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Golf guide • Portugal • Centre (Silver Coast)

Golf in Óbidos: Atlantic links and a walled village on the Silver Coast

Óbidos, a walled village on Portugal's Silver Coast an hour north of Lisbon, is the base for four 18-hole courses between ten and twenty minutes' drive away: West Cliffs, Cynthia Dye's links opened in 2017 in the dunes, Praia D'El Rey, Cabell B. Robinson's layout between pines and ocean, Royal Óbidos, designed by Seve Ballesteros, and Bom Sucesso, beside the lagoon. Golfers come for seaside golf and evenings in medieval lanes, ideally in spring and autumn.

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The Silver Coast, between Lisbon and Nazaré, was long the secret of Lisbon's residents. Óbidos is its historic heart: a white village trimmed in blue and yellow, enclosed by walls you can walk along. From 1210, when Afonso II gave it to Queen Urraca, the town passed from queen to queen, hence its nickname, "vila das rainhas". Below lies the Óbidos lagoon, and beyond it the dunes where, in the space of twenty years, some of the country's most striking courses have been laid out.

The golf is played beside the Atlantic, a few kilometres from the village. West Cliffs and Praia D'El Rey, managed together and three kilometres apart, share the dunes and pinewoods of the coast. Closer to the lagoon, Royal Óbidos and Bom Sucesso offer more rolling terrain and views over calm water. The wind off the sea is part of the game: from one day to the next it changes the length of the holes and the way you attack the greens.

Four to six nights allow you to play all four courses without hurrying. Stay in the village for the atmosphere, or by the ocean to be on the first tee in five minutes. Evenings are spent in the lanes with a small glass of ginja in hand, and it is worth keeping a day for the lagoon, the beaches of Foz do Arelho or an outing to Peniche, a fishing port looking out to the Berlengas islands.

The courses

Green and flag between two hills wooded with maritime pines, a calm lagoon and dunes in the distance

West Cliffs

  • Architect: Cynthia Dye
  • Opened 2017
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 2017, West Cliffs is the Dye family's first course in Portugal: Cynthia Dye designed it across 200 hectares of dunes, coastal vegetation and pines, leaving the land as untouched as possible. A par 72 with the ocean in view from every hole and ragged-edged bunkers that melt into the scrub: this is true seaside golf, voted the world's best new course in the year it opened. The wind dictates strategy; it suits consistent players who like to think before they swing.

Signature hole. The 3rd, the hardest hole on the card, calls for a drive down the middle of a fairway that slopes from left to right: on the left, a large dune hides the green, which is guarded by water on the right and by a dune and bunkers on the left.

Official website

Praia D'El Rey Golf Course

  • Architect: Cabell B. Robinson
  • Opened 1997
  • 18 holes

Opened in June 1997, Cabell B. Robinson's course blends links holes in the dunes with more sheltered holes under the pines, with the sea and the Berlengas islands on the horizon. Robinson said he had only to protect a landscape that architects usually try to create. Deep bunkers, sloping greens and bright green fairways contrast with the sand of the dunes. The 13th, 14th and 15th run along the coast, and the 15th, with beach and out of bounds on the left, is the most memorable. It has long ranked among the best courses in Portugal; a handicap of 36 is required.

Official website

Royal Óbidos Golf Course

  • Architect: Severiano Ballesteros
  • Opened 2012
  • 18 holes

Opened in 2012, Royal Óbidos is one of Seve Ballesteros's last designs; he died in 2011 without having hit a ball on it. The routing follows rolling ground above the Óbidos lagoon over about 6,400 metres, and water, whether lagoon or ocean, accompanies much of the round. More inland than its coastal neighbours, it offers well-shaped greens and genuine elevation changes, and suits every level. The surrounding resort has a hotel, villas and a golf academy.

Official website

Guardian Bom Sucesso Golf

  • Architect: Donald Steel
  • Opened 2008
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in September 2008 beside the Óbidos lagoon, a quarter of an hour from the village, Bom Sucesso is a par 72 designed by Donald Steel's firm, where Martin Ebert was then working. The front nine is played on fairly flat ground; the back nine climbs into livelier hills, with the lagoon as a backdrop. It is the most accessible of the four, ideal for a first day or a relaxed round, and its finish leaves a fine memory.

Signature hole. The 17th, a par 5 set on the highest point of the course, tumbles to the left with the lagoon below; the 18th, a par 4, crosses water twice before the green.

