Maçãs Beach owes its name to a river that used to run in between apple tree fields, and the fruit used to fall into this river that has its mouth on the beach, delivering several Apples (Maçãs) into the ocean and the sandy area.
The sandy area has about 250 meters wide, surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars and handicraft shops, in this place that has become over the years the meeting point of everybody from Sintra, and later from all the Lisboa area, specially on Sundays, either on summer or winter time.
Next to this beach there is a swimming pool with ocean’s water, a children’s park and space for picnics.
The beach has also good facilities for sport fishing, on both sides of the sandy area.
Beyond the beach, one of the main attractions is the tramcar with a lovely journey that starts in Sintra (in Estefânia, next to the Sintra’s modern art museum), has a stop in Colares and ends in Maçãs Beach.