landmark
Obidos
A fairy-tale walled medieval town of whitewashed houses with blue and yellow trim, famous for its ginjinha cherry liqueur.
19 km · about 20 min drive
EuropePortugalSantarém
Rio Maior
Santarém, Portugal · Europe
About Rio Maior
Rio Maior is worth a stop: 20 minutes from A dos Francos, 32km from Nazare.
Rio Maior is in Santarém, Portugal, with about 12,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is A dos Francos, about 9 km away.
Rio Maior (European Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁi.u mɐˈjɔɾ] ) is a municipality in the Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 21,192, in an area of 272.76 km².
The present mayor is Isaura Morais of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the first woman to be elected mayor in the municipality. TheRead more
municipal holiday is November 6.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Rio Maior?
Within an hour or so of Rio Maior: Obidos (19 km), Alcobaça Monastery (24 km), Nazare (32 km), Praia do Norte, Nazaré (32 km).
Are there any good drives near Rio Maior?
The nearest famous roads are Tram 28 Route, Lisbon, Sintra–Cascais Coast Road (N247) and Estrada Marginal (N6).
Where is Rio Maior?
Rio Maior is in Santarém, Portugal, about 9 km from A dos Francos.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 12,064
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Portugal
- Region
- Santarém
- Timezone
- Europe/Lisbon
- Coordinates
- 39.3373, -8.9391
Tags
Worth the detour from Rio Maior
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
Alcobaça Monastery
Portugal's largest church, a UNESCO Cistercian abbey founded in 1153, holding the facing carved tombs of King Pedro I and his murdered lover Inês de Castro: placed foot-to-foot so they rise facing each other at judgement.
24 km · about 25 min drive
natural wonder
Nazare
A fishing town famous for producing the world's largest surfed waves, with 30-meter swells breaking at the Praia do Norte canyon.
32 km · about 35 min drive
beach
Praia do Norte, Nazaré
The beach where a submarine canyon generates record-breaking waves, overlooked by the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo.
32 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Batalha Monastery
A Gothic and Manueline masterpiece built to commemorate the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota, with its famous Unfinished Chapels.
37 km · about 45 min drive
cathedral
Sanctuary of Fátima
One of Catholicism's great modern pilgrimage sites, built where three shepherd children reported Marian apparitions in 1917: a vast esplanade twice the size of St Peter's Square links the 1953 basilica and the 9,000-seat Holy Trinity church.
40 km · about 45 min drive
natural wonder
Berlengas Islands
A remote archipelago nature reserve off Peniche with crystal waters, sea caves, and a dramatic 17th-century island fortress.
50 km · about 55 min drive
castle
Castelo de Almourol
A Templar castle on a rocky island in the Tagus river, reached by short ferry from a riverside car park.
50 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Rio Maior
7 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 65 kmPonte Vasco da GamaOne of Europe's longest bridges, an arrow-straight 12km span across the Tagus estuary.
- 71 kmTram 28 Route, LisbonLisbon's iconic vintage yellow tram rattling through the city's steepest and most atmospheric historic neighborhoods.
- 71 kmMiradouro da Senhora do MonteLisbon's highest viewpoint, a quiet terrace surveying castle, river and rooftops at sunset.
- 74 kmSintra–Cascais Coast Road (N247)A wind-swept coastal drive past Cabo da Roca, wild beaches and the Sintra-Cascais natural park.
- 75 kmPonte 25 de AbrilA red suspension bridge evoking the Golden Gate, soaring across the Tagus into southern Lisbon.
- 79 kmCabo da RocaThe westernmost point of continental Europe, a wild windswept cliff 140 meters above the roaring Atlantic.
Driving in Portugal
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€9.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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