Official website

Where to stay

Pousada Castelo Óbidos

Sleep in Óbidos castle, inside the walls: the pousada has been here since 1951. Choose between a room in the castle itself or in the adjoining Casa do Castelo. The restaurant, with around sixty covers, serves Portuguese regional cooking. In the morning the lanes are still empty before the day visitors arrive, and the nearest course is only a quarter of an hour away.

Praia D'El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort

A fully renovated five-star hotel on the edge of the beach and the Praia D'El Rey course, three kilometres from West Cliffs. Ask for a sea-facing room: the balconies look out over the Atlantic to the Berlengas islands, which you see again at sunset from the Contato bar. You walk to the first tee, and The Beachfront apartments suit groups who prefer space. Óbidos is twenty minutes' drive away.

The Literary Man Óbidos Hotel

A convent for nuns built in the 1830s, now a 27-room hotel where books line the walls, corridors and stairs: it calls itself the largest literary hotel in the world, and Óbidos, a UNESCO City of Literature, is its natural home. The standard rooms are small: ask for a suite, over 25 m² with a balcony. In the evening the gin bar, lined with books, keeps you in the village.

Where to dine

A Nova Casa de Ramiro

Against the walls, a rustic, welcoming dining room where fresh fish and salt cod take the lead, with a few meat dishes for everyone else. Straightforward Portuguese cooking, served at lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday; book for dinner on the evening you stay in the village.

Maria Batata (Rio do Prado)

The restaurant of Rio do Prado, at Arelho, above the lagoon: farm-to-table cooking, à la carte or as a tasting menu, with herbs grown in the estate's greenhouse. A fireplace designed by Dominique Imbert in 1968 warms the room on winter evenings. Open to non-residents, by reservation.

Grilled sea bass, potatoes in olive oil, salad, a glass of white wine and a small glass of cherry liqueur against a stone wall

Beyond golf

The walls and the town of books

The circuit of the walls, reworked under King Dinis and then strengthened with a keep in the 14th century, is best walked late in the day, when the light gilds the tiled roofs. Named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2015, Óbidos has around fifteen bookshops, one of them inside a church, and every October hosts the Fólio literary festival.

Ginja and village festivals

Ginja, a sour-cherry liqueur, is drunk here from a small chocolate cup that you eat afterwards. Try it at the stalls along the main street. The calendar has two highlights: the international chocolate festival in early spring and the medieval fair in July, which fills the lanes with costumes, taverns and jousting.

The Óbidos lagoon

Between Óbidos and Caldas da Rainha, the lagoon covers nearly seven square kilometres, linked to the Atlantic by a channel at Foz do Arelho. Designated a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in 2025, it welcomes migratory birds, kayaks and windsurfers, and its shores make for a quiet walk on a day off from golf.

Cobbled lane lined with white houses trimmed in blue and yellow, bougainvillea, crenellated walls above

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons: from March to June and again in September and October, the days are mild, the fairways in good condition and tee times easy to secure. Summer stays pleasant thanks to the ocean air, but the wind often picks up in the afternoon and the village is very busy, especially during the medieval fair in July. Winter is playable, wetter and windier, with calm days between spells of rain.

Getting there

Lisbon airport (LIS) is about an hour's drive from Óbidos on the A8 motorway. A hire car is the simplest option, as the four courses are spread between the lagoon and the coast, ten to twenty minutes from the village. We can also arrange private transfers from the airport and between courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Óbidos?

West Cliffs, designed by Cynthia Dye and opened in 2017, voted the world's best new course in the year it opened. Praia D'El Rey, its 1997 neighbour by Cabell B. Robinson, also ranks among the best in Portugal.

How many golf courses are there around Óbidos?

Four 18-hole courses lie ten to twenty minutes from the village: West Cliffs, Praia D'El Rey, Royal Óbidos, designed by Seve Ballesteros, and Bom Sucesso, beside the lagoon.

When is the best time to play golf in Óbidos?

From March to June and in September and October, when it is mild and the village is quiet. Summer is windier and busier; winter remains playable between spells of rain.

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

Four to six nights to play all four courses, with a free day for the village, the lagoon or Peniche.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Óbidos?

Lisbon airport (LIS), about an hour's drive away on the A8. A hire car or private transfer is recommended for getting between the courses.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Óbidos

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

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