Berlenga Grande island

The Berlengas are a small group of Atlantic islands 10 to 17 km off Peniche. Berlenga Grande is the only one visitors can land on. It is about 1.5 km long and 800 metres wide, rises to 88 metres and has no permanent residents, only a cluster of fishermen’s houses, a lighthouse and a fort. The whole archipelago has been a nature reserve since 1981 and is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

For children the trip has three parts that all feel like an adventure: a boat ride on the open sea, an island with seabirds wheeling overhead, and a fort on its own rock, joined to the island by an arched stone bridge. It is a full day out, it depends on the weather, and it only runs in the warmer months.

Viamar, the longest-running operator, has sailed from Peniche since 1958. Its main boat, the Cabo Avelar Pessoa, carries up to 180 passengers, and the crossing takes 40 to 45 minutes. The boat has two toilets looked after by the crew, and seats set aside for people with reduced mobility and for parents with babies in arms. Children must stay with their adults throughout.

This is the open Atlantic, so the crossing can be lively. If your child gets seasick, plan for it before you book, and pick a calm day if you can. Viamar lets passengers stay up to five hours on the island, the longest of the operators by its own account, which is enough time to explore, eat and swim without rushing.

From the landing stage, marked trails climb over the island. Stay on them: the reserve protects the plants and nesting birds, and signs show where you can walk. The island is pink granite, rounded and cut by narrow gullies, which gives it a figure-of-eight shape. Children who like rocks can hunt for smooth hollows and potholes worn into the top of the island, which scientists read as a sign it was once under the sea.

Seabirds are the island’s main residents. Five species breed on the Berlengas, and they are the only colonies of ocean-going seabirds off mainland Portugal: Cory’s shearwater (cagarra), band-rumped storm petrel, shag, yellow-legged gull and lesser black-backed gull. The gulls are the ones you’ll notice, loud and bold around people. The rule is firm: never feed them or any other animal. The common murre, a black and white auk at the southern edge of its range here, is the reserve’s symbol. Look out too for the island’s own subspecies of wall lizard sunning on the rocks.

Three plants grow nowhere else in the world but these islands, including a pink thrift called Armeria berlengensis. Children can’t pick anything or take rocks home, which is a useful talking point about why nature reserves exist.

The lighthouse, built in 1841 and known locally as the Duque de Bragança, sits on the high ground. The water around the island is famous for its clarity, and the small beach at Carreiro do Mosteiro is where families swim in summer. The Atlantic here is cold, even in August.

The fort is the part many children remember. It sits on a rocky islet off the south-east of the island, reached by a causeway and an arched bridge. Monks built a monastery here in the early 1500s to help shipwrecked sailors, but pirate raids and storms drove them away. In the 17th century its stones were reused to build the fort. In 1666, while still being built, it held off a Spanish fleet, and it was finished in 1678. Later it was a base for British troops during the Napoleonic wars.

Today the fort holds a simple seasonal guest house run by the Associação dos Amigos da Berlenga, so a family can sleep inside its walls. There is also a small campsite on the island, which needs to be booked in advance; wild camping is not allowed.

Around the island the sea has carved caves and arches. The ICNF names the Furado Grande cave, the Cova do Sono and an arch called the Elephant’s Trunk; the Furado Grande is a natural tunnel that runs right through the island and opens into a bay. Viamar lists optional extras on the island, including glass-bottom boat trips to the caves, snorkelling and scuba diving. These are sold separately, so check prices and minimum ages when booking.

No more than 550 people may be on the island at once. Every visitor, of any age, needs a BerlengasPass from the reserve authority (ICNF), issued online at berlengaspass.icnf.pt or through a licensed operator. One registered account can issue up to six passes. When checked in September 2026 the fee was €3 per adult per visit, half price for ages 6 to 17 and over-65s, and free for children under 6, who still need a pass. You have 12 hours to pay after issuing the pass. You can cancel up to 48 hours before, and the fee is refunded only if the ICNF cancels access because of bad weather. Carry the pass on the island.

On the island there is the Mesa da Ilha restaurant, open from June to September, and the Castelinho snack bar near the fort, which sells light meals, sandwiches and ice creams. Bring water and snacks anyway, and take all your rubbish home.

Viamar’s packing list is sun cream, a hat, sunglasses, water, comfortable clothes, a light waterproof jacket, good shoes and a towel, plus a power bank, since phone signal is weak or absent. Pack for sun and wind together. The paths are for walking, not pushing, so bring a carrier rather than a buggy. Loud music is banned on the island.

July and August weekends sell out weeks ahead. You can buy tickets on the day if there is space, but book in summer. The departure point is Cais da Ribeira in Peniche harbour, near the Peniche fortress, with parking nearby; Rede Expressos buses from Lisbon take about two hours and stop about 15 minutes’ walk away.

Peniche has plenty to fill a second day. Praia do Baleal has a calmer southern side for paddling and swimming, the indoor Peniche municipal pool is useful on a windy day, and the Boa Sombra skatepark runs skate classes for children. Dino Parque Lourinhã is a short drive south.

How long is the boat to Berlenga?

About 40 to 45 minutes each way from Peniche on Viamar’s boat.

Is the Berlenga trip suitable for young children?

Viamar says families with small children often travel with it, and the boat has seats for parents with babies. The questions are the sea and the paths: the crossing can be rough, and the island is walked on rocky trails, so it suits children who can walk a fair distance and don’t mind a bumpy ride.

Do children need a BerlengasPass?

Yes. Every visitor needs one. Under-6s go free but still need a pass, and ages 6 to 17 pay half.

When can you visit Berlenga?

Ferries run from early May to the end of September. There are no regular sailings from October to April.

Can you swim on Berlenga?

Yes, at the small beach at Carreiro do Mosteiro, in summer. The water is clear and cold, and there are no lifeguard details on the operator’s pages, so watch children closely.