Local places to visit (driving times in brackets):
Baleal (20 mins) is a surfer's paradise with two lovely bays on either side of a causeway to a picturesque village. Plenty of beach bars, surf shops, restaurants and yoga centres.
Obidos (20 mins) is a stunning medieval walled town with beautifully preserved architecture, cobbled streets and a fantastic range of independent shops, bars and restaurants.
Peniche (30 mins) is a fishing town with an old harbour and great seafood restaurants, surrounded on both sides by long beaches that host the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal each year.
Foz do Arelho is a family-oriented seaside town with a mix of calm lagoon waters and powerful Atlantic waves (30 mins)
Sao Martinho do Porto is a pretty town with a more Meditteranean seaside feel, its golden sands are spread around a huge sheltered shell-shaped bay, and the boardwalk and promenade stretch for 2 miles (35 mins)
Nazare is a commercial seaside town - famous for its stunning cliffs, record-breaking winter waves and international surfing competitions (45 mins)
Slightly further afield:
Monastery of Alcobaça - a medieval Gothic Cistercian UNESCO World Heritage site (45 mins)
The towns of Caldas da Rainha, Ericeira, Leiria, Loures, Mafra and Santarém (less than 1 hour)
Monastery of Batalha - a Gothic-Manueline UNESCO World Heritage site (1 hour)
Sanctuary of Fátima - a religious pilgrimage centre (1 hour, 10 mins)
Tomar's Convent of Christ (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Castelo de Tomar (1 hour 20 mins)
Serra de Aire National Park limestone area including Portugal’s largest cave - Mira de Aire (1.5 hours)
University of Coimbra - a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1290 (1 hour 40 mins)
The towns of Abrantes, Aveiro (the Venice of Portugal), Cascais, Castelo Branco, Lisbon (city centre), Setubal and Sintra (less than 2 hours)