OOO Local Guide

The Guide to Working Remotely from Costa da Caparica

Lisbon when you want it. Ocean, dunes and a slower rhythm when you don’t.

Costa da Caparica · Remote Work · Local Guide

By Nico Mahembe Ingendaay, founder of Out of Office and Caparica localUpdated August 2026

If you ask me why Costa da Caparica, the answer is actually pretty simple:

Life is good here.

We are on the south side of Lisbon, close enough to be in the city quickly, but the feeling is completely different.

Caparica still has that small beach-town character. First came the fishermen, then the surfers, and now more remote workers and digital nomads are slowly finding their way here too.

But it has never really turned into a resort town.

There aren’t huge hotel complexes everywhere. It isn’t a party destination. And even though the town has changed a lot over the years, it still feels local.

You have the ocean, the dunes, surfboards everywhere, local cafés, fishermen, families who have lived here for years — and Lisbon just across the river.

For me, that is the sweet spot:

city close by, nature outside your door and life moving just a little bit slower.

Why work remotely from Costa da Caparica?

The obvious reason is the ocean.

But I think the real difference is what happens around your work.

You can work out outside in the morning, walk through the dunes, surf before your first call or go down to the beach once you close your laptop.

You don’t have to make a big plan out of it.

That is probably what I like most.

The town is also small enough that you stop feeling anonymous quite quickly. You start recognising people. You have your coffee place, your lunch spot, the people you see surfing, training or working around you.

There is a community here, but it doesn’t feel like somebody built a “digital nomad community” from scratch.

It just happens naturally.

Costa da Caparica vs Lisbon for remote work

This really comes down to what you want your everyday life to look like.

If you want restaurants everywhere, nightlife, cultural events and the energy of a capital city, Lisbon obviously has more to offer.

If nature matters more to you, Caparica gives you something Lisbon can’t quite replicate.

You can be on the beach before work. You can walk through the dunes. You can surf. You have more space around you and generally a slower rhythm.

And you are still close to Lisbon.

That is the part people sometimes underestimate.

You don’t have to choose between living by the ocean and having access to the city.

You can have both.

For me, Caparica is the better choice if you like nature, surfing, a smaller community and a bit less anonymity.

If your priority is nightlife and city life, Lisbon probably wins.

Simple as that.

Getting from Costa da Caparica to Lisbon

Most people immediately think of the 25 de Abril Bridge.

And yes, by car or Uber you can get into Lisbon quite quickly when traffic is good.

The important part is: when traffic is good.

At rush hour, the bridge can be annoying.

But the bridge is not your only option.

One of the nicest alternatives is taking the ferry from Cacilhas in Almada to Cais do Sodré. You arrive right in the centre of Lisbon and completely avoid bridge traffic.

There is also another ferry from Trafaria to Belém.

Trafaria is very close to Costa da Caparica, and the boat ride is probably one of the most relaxed ways to get into Lisbon.

You cross the river, get a great view of the city and arrive directly in Belém.

It is also inexpensive.

Especially during peak traffic hours, both ferry options are worth checking before automatically jumping into a car.

Public buses also connect Caparica with Lisbon, so if you stay centrally you definitely don’t need a car for everyday life.

Personally, I probably wouldn’t choose Caparica if I had to commute into Lisbon every morning at 8:30.

That would remove quite a bit of the slow-life part.

But if you work remotely and only go into the city occasionally, it works really well.

Where to cowork in Costa da Caparica

There are now several proper coworking options in Costa da Caparica.

Which is useful, because the romantic idea of working from the beach tends to fall apart quite quickly once you actually need to get something done.

And yes, this is where I should mention Out of Office.

We created OOO because we wanted a place that felt different from a huge anonymous coworking office.

Something small.

A place where you can work properly, take your calls, sit outside for a bit and actually get to know some of the people around you.

But there are other coworking spaces in Caparica too, and I genuinely think it is worth checking what fits you best.

Some are bigger.

Some are more social.

Some are closer to the beach.

The important thing is having somewhere that actually works for your working style.

Can you work from cafés in Costa da Caparica?

This is actually a little more difficult than people expect.

A lot of cafés, restaurants and especially beach bars in Caparica explicitly do not allow laptops.

And honestly, that makes sense.

They don’t want every table to turn into an office for four hours, especially during busy periods.

So rather than assuming you can open your laptop anywhere, you should look for the places that specifically allow remote work.

There are a few cafés that are happy to have people working and some even offer specific laptop or coworking menus.

But they are the exception rather than the rule.

