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Golf guide • Portugal • Lisbon Region

Golf in Lisbon: fairways in the morning, the Alfama by night

Lisbon lets you stay in the heart of the Portuguese capital and play no more than half an hour's drive away: Belas Clube de Campo, Rocky Roquemore's layout facing the Serra de Sintra; the Lisbon Sports Club, a valley course by Hawtree & Sons; and PGA Aroeira Nº1, designed by Frank Pennink in a pine forest on the south bank. Golfers come to pair morning rounds with an historic city in the evening, ideally from March to June and from September to November.

Plan this tripUpdated

Lisbon is not a golf resort, and that is precisely its appeal. You stay in a palace in Lapa or the Chiado, head out in the morning to the hills of the Serra da Carregueira or the pine forest of the south bank, and come back to town for lunch. Three 18-hole courses lie no more than half an hour from the centre, each with its own character: the hilly championship course at Belas, the historic and intimate Lisbon Sports Club, and the great forest classic at Aroeira, which has hosted two Portuguese Opens.

The rest of the region can also be played from the capital, but at the cost of a longer drive. The Cascais coast, with Quinta da Marinha and Oitavos Dunes, is around forty minutes away and has its own guide, as do Óbidos and West Cliffs, about an hour to the north. For a city-centred stay, the three courses in this guide are more than enough.

For the city deserves its afternoons: the Alfama and its stepped alleys, tram 28 climbing towards Graça, fado drifting out of the taverns, and Belém on the Tagus for the monuments of the Age of Discovery. Three to five nights are enough to play two or three courses without rushing and keep a day for Sintra. In the evening, the golden light sliding over the tiled roofs, seen from a miradouro, is worth the trip on its own.

The courses

Green and white sand bunker in a small valley lined with umbrella pines and oaks, dry golden grass on the slopes

Belas Clube de Campo

  • Architect: Rocky Roquemore
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Designed by the American Rocky Roquemore and opened in the late 1990s, Belas Clube de Campo stretches over 6,109 metres through the valleys of the Carregueira, with the Serra de Sintra as a backdrop. It is a true championship course: marked changes in elevation, large scalloped bunkers, several water hazards and some of the most highly regarded greens in the region. The hilly terrain makes a buggy welcome. It suits steady players who like to think their way round, and its terrace overlooking the course is a pleasant spot for lunch.

Signature hole. The 18th, nicknamed Amphitheatre, turns right towards a green guarded by a triangular pond: a finish where an approach left short is punished hard.

Official website

Lisbon Sports Club

  • Architect: Hawtree & Sons
  • Opened 1964
  • 18 holes
  • Par 69

Founded in 1861, the Lisbon Sports Club was one of the four founding members of the Portuguese Golf Federation in 1949. Its current course, by Hawtree & Sons, dates from 1964 and occupies a wooded valley in the Serra da Carregueira, with no buildings around it. Par 69 over 5,309 metres, with six par 3s: it is played with precision rather than length. Elevated tees, perched greens, a stream and wildlife make up old-fashioned club golf, very enjoyable for a relaxed round with friends.

Signature hole. The 3rd, a 176-metre par 3 played over water through dense vegetation, is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful holes in Portugal.

Official website

PGA Aroeira No. 1

  • Architect: Frank Pennink
  • Opened 1972
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1972 on the south bank of the Tagus, at Charneca da Caparica, the first course at Aroeira is the work of the Englishman Frank Pennink. Its winding fairways run through a protected pine forest, a stone's throw from the beach at Fonte da Telha, and early on earned it the nickname "the Wentworth of Lisbon". Par 72, 6,044 metres, it hosted the European Tour's Portuguese Open in 1996 and 1997. The layout rewards thought and accuracy off the tee more than power. A second course, Aroeira Nº2, completes the estate.

