Praia da Tocha, also known as Palheiros da Tocha, is an old fisherman village surrounded by pine and eucalyptus forest, and one of the only places in Portugal where you can still find the typical wooden houses, called “palheiros”. The first “palheiros” were quite rudimentary: they served as storage facilities for fishing gear or salty warehouses and temporary housing for fishermen.
In the beginning of the 19th century, fishermen from the north searching for new fishing sites, along with other settlers from the interior, the "gandareses" were the first visitors and residents of the beach, eventually starting "Arte Xávega". This unique and traditional way of fishing is adopted to this day and you can by your fresh fish directly at the beach.
Praia da Tocha is located in Beira Litoral region, which is part of the famous Silver Coast. It has this name because of the silver shinning reflex of the sun on the ocean. As implicit in the name, this beautiful area of mellow temperatures, white sandy beaches and amazing landscapes is considered one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Due to the country´s mild Mediterranean climate it is worth a visit all year round. Although spring and summer are the perfect time to explore the stunning ancient forests at their best and the well preserved flora and fauna. We could point out some places like Serra da Boa viagem, Serra do Buçaco or Serra da Lousã.
The nightlife of Beira Litoral is really diverse: from the traditional Portuguese restaurants to modern bars and clubs. For those who like to stay in the neighborhood, Praia da Tocha has a lot to offer. In our street, or a few meters away you can find a couple of enjoyable bars and places to eat. In the surrounding towns like Mira, Figueira da Foz, Aveiro and the famous student city of Coimbra there is always a nice place where you can enjoy an ice cold "cerveja" after a good surf.
Travelling with your family? No problem. Praia da Tocha is very safe for kids and has not a lot of traffic, and in our main street there are no cars allowed. Apart from that our place is family proof, perfect for a family surf holiday. We have 2 larger rooms where parents can sleep with their kids and a baby crib can be booked up on request.
You can book your family options and packages through our our trusted 'Booking Layer' booking platform, or CONTACT us for more information.
This region is very rich in terms of history and architecture, so there is plenty to see! If you are really into it, you will have the opportunity to visit some beautiful monasteries, castles, palaces, churches and museums. This area also has fabulous national treasures like the traditional art, the gastronomy influenced by the sea and added with a touch of great Portuguese wines (like vinho da Bairrada) and do not forget the delicious pastry and cakes.
No matter where you are, in a tiny fisherman village or in one of the cities, people are friendly and always try to help out. This is another plus to add to the list of qualities of this region!
The closest surf spot from our guesthouse is our home break and is only 100 meters away. This beach break, for all surf levels, starts to work with less than 3 ft (1 meter) swell, and is the place to be! If it´s flat here, it´s flat everywhere! The rest of the surf spots of the Beira Litoral coast are a variety of world class beach, reef and point breaks.
The most well-known spots are around Aveiro and Figueira da Foz. But away from these two towns the waves are almost totally deserted and kilometers of open beach are mixed up with a scattering of headlands and the occasional forgotten reef. This stretch of Portuguese coast line has been under the radar for years now, even though it hosted quite some WSL (World Surfing League) world tour events over the last two decades. With such a variety of good surf spots and just a small number of surfers, this area is Portugal’s hidden jewel.
In 2004 Brian went on a surf trip to Portugal, where he met his lovely wife Claudia. After a while, they were inseparable... They travelled around the world and in between their own countries: The Netherlands and Portugal. After a long search for the perfect spot, they decided to follow their hearts and transform their dreams into reality… They love to share the surf and yoga spirit, there for they started Ticket2Surf!
After almost 10 years our family got bigger and bigger first with our dog Quilhas and later we were blessed with a daughter Joi and son Gui. A lot of things changed over the years, but luckily we were able to maintain the same spirit as when we started.
Brian is a surf coach and a life guard. He also has a post-graduation degree in surf & performance (Level 1 and 2) and he is the perfect person to help you improve your surf skills. Besides his passion for surfing, he is an entertainer and loves to cook, play guitar and tell funny stories and jokes.
Claudia is a yoga teacher and loves to share the yoga lifestyle with her students. She is also a biologist and as a Portuguese "chica" she will be more than happy to tell you all about the treasures of the Portuguese culture, history and also show you the beautiful nature around.