The Accessible Beach, Beach for All! Program was created in 2004 and has been developed on the ground since 2005, within the framework of an institutional partnership, at the level of the Central State Administration, which brings together the National Institute for Rehabilitation (then the National Secretariat for the Rehabilitation and Integration of Persons with Disabilities - SNRIPD), the Portuguese Environment Agency - APA, I.P. (then the Water Institute - INAG) and Turismo de Portugal, I.P., and which, until 2007, also included the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training - IEFP, I.P..

At the level of the Regional Administration, environmental entities responsible for the monitoring and supervision of water resources are involved in the implementation of the Programme - on the mainland, the Administrations of the Hydrographic Regions of the APA, I.P., and, in the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores, the Regional Secretariats with identical responsibilities through the Regional Directorates.

At local government level, municipalities with beaches officially designated as bathing waters are involved, within the scope of Article 4 of Decree-Law No 135/2009 of 3 June 2009, in collaboration with private entities concessionaires of these beaches.

The central objective of this Program - which promotes compliance with the legislation on accessibility, namely the provisions of the technical standards approved by Decree-Law No. 163/2006, of 8 August (accessibility regime), as well as with Law No. 46/2006, of 28 August (non-discrimination law) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Portugal in 2009 - aims to ensure that more and more Portuguese beaches become accessible and services that enable their use and enjoy, with equity, dignity, safety, comfort, independence and the greatest possible autonomy, by all people who wish to visit them, regardless of their age and possible mobility difficulties or other disabilities that, transitionally or permanently, condition their mobility.

The mandatory requirements that determine the attribution of the classification of "accessible" to a bathing area, allowing the raising of the respective award, are the following:

• easy, obstacle-free pedestrian access from the surrounding public road to an accessible entrance to the bathing area;
• orderly parking with reserved places for vehicles for the service of persons with disabilities who are mobile, carry a parking card, are located as close as possible to that entrance and are connected to it by a pedestrian path without any barriers;
• A network of walkways accessible on the beach, totally free of obstacles and interruptions, which will begin at this accessible entrance and will include walkways on the beach, whenever it exists, and, in other cases, a paved, firm, stable and continuous route. In case of gradients, the steps shall be supplemented by smooth ramps with handrails and/or mechanical lifting means accessible to persons with restricted mobility (lifts or lifting platforms). This network of accessible routes will necessarily lead to: the area of sunbathing and shadows (sun hats, awnings, stalks, tents), and as close as possible to the water; and sanitary facilities and a first aid centre adapted to the needs of persons with reduced mobility.
• Presence of lifeguard;
• Information to the public at the entrance to the beach and on the municipality's website, detailing the accessibility conditions and support services available to people with restricted mobility.

Some examples of other good practices that, although not mandatory, unquestionably improve the conditions of enjoyment of the beaches by these people, are therefore recommended in a perspective of continuous improvement of the Programme:

• Amphibian equipment for bathing and/or walking on the beach for people with reduced mobility (wheelchairs, walkers, Canadians, etc.);
• Clothes, showers, water fountains and foot washes accessible to all;
• Shadowed reception and support spaces reserved for people with restricted mobility and people with assistance dogs;
• personalised reception and guidance of visually impaired persons;
• Beach bars, restaurants and shops accessible to all;
• accessible and inclusive recreational and pedagogical activities;
• information to the public in alternative formats, including those accessible to the blind;
• colour identification system for colour-blind people on sea-status flags and in containers for separate waste collection;
• Tactile maps of the beach, with indications in Braille, at the entrance to the bathing area;
• Systems for routing and access to the bath with autonomy of blind people and for issuing safety alerts of deaf people.

Developments

The Program has maintained increasing adherence by municipalities and beach concessionaires, although there is a long way to go to achieve the desired final objective:

Make accessible the beaches, coastal and inland, enabling their free enjoyment, with equity and security, by all who wish to attend them.

In the 2025 bathing season, the Programme covers around 36% of the beaches officially designated as bathing waters.

The following table shows the history of accessible bathing areas:

Bathing season	Mainland	Azores	Wood	Total
2025	220	16	7	243
2024	220	17	7	244
2023	217	18	7	242
2022	207	18	8	233
2021	198	17	8	223
2020	177	17	7	201
2019	189	17	9	215
2018	189	16	9	214
2017	194	16	12	222
2016	183	14	12	209
2015	179	14	11	204
2014	171	14	9	194
2013	162	10	7	179
2012	162	15	7	184
2011	153	14	8	175
2010	142	9	7	158
2009	139	9	6	154
2008	109	9		118
2007	92	5		97
2006	74	2		76
2005	48	1		49

Accessible Beaches 2025: List of award-winning beaches (August 14)

In the 2025 bathing season, 243 beaches were awarded, of which 64 are river or lake bathing areas and 179 are coastal or transitional, corresponding respectively to a distribution of 26.3% and 73.7% of the total number of Accessible Beaches.

About 86.8% of the beaches offer an important added value: amphibious equipment for bathing and walking on the beach for people with limited mobility, in addition to which a significant part of the municipalities and concessionaires provide bath assistance services.

Consult HERE the final list of Beaches awarded 2025 by the Accessible Beach Program, Beach For All!

“Accessible Beach, Beach for All!” 2026

Applications for the ‘Accessible Beach, Beach for All!’ programme for the 2026 bathing season are open until 31 March 2026.

Applications for bathing areas for the award must be sent by the respective municipalities to the following entities: on mainland Portugal, to the Regional Hydrographic Administrations of the Portuguese Environment Agency to which they are assigned; in the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores, the Regional Directorate for Environment and Climate Change and the Regional Directorate for Spatial Planning and Water Resources, respectively.

The documentation to be submitted is contained in an Application Form, which you can consult HERE, and a Statement of Commitment (Annex 4), which can be accessed HERE. The Form (Annex 1, Annex 2 and Annex 3), which explains its main mandatory requirements, and the Award Rules, which you can consult HERE.

Applications are open

until 31 March 2026

You can also consult the pages about the Program on the websites of the Portuguese Environment Agency, I.P. (includes an interactive map with the geographical location of the awarded beaches) and the Turismo de Portugal, I.P.

Documents available for download

(update of the documents to be made available for version 2026, namely):

• Beach Accessible 2026_Application form
• Annex 1_2026
• Annex 2_2026
• Annex 3_2026
• Annex 4 – Municipality’s Statement of Commitment 2026
• Award rules 2026

Contacts

Email: INR-praia.acessivel@inr.mtsss.pt