Praia de Porto Dinheiro

Praia de Porto Dinheiro is on the coast of Lourinhã, on the Silver Coast north of Lisbon, an area known for its dinosaur finds. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) describes it as a long beach surrounded by high cliffs, next to a small fishing village with a little sheltered harbour. Visit Lourinhã, the council’s tourism site, calls it an extensive beach beside a small cluster of fishermen’s houses, and points to the good restaurants nearby.

Geoparque Oeste, the UNESCO Global Geopark that covers this coast, explains why it’s a harbour at all: the rocky headland and the long beach protect it from the waves, making it a natural port for small, traditional fishing boats. Fishing here is in decline, but the boats still go out, and Visit Lourinhã says watching them leave for the day’s fishing is a moment not to miss.

The main reason a dinosaur-loving child will want to come is in the cliffs. Geoparque Oeste says several fossils have been dug out of the cliffs at Porto Dinheiro, and the most famous is a sauropod, one of the giant long-necked plant-eaters, named Dinheirosaurus lourinhanensis in honour of the place it was found. The name means roughly “the Porto Dinheiro lizard from Lourinhã”.

According to the Wikipedia article on the animal, the first bones were found in 1987 by Carlos Anunciação, who was linked to the Museu da Lourinhã, and digging continued until 1992. It’s estimated to have been 20 to 25 metres long, longer than two buses end to end, and the fossil is kept at the Museu da Lourinhã. The rocks belong to the Lourinhã Formation, from the Late Jurassic.

The bones aren’t on show at the beach, and this coast is part of a geopark, so leave any fossil you spot where it is. What children can do is stand under the cliffs where it lay, then see life-size sauropods at Dino Parque Lourinhã.

Geoparque Oeste points out something else in the rock. The cliffs hold traces of rivers that flowed here about 150 million years ago. Look closely and you’ll see small pinkish grains, like the ones in the granite of the Berlenga islands out to sea. Their presence shows that the rivers ran eastwards from where the Berlengas are now, carrying sand and gravel to this coast. It’s a good puzzle for older children: how can rocks from islands out at sea end up in a cliff on land?

The geopark lists what to look for. In the small pools uncovered at low tide lives the painted top shell (Calliostoma zizyphinum), a small, cone-shaped sea snail. On the sand, the tide sometimes washes up by-the-wind sailors (Velella velella), small blue floating creatures with a clear “sail”. Overhead are yellow-legged gulls, and on the cliffs grow sea fennel and a coastal bird’s-foot trefoil. Look without touching the by-the-wind sailors; they’re relatives of jellyfish.

Every August, Geoparque Oeste says, Porto Dinheiro holds the Festa do Mar (sea festival). A procession carries the image of Nossa Senhora de Monserrate from the church at Ribamar down to the beach, and from there by boat to Peniche to meet the image of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem. Check the date locally if you want to see it.

The 2026 bathing season ran from 20 June to 13 September, later than on many beaches, with lifeguards and a first-aid post. Porto Dinheiro flew the Blue Flag in 2026. The APA rates the water “excellent”, with no history of short-term pollution and a sample taken every three weeks in season.

The APA also marks Porto Dinheiro as having “waves of special value”, the label it gives recognised surf spots, and warns of falling rock from the cliffs. So choose your spot on open sand away from the cliff foot, keep young children close at the water’s edge, and swim only in the lifeguarded area.

The APA lists toilets, showers, a first-aid post, beach support and parking. Visit Lourinhã mentions the restaurants around the village. It isn’t on the 2026 accessible-beach list and has no amphibious chair; for that, go to Praia da Areia Branca, whose southern end has one.

There’s nothing to see of the dinosaur on site without a guide or a visit to the museum, so set expectations. The waves are surf-grade and the cliffs carry a rock-fall warning. Outside 20 June to 13 September there are no lifeguards.

Spend the morning at Dino Parque Lourinhã, with more than 200 life-size dinosaurs, then come to the beach. Praia da Areia Branca has minigolf and surf schools, and Lourinhã has a skate park. North towards Peniche, Praia da Consolação has small dinosaur footprints in its cliffs.

Can you see dinosaur fossils at Porto Dinheiro?

Not on display. The Dinheirosaurus bones were dug out of the cliffs between 1987 and 1992 and are kept at the Museu da Lourinhã. The cliffs themselves are the site.

Is Porto Dinheiro good for small children?

It has lifeguards and facilities in season, but the APA flags surf-quality waves and falling rock. Keep toddlers at the water’s edge on open sand.

Is there a lifeguard?

Yes, in the bathing season, which ran from 20 June to 13 September in 2026.

How far is it from Dino Parque?

Both are in Lourinhã council, a short drive apart, so it’s easy to do the park in the morning and the beach in the afternoon.