Redonda Beach or ''Praia Redonda'' in Portuguese, meaning Round, is a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

on the southwestern coast of

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim () is a Portugal, Portuguese city in Norte Region, Portugal, Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho River, Minho ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, bordering the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. It is adjacent to

Passeio Alegre Passeio Alegre is a square in Póvoa de Varzim City Center in Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continenta ...

, in

Póvoa de Varzim City Center Póvoa de Varzim City Center or Downtown Póvoa de Varzim (Portuguese, ''Centro'') is the heart of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal, and is the location for most of the city's municipal services, tourist attractions and businesses. It is the center, n ...

. The

Avenida dos Banhos Avenida dos Banhos (Portuguese for Baths Avenue), is the main waterfront street and a popular tourist attraction in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It roughly encompasses the central waterfront area of Póvoa de Varzim from Passeio Alegre Square and th ...

runs alongside the beach, and the Diana Bar beach library, a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

and Café Guarda-sol are located on the beach. The beach has medium sand and little granitic gneiss, typical rocky outcrops on Póvoa de Varzim coastline, the largest concentration is Carvalhido outcrop, which serves as the north limit of the beach.

Salgueira Beach Salgueira Beach (''Praia da Salgueira'' in Portuguese) is an extensive maritime beach of the city Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. The beach has white sand and very few rocks, in the central spot with a northern rocky side, near Buddha Club, known ...

is located to the North and the

Port of Póvoa de Varzim The Port of Póvoa de Varzim is a seaport built in Enseada da Póvoa Bay in the city of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. During the Middle Ages, it was known as Port of Varzim (''Porto de Veracim'' in Old Portuguese). Once used for trade and shipbu ...

to the south. These beaches have a specific climate, by showing low

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

, just 4 °C (= 7.2 °F). Compared with the rest of the territory, rainfall is significantly lower and

solar irradiation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W ...

higher. These are subject to the prevailing northern winds which arise in the summer after midday; hence mornings are significantly less windy.

History

The beach is historically known as ''Praia de Banhos'', Portuguese for Bathing Beach, contrasting with the Fisheries Beach (used for fishing and with very fine sand), currently the

. it is the historical bathing beach of Póvoa de Varzim, that in the 19th century became the most popular tourist destination in Northern Portugal.

Ramalho Ortigão José Duarte Ramalho Ortigão () (24 November 1836 – 27 September 1915) was a Portuguese writer of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Biography Ortigão spent his early years with his maternal grandmother in Porto. He studied law i ...

, in the book ''As Praias de Portugal'' (The Beaches of Portugal), states that Póvoa de Varzim is the great hostel for the inhabitants of the Minho province, for

sea bathing Sea bathing is swimming in the sea or in sea water and a sea bath is a protective enclosure for sea bathing. Unlike bathing in a swimming pool, which is generally done for pleasure or exercise purposes, sea bathing was once thought to have curati ...

or breathing the

Sea air Sea air has traditionally been thought to offer health benefits associated with its unique odor, which is caused by dimethyl sulfide, released by microbes. Salts generally do not dissolve in air, but can be carried by sea spray in the form of par ...

, as the

marine layer A marine layer is an air mass that develops over the surface of a large body of water, such as an ocean or large lake, in the presence of a Inversion (meteorology), temperature inversion. The inversion itself is usually initiated by the cooling ...

is occasionally propelled to the beach by the south and western maritime winds during summertime, leaving an intense aroma. Ortigão states that in that time no other beach had such diversity and popularity. In 1844, the chapel of Saint Joseph was built in there, and there was a street known as Rua da Areosa. The street was enlarged and became the Passeio Alegre square and the chapel demolished by beautification of the beaches square. A new

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

was built on Avenida Mousinho de Albuquerque to replace it. However, in the 1930s, beach bars were constructed in the location of the chappel: Diana Bar and Café Guardassol, the later was, at first, a famed 1920s wooden building, causing local debate. In the 1970s, Café Enseada was built and, in the 21st century, a new wooden building, the Maresia Café.

References

{{Póvoa de Varzim Beaches of Póvoa de Varzim