Caparica was another one of those destinations that I had heard about through the digital nomad grape vine, and after only a few days, was another destination I wish I had had more time to explore.

Between stays in Cascais, I ventured over the bridge to Caparica for about a week to explore what the hype was about. And before I go further, I will say that it is somehow even more chilled out than Cascais and perfect for people who prefer to live life outside with so many beaches and outdoor activities to choose from (plus the occasional festival and party).

I enjoyed Lisbon when I first visited years ago, but for me it’s become less enjoyable with places becoming overwhelmingly crowded and so last year I took it upon myself to make more effort to explore more of the surrounding areas. First I fell in love with Cascais and now I’m itching to go back to Caparica - although visits to both will be out of season when there are less crowds and better surf.

Life in Caparica is largely centred around being in the water, hanging out with community and the occasional party, so it isn’t really somewhere I would expect the traditional short term tourist to visit. Which is great for remote lifers like me who are looking to support local, all-year round businesses and to slot into the day to day life, making the most of the ‘regular’ way of doing things.

Places to work from in Caparica

Dr Bernard

There are actually two locations (one restaurant on the promenade and a cowork space set back a little bit from the beach). When I visited Caparica, the cowork space didn’t respond to my emails - although that could be seasonal - but I enjoyed visiting the restaurant so I could work with a front row view of the waves while enjoying good coffee, food and vibes. (I’ve also been told the wifi is now much better, but my hotspot also worked well while I was there.

Surfin Coffee & Bowls

This cafe has also embraced the remote work world with a designated coworking table for people to sit at with their laptops - although the couple of times I went it was already full way before 9am. But I still loved to start my day there with a great coffee and açaí bowl before heading to another location to work from. They seem to have mastered building and attracting an all year round community and they seemed to attract a crowd consistently each day, even in a quieter time of the season. Super recommend!

KOA Brunch Cafe

A little on the pricier side, but still worth a visit for a couple of hours of work - which is what I did a couple of times. KOA has also mastered managing coworkers and brunchers at the same time and has a great system that makes for easy working while enjoying their delicious coffee and food. It was an easy place to order lunch, then dessert, then coffee and so on.

Asante Coffee

This spot was a little further away from my accommodation, so I didn’t initially pick it up on my search. But for people staying a little more into Caparica town itself, it’s worth a visit for well-made coffee. They treat it like an art there and it seemed to attract people with a specific love of good coffee (in the best way possible). After finding it again for this post, I’d 100% say I’ll add it to my list when I eventually make it back.

48 Casulo - Warung Coffee Shop

Of course the digital nomad girlie in me wanted to love this Indonesian-inspired cafe, but either I ordered the wrong thing, went on the ‘wrong day’ or in general it just wasn’t a vibe for me. The menu was nice enough, but it felt overpriced and lacking a certain something that would entice me to want to go back. (And with others like Surfin Coffee & Bowls literally a couple of doors down, I’d suggest you go there instead).

Where to stay in Caparica

The room I originally wanted wasn’t available, so I stayed in a hostel where the wifi didn’t reach that one room so I won’t link it. Given its proximity to Lisbon, even a room in a shared house is still on the pricier side, but I really enjoyed using the terrace to work from at 5th Element Beach House and it was close to everything I needed for the few days I was there. The host was also super welcoming and always willing to give advice, so I’d happily book here again.

Overall…

The conclusion I’ve drawn about Caparica is that I’d love it for a season or three months, say to focus on work and surf, before maybe wanting to move on again. Pulling out of the town, my Uber driver at the time put it best that unless you have a community there already, it can be a tough town to fully enjoy as there is very little focus in the town outside of being in the water and the occasional party.

But I’m open-minded and it seems to be picking up within the remote lifer community, so we’ll see, and as I mentioned in the introduction, I unexpectedly fell in love with the vibe and will 100% be back. (I also still haven’t found a hairdresser I like better than Hair Choice - who understand the ‘beach girlie’ vibe we’re all going for with our haircuts).

Would you consider yourself a beach girlie too?

Han x