Portugal will have two fewer operational beaches during this swimming season than in 2025, due to the lack of safe conditions and damage caused by winter storms. The announcement was made this Friday by the government.
According to a note from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, sent to newsrooms, A total of 671 bathing waters were identified this year, 512 of which are coastal or transitional and 159 inland.s.
Regarding changes in relation to 2025, in which 673 bathing waters had been identified, the ministry supervised by Maria da Graça Carvalho reports the entry of two new beaches, one re-entry and the departure of five.
Entered this year Santo André beach (Póvoa do Varzim) and the river beach of Cerejal (Góis) were first added to the list and the bathing area of the Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo (Azores) was re-entered, after improving water quality.
In the opposite direction, The bathing areas of Ponte da Ranca (Vinhais), Pedras Negras (Marinha Grande), Lagoa da Ervideira (Leiria), Valongo/Breda (Mortágua) and Porto da Calada (Mafra) were removed from the list.. These changes are justified by the destruction of access points, instability of cliffs and risks to public health.
However, the Ministry of Environment and Energy highlights that, “in general, the beaches most affected by winter storms will be able to open this bathing season because they were the target of emergency and requalification interventions, which made it possible to re-establish safety conditions, stabilize cliffs, restore access and reinforce the sands”.
Bathing season has started in Madeira and Cascais
The opening of the 2026 summer season, which officially takes place between April 15th and October 31st, continued this Friday on 13 beaches in the municipality of Cascais and four in Madeira.
Porto Moniz beach, in the Madeira Archipelago, was the first in the country to start the bathing season, on April 15th.
The opening of the summer season continues in the Algarve on May 15th, followed by several beaches on the central and southern coast on June 1st and most beaches in the North and Center on June 13th.
“The 2026 bathing season begins in a particularly demanding context. The winter of 2025/2026 was marked by severe storms, which caused significant coastal erosion, loss of sediment, reduction of sand and damage to infrastructure and access, with particular incidence in the Central and Northern regions. These impacts directly affected the use and safety of several beaches, requiring urgent replacement and stabilization interventions”, reads the guardianship’s note.
O Government appeals to bathers to favor guarded beaches and consult the InfoÁgua platform for updated information on water quality, assistance to bathers and possible restrictions.
The bathing season each year is defined in an ordinance, published in the Diário da República, which identifies the bathing waters and the definition of the respective season.
In 2025, the swimming season runs from May 1st to October 31st.