For a few emails or a bit of writing, you can find good options.

For a full workday, calls or deep work, a proper coworking space is much easier.

And please don’t be the person taking a Zoom call in the middle of a busy beach restaurant.

Nobody wins.

WiFi and calls

For normal remote work, internet is generally not something I worry about here.

Coworking spaces have proper high-speed internet, and many apartments have fibre too.

If you are booking accommodation specifically for remote work, though, ask about the actual WiFi quality.

Not just:

“Does it have WiFi?”

Ask for the connection speed.

Those are two very different questions.

Mobile data works well enough as a backup in most places around town, but I wouldn’t plan to run an entire working week from your hotspot on the beach.

For important calls, use a proper workspace.

The ocean is great for a lot of things.

Audio quality is not one of them.

Surf before or after work

Surf is one of the main reasons people come to Caparica in the first place.

And the nice thing is that it doesn’t have to become some big weekend activity.

You can simply build it into your day.

Surf early in the morning.

Go around lunchtime.

Or close the laptop and go straight into the water.

There are plenty of surf schools and rental places along the coast if you are starting out.

And if you don’t surf, it doesn’t really matter.

The beach is still part of everyday life here.

Sometimes after work I just go down and walk for a bit.

No big activity.

No plan.

Just a few steps, fresh air and some space in your head.

That is enough.

Lunch around Caparica

One thing I really like about living here is that lunch can still feel like lunch.

Not just something you order and eat while staring at Slack.

There are plenty of small Portuguese restaurants, cafés and beach places around Caparica.

One of my own favourite lunch spots is actually in Trafaria, one town further along the river.

There is a place down by the harbour where I like to eat fish and look across the water towards Lisbon.

The lunch menu is somewhere around €15 with basically everything included.

Nothing fancy.

And that is exactly why I like it.

You sit there looking at Lisbon and somehow it feels really far away.

Even though it isn’t.

That, for me, sums up Caparica pretty well.

Living and staying in Costa da Caparica

If you are coming for a few weeks to work remotely, I would stay somewhere reasonably central.

Being able to walk to the beach, supermarket, coworking space and restaurants changes the whole experience.

You don’t really need a car for normal everyday life if you choose your location well.

And your radius gets smaller.

That sounds like a limitation, but I think it is actually one of the best things about living here.

You spend less time moving around.

Summer gets much busier, obviously.

The beaches fill up, traffic increases and weekends have a completely different energy.

Outside peak summer, Caparica becomes much calmer again.

Personally, I prefer that version.

The digital nomad community in Caparica

Yes, there are more remote workers and digital nomads here now.

You notice it.

But Caparica is not one of those places where everything revolves around the digital nomad scene.

And I think that is a good thing.

You have locals, fishermen, surfers, families, people working in Lisbon and internationals who have made Caparica home.

Remote workers are just another part of that mix.

Community also happens quite naturally.

Through coworking.

Surfing.

Training.

Friends of friends.

Seeing the same people again and again.

You don’t necessarily need a networking event every Tuesday evening.

Actually, I like that you don’t.

My perfect remote-work day in Caparica

My ideal day here is actually pretty simple.

I start in the morning with a workout.

Ideally outside, somewhere close to the beach.

Then a shake or a light breakfast and I start working.

Calls, laptop, normal work.

I like switching between working inside and outside on the terrace.

If I have enough time around lunch, I try to get out.

Sometimes I go to the beach.

Sometimes I head to Trafaria for fish by the harbour.

Then back to work.

And if the day gets too busy and lunch ends up being something quick between calls, I go down to the beach once I finish.

I don’t necessarily need to surf.

Sometimes I just walk.

I think that is the whole point.

Working remotely in Caparica is not about pretending you are permanently on holiday.

You still work.

Sometimes a lot.

The difference is what happens around the work.

FAQ

So, should you work remotely from Costa da Caparica?

I am obviously biased.

I live here.

I built a coworking space here.

So take that into account.

But there is a reason for both.

Caparica has this rare combination of being close to a major city without really feeling like part of that city.

You have Lisbon when you want it.

And dunes, ocean, surf and a slower rhythm when you don’t.

It isn’t polished.

It isn’t a resort.

And hopefully it never becomes one.

For me, that is exactly the charm.

Work happens here. It just doesn’t have to be your whole day.

About the author

Nico Mahembe Ingendaay lives and works in Costa da Caparica and is the founder of Out of Office, a small coworking and community space close to the ocean. This guide is based on everyday life here rather than a short visit.