinhos beach. A large expanse of soft sand and winds strong enough for surfing. You have everything you need here and can also take in the view of Cruise ships docking in the Cruise Terminal of the Port of Leixōes.
Surprisingly, north of the Douro might just be the place you are looking for.