Official website

Where to stay

Palácio Ramalhete

On Rua das Janelas Verdes, in the old quarter of Lapa, this town palace has kept some of its 17th-century walls, which came through the 1755 earthquake intact. Every room is different, with parquet floors, azulejos and windows opening onto the courtyard or the Tagus, plus a pool, patios and a bar: a house more than a hotel. The National Museum of Ancient Art is a few steps away.

Pestana Palace Lisboa

A former palace listed as a national monument, on the Belém side to the west of the centre, surrounded by lush gardens. Rooms are divided between the original mansion and newer wings, with indoor and outdoor pools, a spa and a hammam. The Valle Flôr restaurant serves traditional Portuguese cooking facing the gardens. Handy, too, for visiting Belém without crossing the city.

Drawing room lined with blue and white azulejos beneath a carved wooden ceiling, windows open onto a river

Where to dine

Belcanto

In the heart of the Chiado, José Avillez's restaurant holds two Michelin stars and belongs to Relais & Châteaux. His contemporary Portuguese cooking comes as a tasting menu or à la carte, with a cellar of more than 350 labels, four fifths of them Portuguese. The evening to book for your last dinner.

Cervejaria Ramiro

Opened on 7 April 1956 on Avenida Almirante Reis, the beer hall gradually replaced its counter dishes with the seafood and shellfish that made its name, served without fuss at tightly packed tables with an ice-cold beer. A lively address where it is best to book or arrive early.

Riverside terrace at dusk, grilled fish, mussels, bread and a bottle of white wine on the table

Beyond golf

The Alfama, tram 28 and fado

Tram 28 links Martim Moniz with Campo de Ourique by way of Graça and Estrela, aboard the "Remodelado" cars that climb the city's steepest slopes. Walk down into the Alfama, then stay for fado, born in the 19th century in this quarter, the Mouraria and the Bairro Alto, and inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2011. In June, the Santo António festivities bring the whole city to life.

Belém and the Age of Discovery

On the banks of the Tagus, the Jerónimos Monastery, begun in 1501, and the Belém Tower form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed since 1983. It was from here that Vasco da Gama set sail for India in 1497. A morning is enough, ideally on a rest day, with a pause for a still-warm pastel de nata on the way out of the monastery.

Sintra

Some thirty kilometres to the north-west, the Serra de Sintra is home to the Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle and the Quinta da Regaleira, brought together in a cultural landscape listed by UNESCO in 1995. The suburban train gets there in about forty minutes, and the outing combines well with a round at Belas, whose fairways look out towards the serra.

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal: from March to June and from September to November, highs range from 18 to 25°C and the courses are in fine condition. July and August are hot, close to 28°C in the city and more on the south bank, and are best played early in the morning. Winter remains playable, with highs around 15°C, but November and December are the wettest months.

Getting there

Humberto Delgado airport (LIS) is seven kilometres from the centre: about twenty minutes by taxi, or the metro to Saldanha. Belas and the Lisbon Sports Club are about 25 minutes' drive from the central hotels, Aroeira about 30 minutes via the 25 de Abril Bridge. A car with driver remains the simplest way to move between courses.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best golf courses near Lisbon?

Within half an hour of the centre: Belas Clube de Campo, a championship layout by Rocky Roquemore; PGA Aroeira Nº1, by Frank Pennink and host of two Portuguese Opens; and the Lisbon Sports Club, a par-69 valley course. Cascais and Óbidos, further out, have their own guides.

Can you play golf in Lisbon without a car?

None of the courses is conveniently served by public transport. Plan on a taxi or a car with driver: about 25 minutes to Belas and the Lisbon Sports Club, 30 minutes to Aroeira.

When is the best time to play golf in Lisbon?

From March to June and from September to November, with highs of 18 to 25°C. Summer is for early-morning rounds; winter is mild but wetter in November and December.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Lisbon?

Three to five nights: two or three courses, a day in Sintra or Belém, and evenings in the Alfama or the Chiado.

Do Lisbon golf courses welcome visitors?

Yes. Belas Clube de Campo can be booked online, the Lisbon Sports Club welcomes visitors and PGA Aroeira publishes its visitor green fees on its website.

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