Buarcos is a ''

freguesia (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Portuguese over ...

'' (civil parish) in

Figueira da Foz Municipality Figueira da Foz (), officially Figueira da Foz City (), often called simply Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is locate ...

, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 18,454,Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal in an area of 15.53 km². During the 1600s, the people of Buarcos were harassed by pirates and built the long fortification that stands to this day. It is a traditional fishing town that has grown also as a noted beach resort due to its natural landscape namely the beach which is sheltered from the strong northern winds by the Boa Viagem small mountain range (''Serra da Boa Viagem''). Many of its inhabitants still work in the fishing industry but tourism is also an important activity. It has hotels, seafood restaurants and bars with view over the bay and the extensive beach. In the 20th century Buarcos was a popular beach for Portuguese people from the entire

Centro Region The Central Region (, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Leiria, Castelo Branco and Guarda. It is one of the seven Regi ...

from

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

and beyond. In the 21st century Buarcos, like the entire region’s coastal beach locations, became a popular destination for a larger number of European travellers as well.

References

Freguesias of Figueira da Foz Seaside resorts in Portugal {{Coimbra-geo-stub