Eloping at Praia del Rey: Winter Light, Weather and Where to Stay
How I'd plan an elopement at Praia del Rey near Óbidos, from a winter afternoon I photographed there: the drive, where the sun goes down, the wind, a plan B and where to stay.
One winter afternoon I photographed Anastasia and Sergey's elopement at Praia del Rey. They had to leave their home in Ukraine soon after their wedding, with no celebration and no photographs, so for the one afternoon that was only theirs I sewed Anastasia's dress and made her bouquet. The wind kept lifting her long skirt on the clifftop, and after the sun had gone the sky over the beach turned pink: their story is here.
Praia del Rey is a long, quiet beach on the coast west of Óbidos, about 70 minutes from Lisbon airport, with a low clifftop above the sand and a layered rock wall along the back. In winter the sun stays low all afternoon and the weather changes quickly, so the light, the drive and a spare evening are worth planning together. Here is how I would do it.
Why choose Praia del Rey for an elopement?
For its quiet. It's a long beach with few people on it, where two people can be alone, and it gives you two backgrounds for portraits. On the low clifftop path above the sand, gravel with ice plant at its edge, the low sun comes in over the sea and the wind takes a long skirt. On the sand in front of the rock wall, the stone makes a plain, calm background.
I'd suggest Praia del Rey to couples who want a long, quiet beach and don't mind the drive. If your day is short or you'd rather not drive, Guincho, 10 minutes from Cascais, or Adraga, which is easy for older relatives to reach, are closer to Lisbon; my guide to the beaches near Lisbon compares them.
The clifftop path above Praia del Rey
How far is Praia del Rey from Lisbon?
About 70 minutes from Lisbon airport without traffic, a drive of 93 km, and about 85 minutes from Cascais. From central Lisbon I allow up to an hour and a half. You need a car, and Óbidos, the walled town, is 20 minutes inland, which matters for the plan B below.
Where does the sun set at Praia del Rey?
It depends on the month, because the beach faces north-west. In midwinter the sun sets in the west-southwest, almost straight down the coast toward Peniche, so the low light runs along the sand and the rock wall catches it only at a slant. In June it sets over the open sea, nearly in front of the wall, and the stone takes the last light head-on. Spring and autumn fall in between.
The winter sun stays low all day: at noon in mid-December it stands only 27° above the horizon, so the light is low from early afternoon, not only at sunset, and there's time for portraits before the ceremony. The trade-off is a short day. In midwinter the sun goes down around 17:15 to 17:30 and by mid-February around 18:15 (sunset month by month), and in mid-January it's dark around 18:00. The clocks go back on the last Sunday of October (31 October in 2027), and sunset moves an hour earlier overnight.
For a winter elopement here, I'd start the ceremony about two hours before sunset, around 15:45 in mid-January, and keep the half hour after sunset for the beach. That's when the sky can turn pink, as it did for Anastasia and Sergey.
Praia del Rey after sunset, under a pink sky
What is winter weather like on this coast?
Mild, windy and changeable. At Cabo Carvoeiro, the weather station on the Peniche headland 11 km away, December to February highs average about 15 °C and nights about 10 °C, with rain on 8 to 10 days a month (IPMA normals, 1991–2020). Gusts of 60 km/h or more blow on about eight days a month in December and January, against fewer than one in July and August. Fog is this coast's summer problem, not winter's.
Dress for it: something light that moves, a warm layer for after sunset, flat shoes for the gravel path on the clifftop, and hair that can take a gust. The wind kept lifting Anastasia's long skirt, so she played with it, holding it out toward the water and spreading it over the ice plant.
Low winter sun on the clifftop, and the wind by the rock wall
What if a storm closes the beach?
On days with a yellow, orange or red weather warning for the Leiria district, where Óbidos is, the beaches and cliffs of this coast are closed to anyone on foot. Check the warnings the day before and again that morning, and keep a spare evening in your trip. My plan B:
- A warning on the day: portraits in the lanes of Óbidos, 20 minutes inland, and the beach on your spare evening.
- A shower: wait it out and go back when it clears; a broken sky after rain often photographs better than flat sun.
Whatever the weather, stay out from under the cliffs where they're signed. Two stretches are closed because the rock is unstable, one north of the beach path from the Marriott hotel and one toward Rei do Cortiço, so I keep portraits on open sand, well clear of the foot of the wall.
Where should you stay?
- At the beach: the five-star Praia D'El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort, by the beach path, or a rented villa in the resort, where the bride of a wedding I photographed in Óbidos got ready.
- In Óbidos: the walled town, 20 minutes inland, if you'd rather wake up in its lanes and drive out for the afternoon light.
Can you get legally married on the beach?
Yes, if a registrar agrees to marry you there. A civil wedding outside the registry office costs €200 in total plus the registrar's transport, the registry file opens at least a month ahead, and Americans first sign a statement in person at the US Embassy in Lisbon. A symbolic ceremony needs no legal paperwork in Portugal. Anastasia and Sergey were already married, so theirs was a celebration; for most couples I suggest the same, legal at home and symbolic here. My elopement guide explains both routes.
Photographing your elopement at Praia del Rey
My elopement collections start at €1,200, from a four-hour ceremony-and-portraits story to a full day, with 300 to 900+ edited photographs and a sneak peek within 10 days. Travel is included within Lisbon and about 1.5 hours around it, which covers Praia del Rey. The details are on my elopements page.
If you'd like a quiet afternoon by the ocean, just the two of you, send me your month and whether you'd like a ceremony or portraits only. I'll tell you where the sun goes down along Praia del Rey that evening, and when I'd start.
Details checked in October 2026
Yana Yart
Yana Yart is a wedding and elopement photographer based in Cascais, Portugal, with over 15 years behind the camera in 55 countries. She studied architecture for five years, which is why every day she photographs is planned around the light.
