The Silver Coast refers to the long stretch of Atlantic shoreline between Nazaré, São Martinho do Porto, Figueira da Foz, Peniche, and up toward Aveiro. Unlike the “Algarve,” which has been used for many centuries (from the Arabic al-Gharb meaning “The West”), Costa de Prata is a 20th-century name.

Why “Silver”?

The name comes from the visual character of the ocean and light along this coast.

On many days, the Atlantic here reflects:

• Silvery mist
• Shimmering wave patterns
• Bright reflections under strong sun
• Sea spray and fog that make the horizon glow

Writers, artists, and early travel promoters in the early 1900s described the sea as having a “silver shine” — especially in the morning and late afternoon when the sun sits low.

The term “Costa de Prata” appears in Portuguese travel literature from the 1920s–1930s, but it was in the 1950s–1970s that tourism officials really adopted it as a more poetic identity — particularly to distinguish this region from:

• The rugged, dramatic “Costa Vicentina” in the southwest
• The golden beaches of the Algarve
• The green Atlantic North

So it’s not an ancient name — but it reflects something very real and visible in the landscape.

Cultural and Practical Reasons the Name Stayed

The Silver Coast became associated with:

• Seaside summer towns like Figueira da Foz, São Martinho do Porto, Nazaré
• Rail tourism when the Linha do Oeste railway brought visitors from Lisbon
• Old seaside hotels and family summer houses
• Surfing and fishing culture

The name worked because it described the mood of the coastline, and locals began to use it too.

By the 1990s and 2000s, the name became commonly used in:

• Real estate promotion
• Tourism brochures
• Surfing destination guides

And today, “Silver Coast” is internationally recognized, especially among visitors from:

• The UK
• Northern Europe
• Canada and the US

In Short