Praia Nova, Beach in Porches, Portugal
Praia Nova is a beach on the Algarve coast featuring golden sand that stretches for about 300 meters, framed by towering limestone cliffs. These rock walls create a natural enclosure and form the eastern boundary of the cove.
The beach sits beside a rocky promontory that has held a fortification and a shrine since the medieval period. These structures show the site was once valued as a defensive position and place of spiritual importance for communities along this coast.
The beach serves as a gathering place where locals and visitors mix freely throughout the day. People come here to swim, rest on the sand, and watch the ocean, creating a relaxed social space.
Access comes either by descending stairs from the clifftop parking area or walking through a 60-meter tunnel from a nearby chapel. Low tide reveals rocky areas and tide pools that visitors can explore along the water's edge.
The tunnel walls show fossilized marine creatures from millions of years ago, making the passage itself part of the geological story. Visitors walk past these ancient remains while entering the beach, connecting directly to the region's deep natural history.
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