Arrifana is the best known of Aljezur's beaches and the most dramatic — a wide crescent of sand enclosed by high dark cliffs that drop almost vertically into the sea. The beach faces northwest directly into the Atlantic swell, which makes it a reliable and popular surf spot. Several surf schools operate here, and the waves work for beginners in the mornings when the wind is lighter, picking up more force by afternoon.
On the southern headland, above the car park, stand the ruins of Fortim da Arrifana, a small coastal fort built in the 1690s to guard against the Barbary corsairs who regularly raided this stretch of coast. The views from up there — down onto the beach, out over the ocean, and along the cliff line — are better than anything you get from the sand itself. There are a handful of restaurants in the small village above the beach, nothing fancy but adequate for lunch after a surf session.